Former NBA player Marcus Morris Sr. was arrested Sunday on a fraud charge while in Broward County, Florida.
Morris, who played college ball for Kansas and spent time with eight NBA teams during his 13-year playing career, was arrested on a felony charge of “Fraud – Writing a Check with Insufficient Funds,” according to the report, which also indicated he was arrested at an airport.
According to the New York Post, the online record also indicated the charge is related to a case in another state, and he is being held without bond.
Morris’ brother Markieff took to X after the news broke to offer a defense and claimed the “real story” had yet to be revealed.
“The wording is crazy,” Markieff wrote. “Damn for that amount of money they’ll embarrass you in the airport with your family. They got y’all really thinking bro did some fraud shit. They could have came to the crib for all that. When y’all hear the real story on this shit man. All I can say is Lesson learned. Bro will tell y’all tomorrow. This weird shit gave me a headache. Can’t stop nothin!”
Agent Yony Noy, who represents both brothers, tacked on an additional statement to that one, claiming that the issue at hand stems from an unpaid marker (a short-term line of credit) with a casino.
“Just so everyone understands this is zero fraud here or whatever crap outlets have said regarding fake checks or whatever the hell,” he wrote on X. “This is due to an outstanding marker with a casino. Apparently if you have over $1,200 they can issue a warrant for your arrest. Absolute insanity!'”
The Daily Mail reported Sunday that a source told them the casino in question is located in Las Vegas, where an unpaid marker is treated legally the same as writing a bad check. In Nevada, failure to pay a marker is treated as a class D felony.
Morris has been appearing on ESPN in recent months as an NBA analyst alongside his brother, making appearances on programs such as First Take and Get Up. He made waves in April during his initial appearance on First Take, claiming that the Oklahoma City Thunder weren’t deep enough to win the NBA title, two-time MVP Nikola Jokić is not a top-20 all-time NBA player, and former Los Angeles Clippers teammate Kawhi Leonard is the most feared player in today’s NBA. He also previously did media spots for CBS Sports.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.