Marcus Morris Sr., the former forward for the Boston Celtics, faced a Florida judge for the first time following his arrest on July 27, and was denied bail.
As reported by TMZ, his legal troubles are connected to an alleged scheme where he swindled a whopping $265,000 from two high-profile casinos in Las Vegas.
According to court documents, Morris allegedly cashed a check for $115,000 at the MGM Grand in May 2024, despite knowing it would bounce. He reportedly never remitted payment for this bad check.
His pattern continued in June of that same year, when he took $150,000 from Wynn Las Vegas using checks he was aware would not be honored by the bank.
Currently, Morris will remain in custody until he can be extradited to Las Vegas, with another court date scheduled for August.
The judge denied his attorney’s request for bail, stating she would release Morris Sr. only to Nevada authorities for extradition or if the arrest warrants were revoked.
By 2025, he was estimated to have a net worth of $21 million, as per realitytea.com. Over his 13-year NBA career, he amassed over $106 million in earnings, according to Spotrac.
‘Naturally Learning the Hard Way’
Markieff Morris, Marcus’s twin, was present at the court proceeding. Upon hearing the charges against his brother, he expressed disbelief about the scandalous headlines surrounding Marcus.
“The phrasing is wild. For that kind of money, they’ll humiliate you in front of your family at the airport,” Markieff posted on X. “People really think my brother committed fraud. They could’ve just come to our house to talk. I can only say one thing: Life’s a lesson.”
The siblings’ business manager, Yony Noy, also jumped to defend Marcus, claiming the fraud rumors are exaggerated.
“Just so everyone knows, there’s no fraud or whatever nonsense outlets have said about fake checks,” Noy posted on X. “This is related to a casino marker. If the marker exceeds $1,200, they can issue a warrant for arrest. It’s pure insanity!”
According to legal experts, a casino marker behaves similarly to a quick loan from a casino.
“Patrons sign a promissory note agreeing to pay back the marker within a specified timeframe, usually 30 days. If not repaid, the casino can turn the marker into a check and try to withdraw directly from the player’s bank account. If that fails due to insufficient funds, criminal proceedings may follow.
“In Nevada, failing to pay casino markers equates to dealing with bad checks, and this can result in criminal charges.”
From NBA Tough Guy to Casino Controversy
During his two seasons with the Celtics, Morris Sr. averaged 13.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists over the span of 129 games.
He was traded to the Celtics from Detroit in 2017 for Avery Bradley and a 2019 second-round pick, which led the Celtics to draft Tremont Waters.
Morris played a vital part in the Celtics’ journey to the Eastern Conference Finals in the 2017-18 season, averaging over ten points and leading in rebounds. He also brought a level of grit to the team, which included stars Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kyrie Irving, and Gordon Hayward.
Beyond the Celtics, Morris played for several other teams, including the Houston Rockets, Phoenix Suns, Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, and Cleveland Cavaliers.
In recent times, he’s been a familiar face on ESPN’s morning sports shows like “Get Up” and “First Take.”
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This piece originally featured on Heavy Sports.
The news of Ex-Celtics Player Locked Up in $265K Casino Fraud Case first appeared on Heavy Sports.
