Morrow honored in OKC
The March of Dimes recognized former Oklahoma City forward Anthony Morrow on Friday night.
A half-a-head taller than the rest of the party goers, Anthony Morrow walked into the Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club on Friday night as if he never left.
Morrow flashed a bright smile, brighter pink shoes, and posed for photos with Boomer, the OU mascot.
“It feels good to be back in Oklahoma,” Morrow said, his father, Larry Mayhew, standing a few feet away in an upstairs ballroom filled with chatter.
“It’s always great to come back and see old faces and the love that Oklahoma gave to me and my family.”
The 31-year-old shooting guard is a free agent waiting for his next NBA opportunity. In the meantime, Morrow was more than happy to accept an invitation to March of Dimes’ Sports Headliner Award Banquet on Friday.
According to March of Dimes, the banquet honors “athletes, coaches and teams who have taken center stage and brought national attention to the state of Oklahoma.” Including Morrow, some of the biggest names in Oklahoma sports were honored Friday night, from OU basketball newcomer Trae Young to OSU wrestler Dean Heil, a two-time NCAA champion.
A fan favorite for three seasons with the Thunder, Morrow was traded to Chicago on Feb. 23 as part of the deal that brought Taj Gibson and Doug McDermott to Oklahoma City. But between a Caribbean vacation this summer with his family and training in his hometown of Charlotte, Morrow saw the March of Dimes’ event as a perfect opportunity to come back to OKC.
The success of the March of Dimes event helps to raise money for programs which assist premature babies, newborns with birth defects and research to prevent infant mortality. Morrow’s connection with March of Dimes has expanded beyond just NBA-required community service.
Of Morrow’s four children, all three of his boys were born premature, including his 10-monthold twins who were born last November in Oklahoma City.
During the season, March of Dimes presented Morrow with a certificate. He made sure to invite his fiancee to accept it.
“I was there, I was right beside her, but she had to go through everything,” Morrow said of the premature birth of his sons. “Just seeing what my fiancee had to go through, it was a grind to try to stay in there with her and be positive, watching how strong she was.
“It’s a blessing to come back and for March of Dimes to invite me here.”
In nine NBA seasons, Morrow has played for seven teams, but he never spent more time in one city than the three years he played for the Thunder.
It’s why Morrow said his father was excited to come back. It’s why when Enes Kanter was stuck in Europe with a canceled passport earlier this summer, Morrow texted his “little brother.” It’s why when Morrow was traded to a rebuilding franchise, he kept one eye on Russell Westbrook — not just his run to the MVP Award, but his friend’s run to fatherhood.
Morrow said he’s waiting to see what happens with his professional future, but in the meantime he’s keeping busy. As he stood in the corner of the ballroom, Morrow talked about recently completing a book bag drive in his old neighborhood in Charlotte. His voice grew more passionate about what he does away from court than his career 41.7-percent 3-point shot.
If his NBA opportunity doesn’t come, he’ll have plenty to fall back on. As he walked to his table in the downstairs ballroom, Morrow ran into Dan Mahoney, the Vice President of Broadcasting and Corporate Communications with the Thunder. Mahoney was there with Thunder staffers to accept an award on behalf of Westbrook.
Before they took their seats, Mahoney made a point to tell Morrow “we miss you.”
“If everybody only knows you for making threes and scoring, then I haven’t done my job with the platform I have as a basketball player,” Morrow said.
“At the end of the day, I want people to know me for what I’ve done off the court, service-wise. That’ll speak volumes more than just the basketball.”