Former New York Knicks forward Marcus Morris Sr. was arrested on July 27 in Florida on a felony fraud charge for writing a check with insufficient funds, according to sherrif.org.
His twin brother, Markieff Morris, slammed the reports and hinted there’s more to the story behind the “fraud” headlines.
“The wording is crazy. Damn for that amount of money they’ll embarrass you in the airport with your family,” Markieff wrote on X. “They got y’all really thinking bro did some fraud (expletive). They could have came to the crib for all that. When y’all hear the real story on this … All I can say is Lesson learned.”
The twin brother’s business manager, Yony Noy, later clarified that the charges were gambling-related.
“Just so everyone understands this is zero fraud here or whatever crap outlets have said regarding fake checks or whatever the hell,” Noy wrote on X. “This is due to an outstanding marker with a casino. If you have over $1,200 they can issue a warrant for your arrest. Absolute insanity!”
According to Hofland and Tomsheck, Las Vegas criminal lawyers, a casino marker functions like a short-term loan from the casino.
“Patrons sign a promissory note agreeing to repay the marker within a designated time frame, typically 30 days. If the marker remains unpaid, the casino can convert the marker into a check and attempt to withdraw the funds directly from the patron’s bank account. If the withdrawal fails due to insufficient funds or a closed account, the casino can initiate criminal proceedings.
“In Nevada, unpaid casino markers are treated as “bad checks,” and failing to repay them can result in criminal charges.”
Marcus Morris’ Lone Season in New York
Getty Former New York Knicks star Marcus Morris Sr. (center) is in hot water following his arrest in Florida.
Marcus enjoyed his best individual season in the NBA with a lottery Knicks team during the 2019-20 season. The 6-foot-8 power forward averaged a career-best 19.6 points during his lone season in New York. He scored a career-high 38 points in a 135-132 Knicks’ loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on January 5, 2020.
Morris was one of the several forwards, which included Julius Randle and Bobby Portis, that the Knicks signed before that season. But the logjam did not prevent Morris from leading the Knicks in scoring.
Aside from the Knicks, Marcus played for the Houston Rockets, who drafted him 14th overall in 2011, Phoenix Suns, Detroit Pistons, Boston Celtics, Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers.
After his playing days were over, he frequently appeared on ESPN’s morning sports shows “Get Up” and “First Take” in recent months.
The Impact of the Marcus Morris Trade
GettyImmanuel Quickley was an offshoot of the Marcus Morris Sr. trade, whom the Knicks later traded for OG Anunoby.
Morris’ impact in New York, however, was not his play on the court but came later after he left.
His trade helped the Knicks become a perennial playoff contender and now, a title contender.
Morris was shipped to the Clippers in a deal that netted the Knicks a future first-round pick, which they later used on Immanuel Quickley. The Knicks later flipped Quickley in the trade that landed them OG Anunoby.
Morris’ one-and-done season in New York preceded the Knicks’ best stretch since James Dolan took over as the Knicks’ owner in the late 90s.
After Morris left, Dolan hired Leon Rose to become the team president and Tom Thibodeau as the head coach. Together, Rose and Thibodeau guided the Knicks to four playoff berths in five seasons.
Thibodeau was fired after he coached the Knicks to the Eastern Conference Finals last season.
The Knicks replaced Thibodeau with Mike Brown, a former two-time NBA Coach of the Year like his predecessor.
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