Ex-Knicks Star Denied Bail Over Shocking ‘Casino Scam’

Former New York Knicks forward Marcus Morris Sr. was denied bail after he appeared in a Florida court for the first time since his arrest on July 27 for felony fraud.

Morris Sr.’s legal troubles stemmed from allegedly scamming $265,000 from two prominent Las Vegas casinos, TMZ reports.

“According to court documents we obtained, the NBA player allegedly got $115,000 from the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino via bad checks in May 2024 … and never paid it back when the checks bounced,” TMZ reported.

Morris Sr. performed a similar scam in June 2024, receiving $150,000 from Wynn Las Vegas Hotel and Casino through checks “he knew” wouldn’t be cashed, according to TMZ.

The one-time Knick will remain detained, waiting for extradition to Las Vegas, the TMZ report added. He will have to appear at another court hearing scheduled in August.

The presiding judge denied Morris Sr.’s lawyers’ motion for bond, saying “she would only release” the former NBA player to Nevada authorities “for extradition — or if the warrants that were issued for his arrest were withdrawn.”

Morris Sr. has an estimated net worth of $21 million in 2025, according to realitytea.com. He earned over $106 million in salaries across 13 seasons in the NBA, per Spotrac.

Twin Brother, Business Manager Defend Embattled Marcus Morris Sr.

His twin brother, Markieff Morris, was shown on the courtroom video attending the hearing. He was annoyed by the scandalous reports following his twin brother’s arrest.

“The wording is crazy. Damn for that amount of money they’ll embarrass you in the airport with your family,” Markieff wrote on X. “They got y’all really thinking bro did some fraud (expletive). They could have came to the crib for all that. When y’all hear the real story on this … All I can say is Lesson learned.”

The twin brothers’ business manager, Yony Noy, also came to Marcus’ defense, downplaying the news.

“Just so everyone understands this is zero fraud here or whatever crap outlets have said regarding fake checks or whatever the hell,” Noy wrote on X. “This is due to an outstanding marker with a casino. If you have over $1,200 they can issue a warrant for your arrest. Absolute insanity!”

According to Hofland and Tomsheck, Las Vegas criminal lawyers, a casino marker functions like a short-term loan from the casino.

“Patrons sign a promissory note agreeing to repay the marker within a designated time frame, typically 30 days. If the marker remains unpaid, the casino can convert the marker into a check and attempt to withdraw the funds directly from the patron’s bank account. If the withdrawal fails due to insufficient funds or a closed account, the casino can initiate criminal proceedings.

“In Nevada, unpaid casino markers are treated as “bad checks,” and failing to repay them can result in criminal charges.”

Marcus Morris’ Best NBA Season Happened With Knicks

Marcus enjoyed his best individual season in the NBA with a lottery Knicks team during the 2019-20 season. He signed a one-year, $15 million deal to join the Knicks.

The 6-foot-8 power forward averaged a career-best 19.6 points during his lone season in New York. He scored a career-high 38 points in a 135-132 Knicks’ loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on January 5, 2020.

Morris was one of the several forwards, which included Julius Randle and Bobby Portis, that the Knicks signed before that season. But the logjam did not prevent Morris from leading the Knicks in scoring.

Aside from the Knicks, Marcus played for the Houston Rockets, who drafted him 14th overall in 2011, Phoenix Suns, Detroit Pistons, Boston Celtics, Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers.

After his playing days were over, he frequently appeared on ESPN’s morning sports shows “Get Up” and “First Take” in recent months.