 Morrison withCrvena zvezda in 2011 | |||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | (1984-07-19)July 19, 1984 (age 41) Glendive, Montana, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 205 lb (93 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Mead (Spokane, Washington) | ||||||||||||||
| College | Gonzaga (2003–2006) | ||||||||||||||
| NBA draft | 2006: 1st round, 3rd overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Drafted by | Charlotte Bobcats | ||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 2006–2012 | ||||||||||||||
| Position | Small forward /power forward | ||||||||||||||
| Number | 35, 6, 33 | ||||||||||||||
| Coaching career | 2017–present | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
Playing | |||||||||||||||
| 2006–2009 | Charlotte Bobcats | ||||||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | Los Angeles Lakers | ||||||||||||||
| 2011 | Crvena zvezda | ||||||||||||||
| 2012 | Beşiktaş | ||||||||||||||
Coaching | |||||||||||||||
| 2017–present | Mead HS (assistant) | ||||||||||||||
| Career highlights | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| Career NBA statistics | |||||||||||||||
| Points | 1,200 (7.5 ppg) | ||||||||||||||
| Rebounds | 342 (2.1 rpg) | ||||||||||||||
| Assists | 222 (1.4 apg) | ||||||||||||||
Stats at NBA.com  | |||||||||||||||
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |||||||||||||||
Medals
| |||||||||||||||
Adam John Morrison (born July 19, 1984) is an American former professionalbasketball player. Morrison played for three years atGonzaga University and was considered to be one of the topcollege basketball players in 2005–06. He was a finalist for theNaismith and theWooden Award. He was namedCo-Player of the Year with Duke'sJJ Redick by theUnited States Basketball Writers Association[1] and won the 2006 Chevrolet Player of the Year award. He played for theCharlotte Bobcats from 2006 to 2009, and for theL.A. Lakers from 2009 to 2010, where he won two NBA Championships.
Morrison's father, John, worked as a basketball coach, and the family moved with his coaching career:Casper College inCasper, Wyoming,Dakota Wesleyan University inMitchell, South Dakota, andDawson Community College inGlendive, Montana. When Morrison was in the fourth grade, his father left coaching,[2] and the family moved toSpokane, Washington.[3][4] Adam became the Gonzaga men's team'sball boy.[2]
When he was in the eighth grade, he lost 30 pounds (14 kg),[5] and while attending a basketball camp at Gonzaga during this time, he felt sick, later saying about his experience at the camp, "I think I made one shot the whole three days. I was sicker than a dog. I didn't want to play. I couldn't do anything."[2] Shortly after this, Morrison was diagnosed withtype 1 diabetes. He took his diagnosis surprisingly well; the second time a nurse came to administerinsulin, he stopped her, telling her, "Since I'm going to be doing this the rest of my life, you might as well show me how to do it."[2] However, his illness did not keep him from becoming a star atMead Senior High School in Spokane. In his senior year he broke single-season and career scoring records in his high school conference, and led Mead to the finals of the state tournament. Despite playing in the final game withhypoglycemia so severe that he nearly had a seizure, he scored 37 points in a losing effort. It was Mead's only loss that season. Morrison was not heavily recruited out of high school. Dave Telep ofscout.com admitted, "In one of the biggest misses of my career, we left him off the Top 100 list. We ranked him the No. 26 small forward. The goal is to never make a mistake of that magnitude again".[6]
Morrison arrived atGonzaga University to play for theGonzaga Bulldogs in 2003. In his freshman year he averaged 11.4 points per game (ppg), with a season-high 22 points againstSt. Mary's. Gonzaga won theWest Coast Conference (WCC) regular-season title. Morrison was named to the WCC All-Freshman Team.[7]
In his sophomore year Morrison averaged 19.0 ppg. He scored a season-high 28 points at home againstSan Francisco, including the winning shot with 0.6 seconds to play in the game. Gonzaga again won the WCC regular-season title. Morrison made the All-WCC First Team and was selected to theBasketball Times All-West Coast Team as well as being named an honorable mentionAssociated Press All-American.[7]
In his junior year during Gonzaga's first two games of the 2005–06 season at theMaui Invitational, Morrison played well against two of the sport's top programs. In the first round, Morrison scored 25 points in a Gonzaga win overMaryland. He followed up this performance with 43 points in a triple-overtime win overMichigan State in the semifinals. He matched that output against in-state rivalWashington on December 4, 2005, in a losing effort. However, Morrison and the Zags bounced back a week later, defeatingOklahoma State after he banked in a three-pointer with 2.5 seconds left to give Gonzaga a two-point lead and eventually the win.
