33 Randolph Morris

Randolph Morris was born Randolph Albert Morris on January 2, 1986, in Houston, Texas to Ralph and Patricia Morris.

Morris attended Landmark Christian School in Fairburn, Georgia, where he showcased exceptional talent, averaging 23 points, 16 rebounds, and 8 blocks per game as a senior. His outstanding performance earned him McDonald’s All-American honors in 2004.

Morris was the #2 rated center and #10 overall prospect by Rivals.com in a year when a record eight high schoolers went directly to the NBA draft. Morris strongly considered a jump straight to the NBA as well but decided to spend at least a year in school. Kentucky won a late recruiting battle, after drawing Morris away from early favorite Georgia Tech.  Morris, along with All-Americans Joe Crawford and Rajon Rondo, gave Kentucky the top-rated recruiting class in the nation.  Also, in that same recruiting class was Kentucky teammate Ramel Bradley.

During his freshman year, he averaged 8.8 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. After the season, he declared for the 2005 NBA Draft but went undrafted. He returned to Kentucky in January 2006, sitting out the first half of the 2005–2006 season due to NCAA regulations. Upon his return, he improved his performance, averaging 13.3 points and 6 rebounds per game as a sophomore. In his junior year, he further enhanced his game, averaging 16.1 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game, earning third-team All-SEC honors.

After declaring for the 2005 NBA Draft and going undrafted, Morris signed a two-year, $1.6 million contract with the New York Knicks on March 23, 2007. He became the first player in history to transition directly from the NCAA to the NBA in the same week. Morris played parts of two seasons with the Knicks before joining the Atlanta Hawks in 2008. He spent two seasons with the Hawks, contributing as a reliable big man off the bench. In 2010, Morris moved to the Beijing Ducks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). During his tenure with the Ducks, he won three CBA championships (2012, 2014, 2015) and was named CBA Finals MVP in 2014. Morris also earned two CBA All-Star selections in 2011 and 2014.