Marquese Chriss Bio: Family, NBA, Injury, Free Agent, & Net Worth

Marquese De’Shawn Chriss is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

When one has taken vows in the sports industry, one can expect growth, fame, earnings, criticism, and compromising privacy.

It doesn’t matter how great of a player you are and where you came through because a single incident will fetch you the same level of distrust and fame. Even the rising prospect, Marquese Chriss, faced it!

We all know he came through as one of the top recruits and starred in major games. However, he did struggle to the point where he had to question his love and passion for the sport. 

Having said this, Chriss is still on his journey, poised and confident. Besides the Mavericks, he has played for teams like Phoenix Suns, Houston Rockets, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Golden State Warriors.

The California native made his debut in the NBA after the Sacramento Kings selected him as the 8th pick overall in 2016.

Let’s embark on the journey of this impressive basketball player, from his early life to his professional career and some personal information.

Some quick facts are listed below to warm you up for the journey.

Quick Facts

Early Life, Family, And Education

Marquese Chriss (full name Marquese De’Shawn Chriss Jr.) was born on July 2, 1997, under Cancer’s sun sign in Sacramento, California.

He is the fourth oldest child in the family and altogether he has nine siblings; three elder sisters, three younger sisters, and three younger brothers.

Parents 

Unfortunately, Chriss’ biological parents got split early in his life, and therefore, he hasn’t disclosed his biological father’s information to date.

Anyways, his mother is Shawntae Wright, who is currently married to Michael Wright. She is a licensed clinical social worker in Placer County, California. 

Chriss and his stepdad maintain a healthy relationship, according to the sources.

Younger Brother, Mikey

Amidst all the siblings, Chriss seems to be the closest with his younger brother, Mikey. In fact, he speaks highly of his younger brother, as Mikey helped him during his struggle period. 

As explained by Chriss, he wants to be a cool big brother to Mikey. As a matter of fact, he often spends time with Mikey in his leisure, doing things that his brother likes. 

Moreover, when he can’t connect with Mikey in person, they often find their way through video games.

On the other hand, to show his love and support for his big brother, Mikey often attends games of Chriss, and it’s often iconic to see the bonding between brothers. 

For instance, a throwback to 2019, when Mikey came with his mother during Chriss’ preseason match. After the games, Chriss took hold of his brother and hugged him dearly before making his way to the locker.

“That’s my little brother, so there’s not really anything that I think that can separate us. I want to be somebody that he can look up to and mold himself to be. I’m gonna just be there to support him.”
-Marquese Chriss

First Love, Football

It is crystal clear that Chriss was passionate about sports from his early days. However, NBA or basketball wasn’t his first love. In fact, he initially was a fan of football, and it isn’t delusional.

That’s because, as per his passion and statement, he proved himself worthy of status in that game. In addition, the basketball player possessed great skills to be a tight end, defensive end, and safety back in the day.

As a fifth and sixth grader, his teachers often criticized him. Well, they had already marked his so-called “future,” stating that he would end up in jail. Of course, pretty disturbing remark to come from a teacher.

After an unfortunate turn of events, Chriss, as an eighth-grader, had to end his football career. During a game, he landed on his shoulder, breaking his collarbone, while catching a long pass.

Consequently, his mother prohibited him from playing football and his football dream was put to an end. Following the event, he turned to basketball and started dreaming of playing in the NBA.

High School 

Marquese Chriss is a 2015 graduate of Pleasant Grove High School in Elk Grove, California. His high school only presented with the junior varsity and varsity teams back in his days, limiting their roster spots.

The power forward was someone who had zero competitive experience. He almost did not make it into the rosters list, but his energy and the amount of effort he portrayed helped him make the cut.

He started as a reserve player for the team and worked his way up into the starting lineup.

A year later, he started for the varsity team and led the school to a state championship with a record of 28-6.

From his impressive game plays, he started getting offers from different colleges. However, he committed to the University of Washington.

The power forward finished his senior year averaging 21.9 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 3.1 blocks per game.

Not to mention, ESPN and 247Sports.com ranked him the No. 60 prospect, while Scout ranked him No. 55, and Rivals ranked him No. 56 recruit in the nation for the class of 2015. 

College 

As far as the news goes, Chriss’ decision to enroll at the University of Washington was influenced by his stepfather, who lived in Tacoma, Washington.

