Monté Morris facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Monté Morris

Morris with the Washington Wizards in 2022
Free agent
Point guard
Personal information
Born	(1995-06-27) June 27, 1995 (age 30) Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S.
High school	Flint Beecher (Flint, Michigan)
Listed height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight	183 lb (83 kg)
Career information
College	Iowa State (2013–2017)
NBA Draft	2017 / Round: 2 / Pick: 51st overall
Selected by the Denver Nuggets
Pro career	2017–present
Career history
2017–2022	Denver Nuggets
2017–2018	→Rio Grande Valley Vipers
2022–2023	Washington Wizards
2023–2024	Detroit Pistons
2024	Minnesota Timberwolves
2024–2025	Phoenix Suns
Career highlights and awards
First-team All-Big 12 (2017) 2× Second-team All-Big 12 (2015, 2016) First-team Parade All-American (2013) Michigan Mr. Basketball (2013)

Monté Robert Morris (pronounced MON-tay; born June 27, 1995) is an American professional basketball player. He last played for the Phoenix Suns in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Before joining the NBA, he played college basketball for the Iowa State Cyclones.

Monté Morris's Early Life and High School Basketball

Monté Morris was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His mother, Latonia Morris, gave him the nickname "Man-Man" when he was a baby. He grew up in Flint, Michigan and went to Flint Beecher High School. Monté was childhood friends with Kyle Kuzma, who also became an NBA player. They even played together later on the Denver Nuggets.

Monté was a starter for the Beecher Buccaneers for all four years of high school. He won Michigan's Associated Press Class C Player of the Year Award three times. He was also chosen for the all-state team three times. Monté led his team in scoring, assists, and steals every year. He helped Flint Beecher win two state championships in 2012 and 2013. In 2013, he won the Michigan's Mr. Basketball award. This award goes to the best high school basketball player in Michigan.

Monté was considered one of the best point guards in the country. He was ranked highly by scouting services like Rivals.com and Scout.com. He was also named a Parade All-American. Many top colleges wanted him to play for them. These included Butler, Illinois, Indiana, and Arizona State. He decided to play for Iowa State.

Monté Morris's College Basketball Journey

Monté Morris played college basketball for the Iowa State Cyclones from 2013 to 2017. He quickly became a key player for his team.

Freshman Year: A Strong Start

Monté started his freshman season on the bench. However, he soon earned a spot in the starting lineup. He averaged 6.8 points, 3.7 assists, and 2.6 rebounds per game. He made 134 assists, which was the third-highest for a freshman at his school. Monté was also very good at free throws, shooting 84.7 percent. He was the only freshman in his conference to make at least 25 three-pointers and shoot over 40 percent.

He scored double figures in 13 games, including all three games in the NCAA tournament. He had a season-high 15 points in a tournament win against NCCU. Monté was known for his amazing assist-to-turnover ratio. He broke an NCAA record with a 4.79 assist-to-turnover ratio. This means he had almost five assists for every one turnover.

Sophomore Year: Leading the Cyclones

Morris playing in 2016

In his sophomore year, Monté started all 34 games. He averaged 11.9 points, 5.2 assists, and 3.4 rebounds. He was named to the All-Big 12 Second-Team. He also had 64 steals, which was one of the best in school history. Monté scored a career-high 24 points against Texas Tech. He also hit a game-winning shot against Texas in the Big 12 quarterfinals.

The Cyclones won the Big 12 tournament for the second year in a row. Monté was named to the Big 12 All-Tournament team. He did not commit a single turnover in all three tournament games. For the second year, he led the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio with 4.63.

Junior and Senior Years: Setting Records

Monté continued to excel in his junior and senior seasons. He was recognized as one of the top point guards in college basketball. In his senior year, he broke his own NCAA record for assist-to-turnover ratio. He improved it to an incredible 5.21. In 2017, Monté led Iowa State to the NCAA tournament. They reached the second round before losing to Purdue.

Monté Morris's Professional Basketball Career

After a successful college career, Monté Morris entered the NBA.

Denver Nuggets (2017–2022)

Monté was chosen by the Denver Nuggets as the 51st pick in the 2017 NBA draft. He signed a "two-way contract" with the Nuggets. This meant he would play for both the Nuggets and their G League team, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. He made his NBA debut on December 12, 2017, against the Detroit Pistons.

On December 29, 2020, Monté scored a career-high 24 points against the Sacramento Kings. On February 16, 2022, he scored 13 points, including a game-winning three-point shot. This shot helped the Nuggets beat the Golden State Warriors 117–116 as time ran out.

Washington Wizards (2022–2023)

On July 6, 2022, Monté was traded to the Washington Wizards. He made his Wizards debut on October 19, scoring seven points and adding six rebounds and six assists.

Detroit Pistons (2023–2024)

Monté was traded to the Detroit Pistons on July 6, 2023. He had a quadriceps injury that kept him out for much of the 2023–24 season. He played in only six games for the Pistons before being traded again.

Minnesota Timberwolves (2024)

On February 8, 2024, Monté was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Phoenix Suns (2024–2025)

On July 5, 2024, Monté Morris signed with the Phoenix Suns.

Playing for His Country

On March 20, 2021, Monté Morris decided to play for the Nigerian national team. He joined as a naturalized player, meaning he became eligible to play for Nigeria even though he was born in the U.S.

Career Statistics

Monté Morris has played many games in the NBA and college. Here are some of his statistics.

NBA

Regular Season Stats

Playoff Stats

College Stats

See also

In Spanish: Monté Morris para niños