Jamal Murray

Jamal Murray (born February 23, 1997) is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats[1][2] before being drafted by the Nuggets with the seventh overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft.

Jamal Murray
Murray in Kentucky's 2015 Blue-White scrimmage
No. 27 – Denver Nuggets
PositionPoint guard / Shooting guard
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1997-02-23) February 23, 1997
Kitchener, Ontario
NationalityCanadian
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High schoolGrand River (Kitchener, Ontario)
Orangeville Prep (Orangeville, Ontario)
CollegeKentucky (2015–2016)
NBA draft2016 / Round: 1 / Pick: 7th overall
Selected by the Denver Nuggets
Playing career2016–present
Career history
2016–presentDenver Nuggets
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals
Men's Basketball
Representing  Canada
Pan American Games
2015 Toronto National team
FIBA Americas U16 Championship
2013 Maldonado National team

Early life

Murray was born and raised in Kitchener, Ontario, the son of Sylvia and Roger Murray, who was born in Jamaica and moved to Canada at age nine.[1][3][4] He also has a younger brother, Lamar. His father grew up running track and field and playing basketball; as a youth, his father played against Kitchener native Lennox Lewis before Lewis began his professional boxing career.[1][3]

When Murray was three years old, he could play basketball "for hours" and played in a league for ten-year-olds when he was six.[2][3] By the age of 12 or 13, he began playing pick-up games against top high school and college players. His father put him through many basketball drills and kung fu exercises, including meditation.[2][3]

High school career

Murray attended Grand River Collegiate Institute in Kitchener, later transferring to Orangeville Prep in Orangeville, Ontario, where his father served as an assistant coach.[5] He and fellow prospect Thon Maker formed a duo that helped Orangeville Prep defeat many American schools.[3]

At the 2015 Nike Hoop Summit, Murray scored a game-high 30 points and was named the MVP.[6][7]

Murray was named MVP of the 2015 BioSteel All-Canadian Basketball Game, which includes the top high school players in Canada.[1]

Murray played AAU basketball for the CIA Bounce.[2]

College career
Murray in 2016

On June 24, 2015, Murray committed to Kentucky to play for coach John Calipari.[8][9][10] As a freshman in 2015–16, he was featured on the Midseason Top 25 list for the John R. Wooden Award,[11] and was named to the 35-man midseason watchlist for the Naismith Trophy.[12] He appeared in 36 games and averaged 20.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists while shooting 40.8% from three-point range. Following his freshman season, Murray was named a third-team All-American by the Associated Press.[13] Murray also made the All-SEC First Team and the SEC All-Freshman Team.[14] Murray's 20.0 points per game are the most by any freshman in Kentucky's program history and the most for any player in John Calipari's tenure as head coach.[15]

In April 2016, Murray declared for the NBA draft, forgoing his final three years of college eligibility.[16]

Professional career

Denver Nuggets (2016–present)

On June 23, 2016, Murray was selected by the Denver Nuggets with the seventh overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft.[17][18] On August 9, 2016, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Nuggets.[19] On November 13, 2016, he scored a career-high 19 points in a 112–105 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.[20] He topped that mark on November 22, scoring 24 points in a 110–107 win over the Chicago Bulls.[21] On December 1, he was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month for games played in October and November.[22] On February 17, 2017, Murray was named MVP of the Rising Stars Challenge after posting a game-high 36 points (9-14 3FG) and a game-high 11 assists in Team World's 150–139 victory over Team USA.[23] On April 7, 2017, he scored a career-high 30 points in a 122–106 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.[24] At the season's end, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.[25]

On November 11, 2017, Murray scored a career-high 32 points in a 125–107 win over the Orlando Magic.[26] Six days later, he had a 31-point effort in a 146–114 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.[27] On January 22, 2018, he scored a career-high 38 points, including a three-point play in the final minute, as the Nuggets beat the Portland Trail Blazers 104–101.[28] On February 1, 2018, he had a 33-point effort in a 127–124 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.[29]

On November 5, 2018, Murray scored a career-high 48 points in a 115–107 win over the Boston Celtics.[30] On December 18, he had 22 points and a career-high 15 assists in a 126–118 win over the Dallas Mavericks.[31] On December 29, he scored 46 points and made a career-high nine 3-pointers in a 122–118 win over the Phoenix Suns.[32] On January 3, he scored 17 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter of the Nuggets' 117–113 win over the Sacramento Kings.[33] On January 17, he scored 22 of his 25 points in the third quarter of the Nuggets' 135–105 win over the Bulls.[34] On February 6, after missing six games with a sprained left ankle, Murray had 19 points and 11 assists in a 135–130 loss to the Brooklyn Nets.[35] In Game 3 of the Nuggets' second-round playoff series against the Trail Blazers, Murray had a playoff career-high 34 points in a 140–137 quadruple-overtime loss.[36] In Game 4, he again scored 34 points in a 116–112 win.[37]

