NBA veteran Marcus Morris Sr. has been freed from a Broward County, Fla. jail after paying off debts amounting to $291K to two Las Vegas casinos, as stated by prosecutors in Nevada.

“F*CK VEGAS,” he wrote on social media platform Threads. “To treat me like that was wild. I’ve gambled on that (sic) properties over 10 plus years! We could’ve handled that MOB style before that option,” he added, using “MOB style” as a slang term for handling things privately, without law enforcement.

Morris was apprehended at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Sunday due to two felony warrants that were issued earlier this year by the Las Vegas Township Justice Court. They accused him of writing or presenting a check for $1,200 or more with the intention to deceive, along with stealing no less than $100,000 in every incident.

The ex-forward for the Rockets, Suns, Pistons, Celtics, Knicks, Clippers, 76ers, and Cavaliers, now a free agent and ESPN analyst, was incarcerated for 51 hours.

 

Debt Exceeds Reported Figures

Clark County Chief Deputy District Attorney Charles Thoman verified that a wire transfer of $291,750 was received, settling the marker debts owed to both the MGM Grand and Wynn Las Vegas.

That amount is a bit more than the $265K debt referenced in court documents right after Morris’ arrest

“Money paid back and lesson learned,” Morris wrote on Threads, adding that the whole thing had been a misunderstanding.

"Say what you want but FRAUD will never be something I’m a part of or wasting my time with. Them coins ain’t changing no life styles on this side,” Morris continued, adding that “to sit for 51 hours no bail and not even a chance to pay it back ‘til after two days go by was outta pocket — 24-hour lockdown no food or water for the whole 51 hours. That’s the part that hurt me the most.”

Morris was denied bail on Monday after appearing in court in cuffs, supported by his twin brother and fellow NBA player Markieff Morris.

By denying the request, the judge stated that the player would be released for extradition to Nevada only if the arrest warrant was revoked due to the debt being settled.

 

Confusion Regarding Nevada Laws

Morris stated on Wednesday that he was glad to awaken in his own bed. He stated he was unaware that casino markers are legally viewed as checks and stressed that no funds were taken from the casinos aside from gambling. He maintained that he did not issue bad checks to the casinos, contrary to what some news sources reported.

According to Nevada law, an unpaid casino marker is treated similarly to issuing a bad check, and not repaying a marker is viewed as a type of fraud.

Not paying more than $1,200 is usually charged as a Category D felony, which can result in a maximum of four years in Nevada state prison and fines of up to $5,000 in addition to the original amount owed.

As of Wednesday, both cases in Nevada are still ongoing, with a court appearance set for August 6 in Las Vegas Township Justice Court. Authorities in Nevada state that they will drop the cases once the official procedures are finalized and the warrants are formally recalled.