Darius Morris, a four-year NBA veteran point guard that played for the Los Angeles Lakers, Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies and Brooklyn Nets, has died at 33, his alma mater, the University of Michigan, confirmed on Saturday. The cause of death was not disclosed.
Morris played two years for Michigan under coach John Beilein, reaching the NCAA tournament during his sophomore 2010-11 campaign. His 235 assists that season set a new school record, which has since been passed by Trey Burke (260) and Zavier Simpson (236). After two seasons in college, Morris declared for the NBA Draft and was selected No. 41 overall by his hometown team: the Lakers.
Morris played for the Lakers during the last two playoff seasons of Kobe Bryant's illustrious career, averaging 3.6 points in 67 total appearances for Los Angeles. With Bryant injured in 2013, Morris started two playoff games for the Lakers against the San Antonio Spurs in the 2012-13 season, but the Lakers were eliminated from that series in a four-game sweep.
He would go on to play 65 more games in the NBA for four different teams. As a member of the 76ers during the 2013-14 season, he set a career-high with 20 points in a game. After his time in the NBA, he played in both the G-League and internationally before calling it a career following the 2019-20 season, which he spent playing for the French team BCM Gravelines-Dunkerque.