The Washington alma mater started his college career on a high note, recording a double-double with a season-high 29 points and 10 rebounds in the second game of the season.

However, his performance saw a dip in the following weeks as he developed a habit of collecting unnecessary fouls. He committed a foul in three straight non-conference games during the Battle 4 Atlantis.

As per his mother’s suggestion, the power forward consulted a sports psychologist, who taught him defense without a foul.

Indeed, it improved his three points and also impacted his rookie season’s stats as he garnered an average of 13.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game.

He also logged the fourth-most points by a freshman (467), fifth-most rebounds (183), and the most blocks (55) and subsequently earned the Pac-12 All-Freshmen selection.

Professional Career

Right after his first year with the Huskies, Chriss decided to forgo his remaining three years of college eligibility and declared for the 2016 NBA draft.

He was considered a top prospect in the mock draft. Likewise, he came on top with his skills and stats in the NBA combine and was named a potential top 3 draft.

The California native was selected by the Sacramento Kings as the eighth overall pick but was traded to the Phoenix Suns for the draft rights to Bogdan Bogdanovic and the rights of Georgios Papagiannis and Skal Labissiere on the draft night.

Phoenix Suns

After signing a rookie scale contract, Chriss only started playing with the team in the 2016 NBA Summer League. However, after playing only three games in the Summer League, he was ruled out due to some illness.

His regular season game debut came in their season opener on October 26, 2016, against the Sacramento Kings. He recorded 7 points, 4 rebounds, two assists, and one block in a 113-94 loss, coming off the bench.

The power forward came as a starter in a 124-121 loss against the Portland Trail Blazers. Similarly, he had his first career double-double in an overtime win over the New York Knicks.

Moving on, he posted his first 20-point game against the Memphis Grizzlies after being named to the US team for the 2017 Rising Stars Challenge.

He finished his rookie season averaging 9.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks in 82 games and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team. 

Even after departing with the team, Chriss came back for the 2017 NBA Summer League. After his game with the Grizzlies, he sustained a hip injury in a game against the Houston Rockets.

His 100 career steals, three-pointers, and blocks came in a win over the Mavericks at 20 years and 213 days old.

Indeed, he was the third-youngest player ever to reach 100 of each, behind LeBron James and Kevin Durant. 

Houston Rockets And Cleveland Cavaliers

Afterward, the Phoenix Suns traded Chriss to Houston Rockets in exchange for Ryan Anderson and De’Anthony Melton.

The power forward only made his debut for the team in a 104-85 loss to the Trail Blazers after missing the first five games with a sprained left ankle. 

Altogether, Chriss denied signing the $4 million option for the 2019–20 season, which would make him a free agent at the conclusion of the season.

On February 7, 2019, he was acquired by the Cleveland Cavaliers in a three-team trade involving the Rockets and Sacramento Kings.

Playing for the Cavaliers, he was handed a one-game suspension without pay due to an altercation with Serge Ibaka in a game against the Toronto Raptors.

Golden State Warriors And Dallas Mavericks

After his short stint with the Cavaliers, on October 1, 2019, Golden State Warriors signed the power forward but were prevented from keeping both Damion Lee and Chriss due to hard cap.

A week after the waiver, the Warriors re-signed him on a two-way contract, which was later converted into a 2-year rest-of-season contract on January 15, 2020.

He missed the remainder of the season after sustaining a broken right leg. Following his injury, he was traded to the San Antonio Spurs along with cash considerations in exchange for the draft rights to Cady Lalanne.

The power forward was waived three days later and he signed a deal with the Trail Blazers on September 23, 2021, but was waived after four preseason games.

Chriss signed three 10-day contracts with the Dallas Mavericks before signing a two-year contract on January 15, 2021.

The power forward was traded alongside Boban Marjanovic, Trey Burke, Sterling Brown, and the draft rights to Wendell Moore Jr., on June 24, 2022, to the Rockets in exchange for Christian Wood.

Chriss was again traded to the Thunders along with Trey Burke, David Nwaba, and Serling Brown in exchange for Derrick Favors, Ty Jerome, Maurice Harkless, Theo Maledon, and a future second-round pick on September 30, 2022. However, he was waived on October 17, 2022.

