Darius Morris, a four-year NBA veteran point guard who played for the Los Angeles Lakers, Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies and Brooklyn Nets, has died at the age of 33 at his alma mater, the University of Michigan. Confirmed Saturday. The cause of death has not been disclosed.
Morris played two years at the University of Michigan under coach John Beilein, reaching the NCAA Tournament during his sophomore season in 2010-11. His 235 assists that season set a new school record, a record that was later surpassed by Trey Burke (260 assists) and Xavier Simpson (236 assists). After two seasons in college, Morris declared for the NBA Draft and was selected 41st overall by his hometown team, the Lakers.
Morris played with the Lakers during the final two playoff seasons of Kobe Bryant's illustrious career, appearing in a total of 67 games and averaging 3.6 points for Los Angeles. Due to Bryant's injury in 2013, Morris started two playoff games for the Lakers in 2012-13 against the San Antonio Spurs, but the Lakers were eliminated from that series in a four-game sweep.
He would go on to play 65 more games with four different teams in the NBA. He set a career high with 20 points per game as a member of the 76ers in the 2013-14 season. After his NBA play, he played both in the G League and overseas and called it a career after finishing the 2019-20 season with French team BCM Gravelines Dunkirk.
