Chris Morris (basketball)
A high-flying small forward whose athleticism and scoring touch made him a key piece for three different NBA franchises in the 1990s.
Born 1966 (age 60)·American basketball player·Birthday: January 20·Generation X
Biography
Chris Morris emerged from Atlanta's Douglass High School, where his jersey now hangs retired, to become a standout at Auburn University. Drafted by the New Jersey Nets in 1988, the 6'8" forward brought a dynamic, above-the-rim energy to the league for over a decade. His game was built on explosive drives and a capable outside shot, making him a versatile scoring threat. While his prime years were spent with the Nets, he later contributed to the deep Utah Jazz teams that reached the NBA Finals and played a role for the Phoenix Suns. Morris retired with over 8,000 career points, remembered as a durable and exciting wing player of his era.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Chris was born in 1966, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Chris Was Born
The biggest hits of 1966
#1 Movie
The Bible: In the Beginning
Best Picture
A Man for All Seasons
#1 TV Show
Bonanza
Chris's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1966Born
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1971Started school
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1979Became a teenager
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1982Could drive
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1984Could vote
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1987Turned 21
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1996Turned 30
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 40
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 50
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 60
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Scored 8,184 total points over an 11-season NBA career with the Nets, Jazz, and Suns.
- Had his high school jersey (#23) retired at Douglass High School in Atlanta, Georgia.
- Played a key role off the bench for the Utah Jazz teams that reached the NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998.
- Averaged a career-high 15.3 points per game during the 1992-93 season with the New Jersey Nets.
Did You Know?
He was selected with the 4th overall pick in the second round of the 1988 NBA Draft (40th overall).
Morris was known for his distinctive high-top fade haircut during his early NBA years.
He led the NBA in three-point field goal percentage during the lockout-shortened 1998-99 season, his final year, shooting 47.8%.
At Auburn, he was teammates with future NBA players Chuck Person and Chris Porter.
“My game was built on the baseline, attacking the rim with force every single time.”
