“I just want to be different,” Morrow told The Next. “My style of play is different. I show my passion throughout the game. Honestly, just trying to show myself, when I’m playing, be myself. Basketball is my peace. So just being on the floor, just having fun and just being myself honestly while doing something that I love is why I really love basketball.”
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Morrow comes from an athletic family and her talent has always run deep in her genes. Her mother Nafeesah Morrow — also 6’1 — averaged 20.2 points and 10.1 rebounds per game during her senior year (1993-94) at Nebraska. Nafeesah’s college success led her to be inducted into the University of Nebraska Athletic Hall of Fame.
“I first started playing basketball when I was in … well, the first time I ever shot a ball was in second grade. I was always surrounded around basketball. My mother’s a Hall of Famer at Nebraska, and I grew up in an athletic family. Everybody either played football, basketball, cheer, volleyball — all of those things. I was always around the sport,” Morrow said.
Throughout her career her passion for the game and hard work has driven her to find success. Morrow was drafted No. 7 overall out of LSU by the Connecticut Sun in the 2025 WNBA draft. She made a name for herself in college as a double-double machine. Now, just seven games into her rookie season, Morrow is finding her footing as a professional in the WNBA.
Missing training camp
In the first few days of the Sun’s 2025 training camp, Morrow observed some right knee pain which kept her on the sidelines. She wanted to play through the pain but didn’t want to risk the possibility of another serious knee injury. Although she spent some time away from the court, causing her to be behind on Connecticut’s offensive and defensive systems, she’s an energetic spark and approaches the game with a high level of professionalism.
“Aneesah is someone [who is] easy to coach, because you don’t have to teach her to bring energy,” Sun head coach Rachid Meziane told The Next this week. “And she’s always, [putting in] effort for the team. And even if she missed a lot of practices — almost all of our practices during training camp — she’s still helping us. Because she brings her energy, she brings her one-on-one defense. She brings her abilities to rebound and crash the board to give a second chance to our team. … But we can see sometimes that she can struggle with our offensive system, but we know that we have to be patient with her.
“But yeah, she impressed me by her energy. And again, you can see during practice, she takes every shot. She’s here, she’s a present, and when she’s on the court, you cannot see that she’s undersized because she has good versatility. And, like I said, her energy, this is her identity, and I think that’s something we need in our team, someone who can bring in some energy.”
Meziane always praises Morrow for the unteachable skills that she possesses. These skills make her stand out among the rest of the players that he has coached before.
“She brings something that we don’t have to coach, and I’m not sure that other players can bring that. But like I said, she’s a worker, a hard worker, and she has a good work ethic, and she’s hungry. … She has something different from other players. She doesn’t care who is playing against her,” Meziane said.
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Morrow may be undersized but her strength is what carries her. She can most notably be compared to former Sun forward Alyssa Thomas, who is also undersized for her position.
“She’s strong, she’s strong,” teammate Saniya Rivers emphasized. “I’ve experienced it firsthand. … Obviously she was bodying people in college, but these are grown women that have been playing for years in this league. … I’m just excited for her to get more confident, get more minutes and just, really, do what Aneesah Morrow does.”
Future Sun starter?
Morrow’s future in the league looks bright as she slowly begins to adjust to not only Connecticut’s system, but the increased pace and physicality of the WNBA compared to college. In the Sun’s recent game against the New York Liberty on June 1, she recorded eight points and three rebounds in just 15 minutes.
Meziane sees Morrow as a huge part of the Sun’s future success and knows what she brings to the table.
“I feel that she has started to contribute. She played 15 or 16 minutes against New York and she showed that we can rely on her. And I think that defensively she will be a good piece for us, a good option. Because we can switch with her, from position one or two to position four. She has to build some confidence in her shot, because it will be hard for her to finish under the rim because she’s undersized. So she has to develop a frequent shooting ability.
“But we can imagine that she can be one of our starting five players by the end of the season. If the light is green for her, if she doesn’t have some injuries or stuff like that. But she’s a hard worker … she’s a sponge, and she has a good work ethic, and she’s a hard worker. So you can imagine her playing a big role on our team until the end of the season. Right now, [it’s a] little bit too early for her. … She will, for sure, play more minutes,” Meziane said.
Bonds formed
Morrow has formed some friendships already in the short time that she has been in Connecticut. Her teammates describe her as shy but also someone who is caring and has a big heart once you really get to know her.
“Nees is awesome. People don’t know Nees well yet. They think she’s quiet, and she’s got a goofy side to her. And again, [she’s a] really, really good person, a competitor, a beast out there, and I’m excited for Connecticut to get to know her,” Sun guard Jacy Sheldon told The Next.
Sun center and veteran Tina Charles has been able to mentor her a bit so far this season. Charles is doing everything she can to help her younger players and leave Connecticut better than she found it.
“You know, with Aneesah, she’s very quiet. I think she’s just really trying to sell herself. … We have a good rapport. I’m able to get to her on the court, when I’m able to say little things, little pointers, but I know she’s trying to feel things out,” Charles told The Next.
Notably Morrow has built a special friendship with fellow Sun rookie, Saniya Rivers. Although the duo was drafted back-to-back in the first round, they were always opponents in the past.
Morrow and Rivers competed against each other in a close game during the Sweet Sixteen round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Morrow and her No. 3 seed LSU Tigers ultimately defeated Rivers and her No. 2 seed NC State Wolfpack 80-73.
“That’s my dog,” Rivers said at practice this week. “She’s a little more on the quiet side until you break her out of her comfort zone. She’s a very reserved person, but she’s loving. I know that when my mom passed away, she was like one of the first ones there to comfort me, and I’ll love her forever, respect her forever. Obviously, I had no idea we’d be teammates, not even friends, because we’ve always been like enemies on the court. … We have a lot of the same values and I think that really just shows that we have this connection and I’m excited to get closer with her.”
Rivers is glad to have the bond that she does with Morrow — a bond that’s mutual and doesn’t require a lot of maintenance.
“We don’t have to talk every day, and our bond is not going to change. Like I give Aneesah space, she gives me space, and next thing you know, I’m her chauffeur. So as soon as we ride together in the car, we vibe and we [are] catching up on what happened the past two days, and we just know that it’s all love. So we don’t have to talk every day. And I think that’s special between us, because some people, you know, you got to talk to them every day for them to know that you love them and that you’re there for them — but with us it’s not like that,” Rivers said.
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Outside of basketball Morrow tries to keep her life private. In her free time she loves to spend time with her French Bulldog, Luka, and exercise what she says are her three hidden talents: doing hair, cooking and singing.
Morrow’s hard work and determination make her poised for greatness in the WNBA. It’s still early in the season and too early to predict the future success she will have, but she carries with her a tremendous amount of talent. Since her high school days in Chicago, Morrow has dreamed of one day competing in the league. Now, less than 10 games into her rookie season, she’s embracing each and every chance she has to prove that her work over the years has paid off.
“I was blessed with the talent, the hard work [ethic], a certain mindset to be driven as much as I was to just be able to make it out the south side of Chicago. And when I was in high school [it] clicked and I said, ‘this is what I’m working for.’ And now that I’m here, it’s full circle,” Morrow said.
