Markieff Morris swears he isn't funny, though most who interact with him would probably disagree. He delivers some of the more colorful quotes you will hear from a professional athlete.
Whether it be due to a well-timed curse word or a direct dig at an opponent, Morris can be flat-out hilarious. His newest business venture will draw from that sense of humor.
Morris is set to host a standup comedy show at the Drafthouse Comedy Theater in northwest Washington on March 7. Well, 'host' may not be the right word because he says he will absolutely not be going on stage to tell jokes.
"Hell no. I ain't a funny guy," he insisted in an interview on our Wizards Tipoff podcast. "I can never imagine doing no s--- like that. Never. First of all, I took - what is that s--- - public speaking when I was in college and that was super tough for me. Doing something like actually cracking jokes and waiting for peoples' response would be like that."
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Morris, though, is a big fan of standup comedy. He has long admired those who are good at it and counts Eddie Murphy, Martin Lawrence, Bernie Mac and Cedric the Entertainer among his all-time favorites. Lawrence's 2002 special 'Run Tel Dat,' which was filmed at DAR Constitution Hall in D.C., is Morris' favorite standup show.
"It's something that keeps your spirits up," Morris said of standup comedy.
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Morris' event will feature comedians Scooter Wilkerson, Talent Harris, Smokey Suarez and Timmy Hall. Some of the comics are from Washington. Wilkerson is from Philadelphia and has been a longtime friend of Morris and his family.
Wilkerson pitched the idea to Morris as something he could invite his teammates to. Morris liked the concept and decided to attach his name and the branding of F.O.E., or 'Family Over Everything.' Morris hosts charity events under the same name, including a flag football event he has in the works for this summer.
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Morris expects some teammates to attend the show and said that if any of them were to be good at standup comedy, it would be Tim Frazier. Morris says Frazier is the funniest guy on the team.
For more information about Morris' comedy show, go here.
Listen to our full interview with Markieff Morris on the Wizards Tipoff podcast:
You can download the podcast on Apple Podcasts right here and on Google Play. If you like the show please tell your friends!