Marcus Morris Sr. Explains Why He Apologized to Luka Doncic

Morris wanted to make it clear that, while he is a competitor, he does not want to be seen as a dirty player.

Mason Bissada | May 20, 2021

It seems there are no hard feelings between Clippers wing Marcus Morris Sr. and Mavericks star Luka Doncic.

During the LA Clippers’ media availability on Thursday, Morris confirmed that he apologized to Doncic for accidentally stepping on the back of his heel during their playoff series last year (Doncic was dealing with a sprained ankle during the series, and some believed the step to be intentional).

Earlier this week, Doncic praised Morris, calling him a "hell of a player, hell of a defender," before revealing that the two had squashed their beef prior to a game this season. Morris reiterated this, and made it clear that he’s not a dirty player.

“I think there’s definitely a mutual respect between us as players,” Morris said of Doncic, whom he guarded for large portions of last year’s first-round series. “I told him before the game, I’m not into making no dirty plays and trying to hurt nobody. I’m a competitor first; I love taking on the matchup.”

Morris returned the compliment to Doncic, but made it clear that their mutual respect will not get in the way of his competitiveness come gametime.

“I love his game,” Morris said. “I think he’s a great player in this league. I just wanted him to know I’m here to compete. Win, lose or draw, I’m here to compete. I put my hard hat on, come to work every day. I really didn’t have to but as a man, I wanted him to know that it wasn’t on purpose and that’s not the type of player I am.”

It’ll be interesting to see how this newfound respect will manifest on the court. The two teams will square off in game 1 of their series on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.

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