NBA players and twin brothers Marcus and Markieff Morris were acquitted Tuesday of aggravated assault in connection with the beating of a man in Phoenix in 2015.

A third person, their friend Gerald Bowman, also was acquitted.

All three had been charged with two counts of aggravated assault in the beating of Erik Hood on Jan. 24, 2015, outside a basketball tournament in Phoenix, when the Morris brothers were with the Phoenix Suns.

The Morris twins and Bowman were all smiles and handshakes as they left the courtroom.

"Not guilty!" said Bowman repeatedly as he walked into the lobby of the Mariciopa County Superior Courthouse.

Both Bowman and the Morrises came to the courthouse dressed in their street clothes, after word was sent that the jury had reached a verdict.

As they left, Marcus Morris said he was relieved, but always expected an acquittal.

"From the beginning, we expected them to acquit," he said.

Markieff Morris added: "We put our faith in our lawyers.''

With the NBA season just two weeks away, both Marcus and Markieff Morris will have to travel to the other side of the country to reunite with their teams.

"I'm going to Boston," Marcus Morris said. "Gonna get back with the team."

When asked if missing preseason games would affect their play, Marcus Morris simply said, "Not at all."

Markieff Morris now plays for the Washington Wizards. Marcus Morris now plays for the Boston Celtics.

Daniel Fisher, the prosecutor who made the final argument for the state, had argued the ex-Suns' players held a grudge against Erik Hood, the victim, that led to the alleged attack.

Tim Eckstein, who presented the closing argument for the defendants, said Hood falsely accused the Morris brothers so that he could later file a lawsuit against them.

The prosecution argued that even though Hood had a pending lawsuit against the Morris twins, it was irrelevant in this case.

There's no doubt that Hood was attacked but the two men responsible have already pleaded guilty, Eckstein said.

He also added that Hood's motive had been to cash in from a payout and that Hood's inconsistencies should create reasonable doubt.

The Morris brothers and Bowman, who know each other from growing up in Philadelphia, were charged along with two other people in the attack. Julius Kane and Christopher Melendez pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated assault just before their trial began. They will be sentenced Oct. 16.

The Arizona Republic previously reported that the Morris brothers had faced probation or prison time if convicted.

A felony conviction would also have automatically triggered a minimum 10-game suspension for the brothers, per the NBA’s collective-bargaining agreement.

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