Sports
Ex-Laker Darius Morris dies three months after father, brother convicted of bank fraud
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 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.
With her husband and one son incarcerated and another son dying unexpectedly, Robin Morris is understandably distraught and did not respond to a request for comment. A day after Darius was found dead, she called Villegas.
“Imagine that conversation,” Villegas said. “His parents and I are pretty tight. I saw him develop from a gangly 14-year-old through his transformation to becoming a young man. Everyone is just beginning the grieving process.”
Villegas met Morris when he was in eighth grade. As brash as he was scrawny, Morris needed to launch shots with two hands from his hip to reach the basket, yet he promised people he’d be able to dunk and that Windward was going to win a state championship before he graduated.
“The first game I laid eyes on him, I knew he had special talent,” said Villegas, now the athletic director at St. Monica High. “He had the ‘it’ factor.”
Every morning, Morris would be dropped off early at Windward by his father on his way to his job at the post office. Morris would shoot hoops until school started.
By his senior year, he made good on his promises, leading Windward to a Division V state title and being named CIF Southern Section player of the year. He scored 13 of his game-high 25 points in the fourth quarter of the state final.
“Darius put the school on the map,” Villegas said. “To me, the most important part was that he was a great kid, a great teammate, a leader who worked extremely hard. He checked all the boxes as a player and as a person.”
Soon off to Michigan, Morris set a single-season school record with 235 assists as a sophomore. He was named third-team All-Big Ten and was Michigan’s most valuable player.
The Lakers took him in the second round of the 2011 NBA draft with the 41st overall pick. He was offered a two-year contract but opted to sign for one year, figuring that if he made the team he’d deserve a raise in Year 2. Sure enough, he played in 19 games as a rookie and the Lakers doubled his salary in his second season.
“It’s kind of bold, especially for a second-round pick,” Morris said at the time of his contract gamble. “You just have to have faith and believe everything’s going to work out for you as long as you work hard.”
A SportsNet Backstage Lakers segment in 2012 featured Morris playing cinematographer during a Thanksgiving celebration at the home of center Dwight Howard and during a team flight. He took his assigned seat next to Bryant.
“I’m just capturing the moment for the people who aren’t there,” Morris said. “It’s all fun and smiles.”
In the 2012-13 season, the Lakers made the playoffs and faced the San Antonio Spurs despite catastrophic injuries to Bryant (torn Achilles’ tendon) and point guard Steve Nash (broken leg). Morris came off the bench in the first two games and started Games 3 and 4 after guard Steve Blake was sidelined with a hamstring injury.
Although the Lakers lost, Morris had 24 points and six assists matched up against All-Star guard Tony Parker. Morris also started Game 4 and again contributed six assists along with eight points.
Morris’ last NBA season was 2014-15 with the Nets, but he continued to play in the G League as well as in China, Russia and France. He made a final attempt at returning to the NBA in 2019 at the Las Vegas Summer League. He’d played in the summer league early in his career and reflected on the difference.
“I think I’m in that in-between stage of my career where I can offer a lot of advice,” Morris told Bleacher Report. “I’ve started in the playoffs, I’ve started in the regular season, I’ve played with legends, I’ve been cut before, I’ve been in the G League, I’ve signed 10-days, I’ve played side by side with Kobe. I can relate to anybody.
“If you’ve got a young star that’s going back and forth in the G League, I know all that advice. But I’m still entering my prime and I can play at a high level. I have a lot left.”
Sports
Xander Schauffele walks it off with 18th-hole birdie to win PGA Championship
Xander Schauffele walked it off at Valhalla Golf Club on Sunday, birdying the 18th hole to finish 21-under for the PGA Championship victory.
Schauffele’s 263 strokes over his four rounds is the lowest scoring total in major championship history.
Schauffele was tied with Bryson DeChambeau, who shot a 64, at 20-under entering the final hole. Schauffele, after going up and down to save par on the 17th hole, walked into the 18th tee knowing a birdie would give him the Wanamaker Trophy.
He did just that and Schauffele can forever say he’s a major champion.
This is a developing story. Check back for more updates.
Sports
Raul Lara's spring debut at Mater Dei leads to passing tournament championship
Wearing a gray Mater Dei T-shirt and white hat, Raul Lara is reminded constantly how strange he looks in Monarchs football gear by his acquaintances from his Long Beach Poly coaching days.
