Veteran forward Markieff Morris formally was cleared to return to the Miami Heat on Saturday, back in the mix for the team’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at FTX Arena.
Because of the severity of the neck injury he sustained in his Nov. 8 run-in with Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, and because of a pre-existing neck injury, Morris had to receive clearance from the NBA’s Fitness To Play Panel in order to return. That panel is made up of an NBA doctor, a doctor representing the National Basketball Players Association, and an independent physician.
The Heat had been waiting several weeks for the clearance.