Alexis Morris, the former LSU women’s basketball standout and aspiring WNBA player, remains undeterred despite not making a WNBA roster. Morris, who the Connecticut Sun selected in the second round of the draft following her pivotal role in LSU’s 2023 national title win, found herself cut before the season even started.
This year, the situation remained unchanged as she wasn’t invited to any WNBA camps. Despite these setbacks, Morris’s commitment to her dream hasn't waned.
“Absolutely. It’s my dream. I can’t give my dream up,” she said, per Doug Feinberg of the Associated Press. “I know I made mistakes; I will continue to push for it until I reach my goals. It is a tough league to make.”
Morris spent time playing overseas in Romania and Turkey and recently signed with the Harlem Globetrotters, a move that marks a new chapter in her basketball career.
She addressed the transition, noting, “I was not in the mental space to go play overseas initially after getting waived from the W. Leaving my home country, it was tough to process that at the time. Now I’m here doing what I love to do.”
Known as “The Show,” a nickname she earned at 12, Morris has become the seventh female player in the Globetrotters’ 98-year history.
“We come out here every night to put on an amazing show for the fans, the families, and our goal is to ultimately change people’s perspectives and create millions of smiles,” Morris said.
Alexis Morris doesn't regret prior comments about league veterans
The 5-foot-6 guard, who averaged 15.6 points during her championship season with LSU and was named first-team All-Southeastern Conference, also touched on her past comments about WNBA veterans. After being cut, Morris received backlash for suggesting that some veterans should retire to make room for rookies.
“I don’t regret saying what I said, but I do wish I had articulated it better to reach people it should have reached,” Morris said. “I wasn’t targeting the veterans; I was a veteran at LSU, and I know how tough it is when you have rookies that don’t respect the time you served; (I) wasn’t trying to be that knucklehead rookie. It needed to be said and I said it. I apologized for how I said it.”
Looking ahead, Morris remains hopeful about the expansion of the WNBA, which will add a new team in the San Francisco Bay Area next year.
“I hope and wish one day they can expand and have more opportunities for the younger generation and talent that dream to play there,” she expressed.
New York Liberty coach Sandy Brondello echoed similar sentiments, acknowledging the difficulties of making a roster given the abundance of talent.
“It’s hard to make a roster now,” Brondello said. “There’s so many really talented players that don’t get a chance.”
As the WNBA continues to grow, with plans to add three more teams by 2028, Alexis Morris’s story is a reminder of the challenges required to succeed in professional sports. Meanwhile, Morris is not planning to leave the Globetrotters anytime soon, grateful that the organization supports her dual aspirations and will give her time to play if she makes a WNBA camp or roster.
“I plan on being here for a lifetime,” she said. “It makes it perfect for women who want to stay in the States. You can become a Harlem Globetrotter and then play in the WNBA. It’s perfect opportunity for women to stay here in our country,” Morris said.
“It’s another outlet for women … You still get the opportunity to work on your game and train. You have to behave like a pro and move like a pro.”
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