“The NBA office called me laughing, they didn’t even fine me” – Marcus Morris reveals he never got fined after getting ejected for bouncing the ball off Justin Anderson’s head originally appeared on Basketball Network.
Marcus Morris Sr. established himself as one of the reliable power forwards in the league and didn’t back down from anybody. The 14th overall pick in the 2011 Draft admitted that, due to his physical play, he has received fines for his sometimes reckless acts on the court. However, there was one exception.
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Morris recalled playing for the New York Knicks and hitting Justin Anderson of the Washington Wizards on the head with the ball. He was ejected for his actions and expected to face sanctions. But to his surprise, the aftermath was out of the ordinary.
“I’ve done a lot in the league, like a lot. I’ve been fined a ton of times. When I did that, I went into the locker room and the NBA office called me laughing. They didn’t fine me. They didn’t speak about it,” Morris shared when he appeared on The Big Podcast.
Morris didn’t care about getting suspended
Looking back at that game in October 2019, Morris was assessed a Flagrant 2 foul for unnecessary and excessive contact by a player against an opponent. Based on the league rule book, a suspension was possible aside from a hefty $50,000 fine.
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However, since it was a preseason game, the former Kansas Jayhawks player didn’t regret his actions and wasn’t worried about getting suspended. He admitted that he would have handled it differently if it were a regular-season game.
“Am I concerned (about a suspension)? … I would be concerned if it was regular season,” Morris said via ESPN. “If that was regular season I wouldn’t have done that.”
Marcus claimed that Anderson drew his ire because of a foul. But looking back at reports at the time of that incident, Morris said that the University of Virginia standout said some things that he didn’t like.
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Marcus was rolling with the Knicks
Marcus played only half of the 2019-20 season with the Knicks. He suited up in 43 games and put up averages of 19.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per contest. Although it was short-lived, these were the best numbers of his career thus far.
Unfortunately, that run ended that same season after he was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers, and his numbers dipped considerably. Morris didn’t exactly have a smooth run with the Clippers. This was despite him staying there for four years, the most so far in his 13-year pro career. There were some things he didn’t like with the Clippers, a reason why he prefers not to talk about his time there.
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“I don’t want to speak on that s***,” Morris said during an interview with MassLive. “I’m happy to be home in Philly. I’m trying to get started and help the team win in any capacity and try to reach the goal and winning the championship.”
The Clippers’ soured relationship with Morris may have been due to the power forward’s diminished playing time. With Tyronn Lue trying to find the right mix, Mook became the odd man out of the team’s rotation.
After that Clippers stint, Morris was never able to recover. He had chances with the Sixers and the Cleveland Cavaliers but those stops were hardly memorable.
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Marcus hasn’t played extensively since the 2023-24 season, and it remains to be seen whether some team will pick him up. At only 34 years old, there could still be a window of opportunity for the Pennsylvania native. But if there isn’t, Morris may want to consider playing overseas if no NBA team gives him a call.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 18, 2025, where it first appeared.