In the regular season, he had 13 games of 30-plus points, with five of them over 40. At 28.1 points per game, he was the nation's leading scorer in 2005–2006. His scoring totals against teams in the "major" conferences were no less impressive; he averaged 28.5 points in 11 such games. On February 18, Morrison recorded a career high 44 points (including 37 in the second half alone) against theLoyola Marymount Lions in a winning effort.
Morrison led the Zags with 24 points in a2006 NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen match againstUCLA, which the Zags lost in the final seconds after UCLA had eliminated a 17-point deficit coming out of the first half. With seconds left, the lead having slipped away after Morrison's teammates committed 3 turnovers in less than 5 seconds, Morrison broke down in tears and collapsed to the court. He was eventually helped to his feet by UCLA playerArron Afflalo.[8] He has been both criticized and praised for this unbridled show of emotion. He later shared the national player of the year award with friendly rivalJJ Redick ofDuke. The game against UCLA turned out to be Morrison's final collegiate game, as he later decided to turn pro, foregoing his senior year of college.
Morrison was selected third overall in the2006 NBA draft by theCharlotte Bobcats, behindAndrea Bargnani (Toronto Raptors) andLaMarcus Aldridge (Chicago Bulls).[9] On July 6, 2006, the Bobcats signed Morrison to a two-year contract. On November 1, 2006, in his NBA debut against theIndiana Pacers, he scored 14 points. He was the first player drafted byMichael Jordan in his tenure as Manager of Basketball Operations with the Bobcats. He scored his career high of 30 points on December 29, 2006, in a 113–102 win over theIndiana Pacers. However, Morrison lost his starting spot midway through his rookie season, in part because of his defense and because he shot only 37% for the year.[10]
On October 21, 2007, the Bobcats announced that Morrison sustained a severe injury to his left knee in a preseason game against theL.A. Lakers while defendingLuke Walton, bending his knee laterally and falling to the ground in pain. AnMRI scan performed after the game indicated a tornanterior cruciate ligament (ACL).[11][12] On November 10, Morrison underwent surgery to repair the damage. The injury was confirmed to be a torn ACL, requiring several months ofphysical therapy after the knee had healed, and Morrison missed the whole 2007–08 NBA season.
On February 7, 2009, Morrison andShannon Brown were traded to theLos Angeles Lakers forVladimir Radmanović.[13] Morrison won NBA championships with the Lakers in 2009 and 2010,[14] but saw very limited playing time.[15] He was released following the 2009–10 season.
