It was an emotional moment for the City of Brotherly Love. Sixers' forward and Philadelphia native Marcus Morris Sr. received the key to the city Thursday for his contributions on and off the court.
After a successful career, Morris Sr. recently returned to play for his hometown team. The city wanted to welcome Morris back and recognize him and his twin brother, Mavericks forward Markieff Morris, for their charity and philanthropic work around the city.
The Morris twins helped create the Family Over Everything Foundation, an organization that assists members of underserved communities in Philadelphia and other cities.
Surrounded by teammates, friends and family, Morris Sr. delivered a tearful speech sharing how proud he is of his roots and reflected on where his charitable and philanthropic nature comes from.
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"My mom always had an open door policy," Morris Sr. said, " She helped the kids in the neighborhood. She helped my family and that is instilled in me til this day, I know nothing else different. So when I see people get love back it means a lot to me, it really does."
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Markieff was unable to attend the ceremony in person but wrote a message on X, formerly known as Twitter.
"We are humbled and extremely grateful to be awarded such a prestigious symbol of recognition," Markieff said in a tweet. "Receiving the key to the city is something my family will cherish for a lifetime. We’re committed to upholding and furthering the values and principles it represents. Thank you to the judges, senators, city officials my family and the people of the city."
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