Darius Morris, a former NBA player, passed away at 33 in May 2024. His untimely demise left many mourning while also raising concerns about his cause of death and his relationship status- whether he was a married man or dating.
The Michigan Wolverines alum had no reports of his wedding but a couple of girlfriends. However, not all of his girlfriends had a sweet relationship with him. Two of his ex-girlfriends accused him of domestic abuse.
Darius was the 2011 NBA draft pick of the Lakers. He played with three more NBA teams: the Nets, Clippers, Grizzlies, and 76ers through 2015. After a brief time at the NBA G-league, the Los Angeles native went to play basketball globally for Chinese and Russian clubs before his career ended in 2020.
What Happened To Darius Morris? Cause Of Death And Obituary
Darius Morris (b. January 3, 1991) was only 33 when he died in May 2024. On May 4, Saturday, his family announced that Darius was no more during their statement with TMZ, which read, “With great sadness, we announce the passing of our dearly beloved son, Darius Aaron Morris.”
Further, the Morris family asked everyone to “respect their wishes for privacy and grace.”
According to TMZ, the news of his death came two days after officials found the former NBA player’s body in the Los Angeles area on Thursday, May 2, 2024. However, the cause of his death is not out.
Shams Charaian, the senior lead at NBA Insider for The Athletic and Stadium, also took to X to confirm the death of the basketball player.
As a tribute, Darius’ former Los Angeles Lakers team made an X post grieving his untimely departure.
The late basketball player is survived by his mother, Robin Morris, father, De Wayne Morris Sr., and brother, De Wayne Morris Jr. Both his dad and brother faced an arrest and got charged in federal court with multiple felony counts of bank fraud that accounts to $5 million.
Is NBA Star Darius Morris Married? Does He Have A Wife? [Not To Confuse With NFL Player Darius Morris]
Former Lakers point guard Darius Morris was never married. However, he was in a few past relationships, which led many to assume that he tied the knot with one of his then-girlfriends.
Another speculation that brought concerns about his wife was because he shared the same name, “Darius Morris,” with a former NFL player.
The latter, Darius, a native of Long Branch City, New Jersey, played in the NFL from 2011 to 2017 with the Houston Texans and Dallas Cowboys. The football player and his wife, Angel Morris, are parents of four children. After retiring from football, Morris serves as the CEO of T4E Train4Excellence (January 2018—present).
Also Read: NBA Player Dante Exum Has A Daughter: Does He Have A Wife?
Darius Morris’ Ex-Girlfriends And Domestic Violence Case
Aside from his gameplay, Darius was not away from the limelight outside the basketball court – unfortunately, because of his court cases and allegations of abuse on his then-girlfriends.
The ex-NBA player was in a relationship with Kristen Evangeline Summer. She is a social media influencer, former model, and business executive.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Kristen serves as the VP of Best Call Funding (September 2023- present). She joined as an account executive in 2021 and was promoted to director of Sales and Regional Sales Director in two years.
In April 2020, Summer filed a complaint against Darius, which led to his arrest, stating he physically assaulted her during an altercation at a Manhattan-area home. As reported, he “grabbed her by her hair and dragged her, punching and kicking her in the head repeatedly.”
To everyone’s surprise, in May 2020, while talking with TMZ, Kristen denied being a victim of assault and admitted that she made the whole thing up.
Kristen Filed A Case On Darius Alleging Physical Abuse
The issue of Darius’ assault on Kristen resurfaced again on April 6, 2021, a year after she previously made a complaint about him for beating her.
She took to her Instagram to share “disturbing” pictures of her beaten-up face and wrote about her traumatic experience in her IG story.
Along with her physical abuse, she accused the basketball player of cheating on her and called out his mother for supporting his son’s actions.
After the viral posts came online, Morris apologized to her, sharing a picture of them, and wrote, “I’m sorry for not treating her right, this my girl.” However, he didn’t directly admit to assaulting her.
On April 16, 2021, she filed a lawsuit in the Manhattan Supreme Court to summon Morris in court, alleging “assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and gender-motivated violence.”
In August 2021, the former NBA player made a counterclaim against his then-girlfriend, Kristen. According to the court documents at the Manhattan Supreme Court, Darius “feared for his safety,” alleging that Summer not only caused him severe emotional distress but also sent death threats to him and his family.
The update on the case remains under wraps- whether they settled out of the court or it saw a dismissal.
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Another Ex-Girlfriend Called Him Out For Abuse
In December 2023, Darius Morris’ other girlfriend, Vilma Rivas, made media headlines after she shared a picture of her with bruises and swollen eyes, alleging the basketball player was behind the cause. She accused him of giving her four concussions in less than a year.
She goes by the IG handle @qdeejojo, and her bio reads “Domestic Violence Survivor/ Advocate.”
Like earlier, no update on this case ever came.
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Chandra, an enthusiast of Hollywood and sports, offers readers a captivating blend of analysis and expertise spanning over five years, with engaging and informative content. He is a driving force behind the StarBiographer, with editing, research, and content management roles.
