Seeking fiery revenge for brother, Marcus Morris Sr. once targeted Nikola Jokic's teammate as Nuggets shield 2023 NBA Finals MVP
Veteran NBA forward Marcus Morris Sr. is close to his twin brother Markieff, which was why when the latter was on the receiving end of a “sucker shot’ on the court, he wanted to take up the fight for his brother.
The incident took place in November 2021 in a game between the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat, involving Markieff Morris and Nikola Jokic.
The altercation started when Morris fouled the Nuggets superstar at halfcourt, catching Jokic with an elbow to his rib.
Unhappy with what happened, the Serbian big man retaliated, charging at Morris from the back and shoulder charging him to the ground as he walked away. Morris hit the ground in obvious pain, sending the game into chaos.
The incident left Morris reeling from what was later diagnosed as whiplash and as a precautionary measure, he missed several months of the NBA season to recover.
After getting wind of what happened, Marcus Morris Sr., playing for the Los Angeles Clippers, felt bad for his twin brother and wanted to come to his aid.
In the recent episode of the "All The Smoke" podcast, where he and Markieff were guests, Marcus said:
"It was a sucker shot. I was upset obviously, it was more so just because he had his back turned but then I told him, 'You should never turn your back to this m*****fuc***,' you know what I'm saying?"
Marcus Morris continued that he knew he needed to do something on his brother’s behalf when they faced off with the Nuggets, adding:
“The crazy part was when we played them [Nuggets], they was like on me, like they knew I was going to do something… So I was like if I cannot take him [Jokic], I’m gonna take one of his teammates… Austin Rivers… I had to do something…”
What happened in the aftermath of the Markieff Morris-Nikola Jokic incident?
For the incident, Nikola Jokic was suspended for one game without pay for escalating the situation. He also apologized for what happened.
He continued to dominate in that season, winning his second NBA Most Valuable Player award.
In the 2022-23 season, Nikola Jokic would lead the Nuggets to the NBA title, defeating the Miami Heat in their best-of-seven Finals series, 4-1. He was also named NBA Finals MVP.
Markieff Morris, for his part, was fined $50,000 for initiating the altercation. He was cleared to play four months after the incident and finished the 2021-22 season with Miami.
Last season, he split time with the Brooklyn Nets and Dallas Mavericks.