He had a 13-year run, winning five Southern Section Division 1 championships. Saturday at Long Beach Millikan was his team’s first seven-on-seven passing competition since he took over for Frank McManus at Mater Dei on April 25.
“It’s like when I took over at Poly when Jerry Jason established something,” Lara said. “[Bruce] Rollinson did the same thing. It’s my job hopefully to keep up with that. If we can do a little bit better, then we do. I don’t feel pressure, but I feel obligated to keep this program at the top.”
The Monarchs went 7-0 today to win Long Beach Tournament of Champions! Thanks to Long Beach Millikan for a great tournament.
— Mater Dei Football (@MDFootball) May 19, 2024
Lara, who resigned as head coach at St. Anthony, has kept much of Mater Dei’s coaching staff, enabling a smooth transition since the dismissal of McManus, who was head coach for one season.
Lara made it clear one of his assignments is to make sure players grow on and off the field. He’s a retired probation officer and plans to use the word accountability quite often.
“My biggest thing in coaching is always the character of the kid,” he said. “I want the kid when he leaves our program to learn the tools to become a responsible and good adult in the community. The kids are starting to see I have their best interest. And there’s a lot of accountability going on.”
Mater Dei won the seven-on-seven tournament championship, defeating rival St. John Bosco in the final while going 7-0 on the day. Dash Beierly, a senior transfer from Chaparral, and sophomore to be Furian Infererra handled quarterback duties. Corona Centennial and JSerra also reached the semifinals.
The tournament was filled with top players, from Edison receivers Jacob Martin and Jake Minter to Newbury Park quarterback Brady Smigiel. It launches a busy schedule of seven-on-seven weekend tournaments for the next month. St. John Bosco and Simi Valley will have tournaments on June 29 and the Edison tournament is July 13.
Crean Lutheran defeated San Juan Hills to win the Dana Hills tournament. Charter Oak won its own tournament championship, defeating Bishop Amat in the final.
Sports
Scottie Scheffler may see charges dropped after arrest during PGA Championship: report
Prosecutors in Kentucky were reportedly expected to drop the charges against Scottie Scheffler after his stunning arrest before the second round of the PGA Championship on Friday.
Jefferson County prosecutors were planning, “as of now,” to drop the charges, No Laying Up reported Sunday, citing a source “familiar with the office’s thinking.”
Scheffler was charged with second-degree assault of a police officer (a felony), criminal mischief, reckless driving and disregarding signals from an officer directing traffic.
He allegedly drove past a police officer who was directing traffic and failed to stop when directed. The officer attached himself to Scheffler’s vehicle and was dragged. According to an arrest report, Louisville Detective Bryan Gillis suffered injuries in the incident.
Scheffler’s arraignment is set for Tuesday. The Jefferson County Prosecutor’s Office and the Jefferson County Attorney’s Office didn’t immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Louisville, Kentucky, Mayor Craig Greenberg said Saturday there was no body cam footage of the incident between Scheffler and Gillis.
PGA CHAMPIONSHIP 2024: XANDER SCHAUFFELE, COLLIN MORIKAWA ATOP CROWDED LEADERBOARD HEADING INTO FINAL ROUND
“The officer did not have body cam footage turned on during the incident,” Greenberg said Saturday, via the Louisville Courier-Journal. “We will release footage that we have… to my knowledge, we have not yet discovered any video of the initial contact between Officer Gillis and Mr. Scheffler.”
Greenberg did say there was a “fixed camera” across the street from where the incident took place. He was unsure if Gillis was wearing a body camera. He didn’t say whether Scheffler’s charges would be reduced.
ESPN reporter Jeff Darlington was in the vicinity of the incident and caught video of Scheffler being put into the back of a police vehicle.
Scheffler called the incident a “big misunderstanding” on Friday.
“This morning, I was proceeding as directed by police officers. It was a very chaotic situation, understandably so considering the tragic accident that had occurred earlier, and there was a big misunderstanding of what I thought I was being asked to do,” he said. “I never intended to disregard any of the instructions. I’m hopeful to put this to the side and focus on golf today.
“Of course, all of us involved in the tournament express our deepest sympathies to the family of the man who passed away in the earlier accident this morning. It truly puts everything in perspective.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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