Following their2010 Finals win over theBoston Celtics, several Lakers players appeared on theJimmy Kimmel Show and clips were shown of Morrison merely watching on the bench or joining in the championship celebration.Kobe Bryant defended Morrison for his unselfishness in contributing to the team, considering him one of his favorite teammates.[16] Morrison later recalled building a relationship with Bryant that continued to the end of his career, including being thankful for the star standing up for him in the face of national media.[17]
Morrison signed with theWashington Wizards in 2010, but was waived at the end of training camp before playing a regular season game.[18]
In September 2011, Morrison signed withKK Crvena zvezda.[19] He was released from his contract in November 2011 to pursue other opportunities.[20] During his 8-game stay in Belgrade (he missed one away game due to a minor injury), Morrison averaged 15.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 29 minutes a game, becoming his team's top scorer and the second overall top performer during the2011–12Adriatic League season.[21]
In January 2012, Morrison signed withBeşiktaş Milangaz for the rest of the 2011–12 season.[22] However, he left the team in April 2012 due to a lack of playing time.[23]
After being absent from the NBA since being waived by the Wizards, Morrison played in the 2012NBA Summer League for theBrooklyn Nets and averaged 5.2 points and 19.2 minutes in five games with the team.[24] He then joined theLos Angeles Clippers' Summer League team, averaging 20.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists on 55% FG (38–69), 61% 3-PT (13–21) and 78% FT (11–14) in 5 games.[25]
On September 21, 2012, Morrison signed with thePortland Trail Blazers.[26] He was waived on October 27, 2012.[27]
Morrison made four appearances for various junior U.S. national teams. Morrison was selected to train with the senior men's team in preparation for the 2006FIBA World Championship but was cut prior to the tournament.[28]
In July 2013, Gonzaga basketball coachMark Few announced that Morrison would become a student assistant with the basketball team. Morrison had returned to Gonzaga to take classes.[29] After completing his undergraduate degree at Gonzaga in 2014, majoring in sports management,[30] Morrison became an assistant video coordinator for the Bulldogs for the 2014–15 season, but was weighing options for his career after the season ended.[31][32]
Morrison was named the color commentator for the Gonzaga men's basketball radio broadcasts with formerKREM 2 sports director Tom Hudson in October 2017.[33] Since 2021 season, Morrison has hostedThe Perimeter podcast, focusing on conversations with basketball and sports figures and more detailed analysis of the Gonzaga men's basketball team. The program was voted best local podcast byThe Inlander in 2021.[34] He also co-hosts theGonzaga Nation podcast with former Bulldogs greatDan Dickau.[35]
Morrison lives nearSpokane,Washington, with his three children.[36]
Morrison was diagnosed with Type1 diabetes (insulin-dependent diabetes) at age 13. He was playing in an eighth-grade basketball game, and as the game went into overtime, he began having seizure-like symptoms, which prompted his father to take him to the hospital where the diagnosis was made. Morrison, who managed hisdiabetes to the point of eating exactly the same meals at the same time on game days, is considered a role model for children with the disease and their families. During his freshman year at Gonzaga, Morrison and his life with diabetes were a subject of a four-page article inSports Illustrated. On the first day that the issue appeared in retail outlets, more than 50 parents of children with diabetes contacted the Gonzaga athletic department asking if Morrison could speak to their children. Off the court, Morrison regulates hisblood sugar with aninsulin pump attached to his abdomen.[2]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| † | Won anNBA championship |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–07 | Charlotte | 78 | 23 | 29.8 | .376 | .337 | .710 | 2.9 | 2.1 | .4 | .1 | 11.8 |
| 2008–09 | Charlotte | 44 | 5 | 15.2 | .360 | .337 | .762 | 1.6 | .9 | .2 | .1 | 4.5 |
| 2008–09† | L.A. Lakers | 8 | 0 | 5.5 | .333 | .250 | .500 | 1.0 | .4 | .0 | .0 | 1.3 |
| 2009–10† | L.A. Lakers | 31 | 0 | 7.8 | .376 | .238 | .625 | 1.0 | .6 | .1 | .1 | 2.4 |
| Career | 161 | 28 | 20.4 | .373 | .331 | .710 | 2.1 | 1.4 | .2 | .1 | 7.5 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010† | L.A. Lakers | 2 | 0 | 6.5 | .444 | .000 | .000 | 2.5 | .5 | .0 | .0 | 4.0 |
| Career | 2 | 0 | 6.5 | .444 | .000 | .000 | 2.5 | .5 | .0 | .0 | 4.0 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003–04 | Gonzaga | 31 | 1 | 20.8 | .531 | .304 | .726 | 4.3 | 1.4 | .4 | .3 | 11.4 |
| 2004–05 | Gonzaga | 31 | 29 | 34.3 | .499 | .311 | .758 | 5.5 | 2.8 | .6 | .5 | 19.0 |
| 2005–06 | Gonzaga | 33 | 32 | 36.5 | .496 | .428 | .772 | 5.5 | 1.7 | 1.1 | .3 | 28.1 |
| Career | 95 | 62 | 30.6 | .503 | .368 | .761 | 5.1 | 2.0 | .7 | .4 | 19.7 | |
