The NBA community lost former point guard Darius Morris back on May 4, he was only 33 years old when he passed. We have now learned more about his tragic passing.
According to the Los Angeles County medical examiner, Morris died of a heart attack that was caused in part by drugs and alcohol. ABC 7 had the news with the new details.
His cause of death came out on Friday, showing that he died of coronary artery atherosclerosis, which is known as coronary heart disease. Within the investigator’s final report, Morris had elements of cocaine, hydrocodone, and ethanol in his system. These were listed as “contributing conditions” to his ultimate passing.
Morris played basketball at Windward School in Mar Vista. He grew up in the greater Los Angeles area, so being drafted by the Lakers was likely a dream come true. The 6-foot-4 guard played at the University of Michigan for his college ball. He shined while with the Wolverines, putting up 15.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 6.7 assists per game in his sophomore season.
Morris helped the Wolverines make it to the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament that season before they lost to Duke. His play got him drafted by the Lakers and he was loved by all that interacted with him.
Getty Images/Jeff Gross
“Darius was an absolutely super nice guy, he always had a smile,” Mike Bresnahan of Spectrum SportsNet told The Los Angeles Times’ Steve Henson. “What I appreciated was that when he made it to the NBA he decided he was going to enjoy every minute of it. He was going to have fun. Darius never forgot that part of it.”
Morris was a second-round draft pick (No. 41, to be precise) of the Los Angeles Lakers back in 2011. He played in 132 games over the course of his career with the Lakers and four other NBA teams. Morris averaged 3.3 points, 1.0 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game. He made 17 starts with the Lakers and was seen early on as a potential future building block for Los Angeles.
After he left the Lakers, he bounced around the NBA a little bit. He played with the Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, and the Brooklyn Nets before moving overseas to China. Morris tried to make it back to the NBA by joining the G-League but it never panned out. We mourn his loss every day and send our deepest condolences to his family and friends.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.