Morris again says he’s sorry
Marcus Morris reiterated his remorse on Friday for sexist comments that earned him a public rebuke from the Knicks and a $35,000 fine from the NBA.
Morris didn’t take any questions from the media — saying, “I really don’t have a choice” — but the veteran forward apologized again for saying Memphis’ Jae Crowder is “woman-like” and has “female tendencies” following a fight at the end of the Knicks’ loss on Wednesday night to the Grizzlies at the Garden.
“First, to start off, just apologizing deeply. My comments were unnecessary. I wasn’t even thinking when I was talking,” Morris said. “We have women referees, women coaches. I’m a big, huge supporter of the WNBA. I have relationships with a few female players in the WNBA. If I offended any of them, I deeply, deeply apologize.”
After the NBA fined Morris and suspended point guard Elfrid Payton for Saturday’s game in Indiana for shoving Crowder to the floor in the fracas, the Knicks said in a statement that Morris’ words were “offensive and unacceptable” and “cannot be tolerated.” Liz Cambage of the Las Vegas Aces tweeted at Morris that “FEMALE TENDENCIES WINS GAMES THOUGH.” RJ in Rising Stars Game
The Knicks will have a representative at All-Star weekend.
Canadian-born rookie RJ Barrett was named to the World Team for the NBA Rising Stars game on the first night of the league’s three-day midseason showcase event on Feb. 14 in Chicago.
The No.3 overall pick in the draft will team up with international stars such as Luka Doncic (Slovenia) and Deandre Ayton (Bahamas) on the World team, which will face a United States team featuring fellow rookies Zion Williamson and Ja Morant and second-year Atlanta guard Trae Young. Second-year Knicks center Mitchell Robinson was not named to the American squad.
Barrett has been sidelined since suffering a sprained right ankle Jan. 16 against Phoenix. The former Duke star resumed taking shots before the Knicks’ game Tuesday in Charlotte, and interim coach Mike Miller believes there’s a chance Barrett will be able to participate in the All-Star festivities at United Center.