Marcus Morris Explains why he Added Senior to his name: "I put that Senior on my Back for my son"

Marcus Morris added senior to his name for his son to share a legacy.

The moment Marcus Morris became a father, it changed his life forever.

Since joining the Clippers in February, many fans have wondered why Marcus Morris has the word "Sr." on his jersey. The answer is a simple, yet incredibly sentimental one - it's for his son. Marcus Morris' first son is a junior, and it made him want to put a senior on his own name. Morris wanted to the be the father that he never had.

"Just reflecting back on my childhood, I never had a father," Morris said to the Boston Herald. In that sense it meant a lot to me.” 

For Morris, the decision is about legacy. It's something his brother Markieff was also a fan of. The two brothers have an inseparable bond from each other, and cherish family more than anything. "My family is the best thing that’s ever happened to me," Morris said.

The birth of a child changes everything. It was the moment Morris realized he needed to work even harder than he was before. He wasn't providing for himself anymore, there was someone depending on him for the rest of his life. 

Morris wants his name to mean something. He wants his son to know that there is a precedence of excellence set for him by his father. "The definition of hard work," Morris said. "I wasn’t as good as some of these guys coming into high school, going into college. I really had to grind to get my position, even still now. I’m still doing the same thing."

It's a matter of setting an example. Morris doesn't want his name to be synonymous with something tainted. "In the basketball world, guys like me, we tend to make bad decisions," Morris said. Morris' childhood was one where practically slept with one eye open. He's never had a full sense of comfortability, because of the environment grew up in. That's the path Morris wants to avoid, the path he wants to ensure his son never follows.

"I wanted to live forever, I put that senior on my back for my son, so when he grows up, he’ll always remember." - Marcus Morris

There are no keys to eternity. At some point we're all born, and we all perish. But a legacy, that lives forever. Through his son, Morris has built his own path to eternity.