Former Lakers and Clippers guard Darius Morris died at age 33 of coronary artery disease, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Department said, although “the effects of cocaine, hydrocodone and ethanol” were listed as “other “Important Diseases”.
Morris, who starred at Windward High School in Mar Vista and at the University of Michigan and played for the Lakers with his mentor Kobe Bryant, was found by his mother on May 2 Died in private residence.
His father, Dewayne Morris Sr., and brother, Dewayne Morris Jr., were convicted of conspiracy three months ago following a jury trial in federal court. and three counts of bank fraud. Dwayne Jr. was also found guilty of witness tampering.
The sentencing in federal district court in San Diego was postponed from June 3 to Aug. 5 as the judge reviews three separate motions for a new trial filed by Anthony E. Columbo, Dwayne An attorney representing Dewayne Morris Jr. Columbo said Tuesday he will file a fourth motion in the lawsuit by Friday.
Colombo claimed that exculpatory information in the government’s possession related to cooperating witnesses was not shared with the defendants during the trial. Colombo also said he would appeal the case after sentencing if the motion is denied.
Dewayne Sr., a U.S. Postal Service career supervisor based in Venice and Marina del Rey, is accused of obtaining thousands of postal money orders worth up to $5.1 million, while Dewayne Sr. Dewayne Jr. fraudulently deposited the money orders into bank accounts and then withdrew the cash.
Colombo said Darius Morris had “absolutely no connection or involvement in this case.” Every time I see him I find him very pleasant and a gentleman.
Darius Morris will be remembered for his exuberant personality and bright smile. He led Windward to the CIF State Class V Championship and was named the 2009 CIF Southern Section Player of the Year.
He set the assist record at Michigan State before being selected by the Lakers in the second round of the 2011 NBA draft.
In the 2012-13 season, despite injuries to Kobe (torn Achilles tendon) and point guard Steve Nash (broken leg), the Lakers made the playoffs and faced off against the San Antonio Spurs. Morris came off the bench in the first two games and started the third and fourth games after guard Steve Blake was sidelined with a hamstring injury.
Although the Lakers lost, Morris scored 24 points and dished out six assists in Game 3 against All-Star guard Tony Parker. In Game 4, he contributed 6 assists and 8 points.
“Darius is definitely a super nice guy, he always has a smile on his face,” said Mike Bresnahan, a Lakers columnist for The Times who has worked 12 years and now a Lakers analyst for Spectrum SportsNet.
“What I appreciate is that when he got to the NBA, he decided he was going to enjoy every minute of it. He was going to have a lot of fun. Darius will never forget that part.
