Former Lakers player Darius Morris dies at 33
It seems far too soon to be mourning the death of Darius Morris, the memory of the irrepressible point guard stepping into the Lakers’ starting lineup in a 2013 playoff series and shining still fresh in the minds of so many.
Yet a spokesperson with the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner confirmed that Morris died May 2 in a private residence. He was 33. The spokesperson said it could take up to three months for the cause of death to be determined.
What will endure are memories of Morris’ exuberant personality and winning smile while playing for the Lakers alongside his mentor Kobe Bryant after starring at Windward High in Mar Vista and the University of Michigan.
“Darius was an absolutely super nice guy, he always had a smile,” said Mike Bresnahan, The Los Angeles Times’ Lakers beat writer for 12 years who now is a Lakers analyst for Spectrum SportsNet.
“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 also played in 10 games for the Clippers in January 2014, along with stints in Philadelphia, Memphis and Brooklyn. He played overseas and in the NBA development league until 2020 when the COVID shutdown canceled his season in France.
Morris and his parents attended the 50th birthday party of one of his high school coaches a year ago and had warm conversations with friends and former teammates.
“He wanted to get back on the court and hopefully get another shot to play somewhere,” said Miguel Villegas, the coach who led Windward to its first CIF state high school championship in 2009 with Darius as the star player. “We really didn’t talk basketball, it was more about, ‘How are you doing? Great to see you.’ “
Those close to him say he was pained by the February conviction of his father, Dewayne Morris Sr., and older brother, Dewayne Morris Jr., both of whom were found guilty of conspiracy and three counts of bank fraud following a jury trial. Dewayne Jr. also was found guilty of witness tampering.
Sentencing is scheduled for June 3 in federal district court in San Diego. Both men face up to 30 years in prison.
There is no indication that Darius Morris was connected with the case, in which Dewayne Sr., a career U.S. postal supervisor based in Venice and Marina del Rey, was accused of obtaining thousands of postal money orders worth up to $5.1 million and Dewayne Jr. of fraudulently depositing them in bank accounts then withdrawing the cash.
Dewayne Jr. also was accused of paying his rent with the bogus money orders and he was convicted of threatening his landlord – who had testified against him before a grand jury – while on pretrial release.