Christopher Vernard Morris was born on 20 January, 1966 in Atlanta. Morris grew up with his mother and stepfather, as his biological father left the family when Morris was a baby. His parents divorced, and Morris would often work at his grandmother’s farm. Morris graduated from Frederick Douglass High School at Atlanta in 1984 where he led the basketball team to the school’s only state championship. Morris was named Mr. Basketball for the state of Georgia and Douglass High School retired his jersey number 34 in 1994
Vernard is a retired American professional basketball player. In his 11-season (1988–1999) National Basketball Association career, the 6’8″ small forward played for the New Jersey Nets, Utah Jazz, and Phoenix Suns. He is a graduate of Atlanta’s Douglass High School where his jersey has been retired and played for the Auburn University Tigers. He scored 8,184 total points in his NBA career.
Morris was drafted with the 4th overall pick in 1988 NBA draft, and appeared in the 1989 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, finishing 8th place out of 8 contestants. On March 2, 1993, with the New Jersey Nets, he shattered a backboard with a slam dunk during a regular season game against the Chicago Bulls. With the Utah Jazz, Morris played in the 1997 and 1998 NBA Finals. Following the 1998–99 NBA lockout, Morris signed with the Phoenix Suns in February 1999.
Christopher played internationally after 11 seasons with the NBA, starting with Olympiacos B.C. of the Greek Basket League in 1999. However, Olympiacos cut Morris in 2001 due to a knee injury. Morris joined the Harlem Globetrotters later that year, and the Southern California Surf of the ABA signed Morris as a power forward in April 2002, and Morris later debuted with Purefoods Tender Juicy Hotdogs of the Philippine Basketball Association in July 2002. Morris played with Gaiteros del Zulia of the Venezuelan LPB in the 2003–2004 season.
