Darius Morris’ sole reflects his soul.
A point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers, Morris writes Scriptures on the side of his basketball shoes.
It’s a practice he chooses, along with social media, to “make it clear” that he is a Christian.
“Hopefully you could tell by the way I act,” Morris said of his faith, which got an assist early on from his parents, Dewayne Sr. and Robin Morris.
“They instilled in me at a young age that He is the reason for everything. His grace and mercies are the reason why we are able to function. That is what I believe wholeheartedly in,” said Darius Morris, a member of Life Deliverance Ministries in Los Angeles.
His favorite verse, written on his shoes, is Hebrews 11:1: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
“People [were] saying I will never be able to make it to where I am,” he said. “I know that is not because I am by myself; it is because of God that I am where I am today. My situation at [The University of] Michigan my freshman year didn’t go too well, but I kept the faith and believed in God, and He took me far my sophomore year, and I am able to be here in the NBA.”
Morris was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2010–11 Michigan team that fueled his biggest thrill in sports: making the 2011 NCAA tournament. He set the school record for assists in a single season (235) and led the Wolverines in points (15 per game) and steals (36). He was third team All-Big Ten and academic All-Big Ten.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Morris was the most valuable team member among major conferences because he accounted for 53 percent of the team’s points.
Declaring for the NBA Draft after his sophomore season at Michigan, Morris was picked by the Lakers in the second round at 41st overall in 2011. He has averaged 14.7 minutes, 4.8 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists during the 2012–13 season, a season that has been his biggest surprise.
The Lakers, who own 16 NBA championships, had their worst start since 1993–94 and were eight games under .500 on Jan. 23, a season-low (although they have since climbed into playoff contention). They have been among the most scrutinized teams in professional sports.
“I try to block it out,” Morris said. “A lot of things can be up and down. Your team might be losing. You might not be playing as well. When things don’t go right, it really can bother you if you don’t have substance to believe in. Faith is the answer to a lot of this stuff. I have faith that it is going to get turned around.”
Morris has relied on his playmaking ability, height — tall for a point guard at 6’4” — and versatility to adjust to different team needs while providing defense and offense.
“He brings a lot of length, energy and comes in off the bench and plays very hard on defense, and he can shoot,” said Lakers point guard Jodie Meeks. “Darius is a good player.”
Lakers center Robert Sacre said that Morris gives Kobe Bryant a break.
“He puts a lot of defensive pressure on the ball,” Sacre said. “He is growing as a person and as a player. He is doing well. I’m very impressed with him.”
Morris, 22, is working on improving “everything” as he learns from veteran teammates.
“You can never work too hard,” he said. “You stay hungry. You might experience success, but you’ve got to remain humble. All the glory goes to Him.”
Meeks describes Morris as a humble, laid-back teammate who likes to have fun. Morris laughs when they tell him that he has “a lot of swag.”
“That is pretty funny to me,” he said.
In his spare time, Morris bowls and watches the Word Network.
“There are a couple of preachers I like on there,” he said. “In the season, you can’t really attend church.”
When he is traveling, he takes his Bible and books by Christian authors.
At almost every NBA turn there are temptations.
“You see a lot of different things,” Morris said. “You know that you have to be different. You know that you can’t do everything that everybody else does.”
Sacre and Meeks have noticed the difference in Morris.
“He prays every day,” Sacre said. “He is very good in his faith. He really believes and is definitely a great role model for young kids. He comes to chapel quite a bit.”
“I think he is very spiritual,” Meeks said. “He as well as myself and Dwight [Howard]. We go to chapel before every game. Having faith is the key in this league.”
While Morris looks to his father and Martin Luther King Jr. as role models, his inspiration to keep going is the challenge of becoming better: a better Christian, a better person and a better basketball player.
“God loves us all and wants us to do well,” he said. “You have to maintain that faith to know that things are going to work out. It may not be like we want it to work out, but in the long run, God’s planning and timing is different from our times and plans. If we stick with His plans, they are working for our good.”
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