Career Stats

Highlights And Achievements 

Chriss, without a doubt, is a player depicting great athleticism. Often his high screen-and-roll and running dribble hand-offs are well-appreciated in his game. Not to mention his ability to turn defense into offense.

Some of his achievements to date are presented below. 

• NBA All-Rookie Second Team (2017)
• Western Conference Rookie of the Month (January 2017)

Injury Report

As a professional athlete, Chriss has faced many injuries to date, which have kept him out of the games. The major injury he faced was on October 27, 2017; he sprained his left ankle.

Following it, Chriss sustained a hip injury on January 7, 2018, which forced him to miss the game against the Rockets. Also, it was the same injury that ended his 124 consecutive games streak.

At the same time, he suffered from sprained left ankle; however, it didn’t cause him much trouble.

On October 16, 2018, Chriss missed five games in total due to his sprained left ankle, which even troubled him later in the year.

During his time with the Warriors, on December 26, 2020, he broke his right leg and missed the rest of the season. 

“When it happened, it was weird. I’ve never got into shock in my life. I was laughing, thinking I was OK. Thus, I thought I just rolled my ankle or whatever.”
-Marquese Chriss

Details On Broken Leg

Chriss suffered that injury at Chicago Bulls’ practice facility during the team’s practice. To illustrate, he suffered a right syndesmosis ankle injury with a fibular fracture. 

Therefore, he underwent surgery at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in San Francisco. After successful surgery, Chriss went to rehabilitation for his recovery. 

Even though he couldn’t play, he was often seen suggesting and helping his teammates out. 

Net Worth, Salary, And Contracts

Marquese Chriss enjoys a net worth of $5 million as of 2024. He received $2,193,920 from the Oklahoma City Thunders, his last payment before being a free agent.

Initially, in his NBA career, his rookie contract with the Suns was worth $13.30 million and he also exercised a $3.2 million option for the 2018-19 season.

In his seven seasons in the NBA, HIS total earning totals $15,945,495.

Besides his salaries, he also earned some extra from endorsing different brands.

Before his NBA career started, he signed a multi-year footwear and apparel endorsement deal with Nike. 

Later, he was also reported to endorse the Chinese sportswear company Anta.

Personal Life 

Chriss is quite interested in baking and takes it as a hobby. Currently, he is in love with baking pie cookies after discovering it on Snapchat.

Additionally, he is obsessed with pizookies, often suggesting to check out Oreganos, a local pizza chain famous for its pizookies.

Girlfriend 

Glancing at his private life, Chriss seems to be single as he hasn’t openly talked about his relationships lately. Moreover, he has no uploads that may hint otherwise. 

The professional basketball player had openly shared his status in the past. He has never been shy to share his life in public; he had even opened up about his tweet about his ex-girlfriend.

Back in the day, he also was open about how he wanted to be in a relationship.

Furthermore, he lives in a beautiful house in California and is enjoying his life. 

Social Media Presence

The professional basketball player is on different social media platforms. He often posts pictures to keep his fans updated.

He is available on Instagram under the handle @quese and Twitter @quese.

Instagram: 125k followers

Twitter: 32.5k followers

Popularity

After only one season of collegiate basketball and debuting in the NBA as the 8th overall pick, he has gained fans worldwide.

The above graph gives brief information about the popularity of Marquese Chriss based on Google searches in the United States over a year.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the jersey number of Marquese Chriss?

Marquese Chriss features in jersey number #32 for the Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks, #0 for the Phoenix Suns and Houston Rockets, and #3 for the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

What are some of Marquese Chriss’ best dunks?

Some of his best dunks were in a game against the Bucks, where he scored 27 points. You can also find some of his best dunks in a game against the Heats, where he logged 24 points, and in a game against the Nets, where he scored 23 points.

What draft class is Marquese Chriss?

He was selected in the first round as the eighth pick overall in the 2016 NBA draft. 

How many tattoos does Marquese Chriss have?

The basketball player’s body is covered with tattoos. However, we are not sure about the number of tattoos on his body. Nevertheless, the player has revealed that his tattoos are a reflection of who he is and where he’s been.

What is the wingspan of Marquese Chriss?

Marquese Chriss has a wingspan of 7 feet and 0.25 inches (2.13 meters) with a standing reach of 8 feet and 9 inches (2.66 meters).