On the first day of the free agent season, Murray signed a contract extension of a 5-year, $170 million maximum deal with the Nuggets.[38]

On November 17, 2019, Murray recorded a season-high 39 points and 8 assists, including seven three-pointers, in a 131–114 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.[39] On December 23, Murray scored 28 points and would knock down a game-winning step-back jumper against the Phoenix Suns with 2.5 seconds remaining in overtime to secure a 113–111 road victory.[40] On January 4, 2020, he tied his season-high 39 points in a 128–114 loss to the Washington Wizards.[41] After missing ten games due to an ankle sprain suffered against Charlotte on January 15 [42][43], Murray returned to have one of the best stretches of his career, averaging 31.3 points per game over a four-game stretch, including 36 points on 14-of-17 shooting and six three-pointers against the Suns on February 8.[44] On March 4, Murray hit yet another game-winner, making an off-balance jumper with 4.5 seconds remaining in regulation to seal a 114–112 victory over the Hornets while capping off an 18-point, 6-assist performance.[45]

Career statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

NBA

Regular season
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2016–17 Denver 821021.5.404.334.8832.62.1.6.39.9
2017–18 Denver 818031.7.451.378.9053.73.41.0.316.7
2018–19 Denver 757432.6.437.367.8484.24.8.9.418.2
2019–20 Denver 595932.3.456.346.8814.04.81.1.318.5
Career 29722329.2.439.358.8803.63.7.9.315.6

Playoffs
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2019 Denver 141436.3.425.337.9034.44.71.0.121.3
Career 141436.3.425.337.9034.44.71.0.121.3

College
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2015–16 Kentucky 363635.2.454.408.7835.22.21.0.320.0

National team career

Murray represented Canada at the 2013 FIBA Americas Under-16 Championship in Uruguay, and averaged 17 points, 6 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game in leading the team to a bronze medal.[46] He played for the Canadian national team at the 2015 Pan American Games, helping the team win a silver medal.[47] His final averages for the tournament were 16.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game, while shooting 45.9% from the field.

Awards and honors
NBA
  • NBA All-Rookie Second Team: 2017
  • Rising Stars Challenge MVP: 2017
  • Western Conference Rookie of the Month: October/November 2016[48]
College
  • Third-team All-American – AP (2016)
  • First-team All-SEC (2016)
  • SEC All-Freshman Team (2016)
  • SEC All-Tournament Team (2016)
gollark: Also, it's not actually entirely self-sufficient (oops...), I couldn't figure out a compact power source.
gollark: It's also in a compact machine, so you can pick it up and carry it around!
gollark: The WIP Executive Office thing. Fully self-sufficient and with these convenient holograms of the outside world.
gollark: It's now actually turned on.
gollark: Electromagnets are powering up.

References
  1. Meet the Wildcats: Family, basketball at center of Murray’s life Archived October 18, 2017, at the Wayback Machine CoachCal.com. Accessed on March 21, 2016.
  2. Zen and the Art of Making the Perfect Player: Meet Kentucky's Jamal Murray Bleacher Report. Accessed on March 21, 2016.
  3. How to Make the Biggest Decision of Your Life Sportsnet.ca. Accessed on March 21, 2016.
  4. Stardom Without Skates: Toronto Becomes a Hub of Basketball Talent The New York Times. Accessed on March 21, 2016.
  5. "Jamal Murray From Orangeville To The NBA?". Archived from the original on July 16, 2015. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
  6. With bright future, Canadian prospect Jamal Murray aspires to 'be more'
  7. Canada's Jamal Murray named Nike Hoop Summit MVP
  8. Five-star guard Jamal Murray commits to Kentucky over Oregon
  9. "Secret's out: Murray vaults Cats' class to No. 1". Archived from the original on June 27, 2015. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
  10. Canadian hoops phenom Jamal Murray chooses University of Kentucky
  11. Wooden Award Top 25 Announced
  12. Payne, Terrence (February 11, 2016). "Naismith Trophy midseason list announced". Fox Sports. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  13. "Associated Press names UK's Tyler Ulis a first-team All-American". kentucky. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
  14. "Tyler Ulis wins Player of Year, Jamal Murray 1st team All-SEC". CatsPause. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
  15. "Jamal Murray - 2015-16 Men's Basketball - University of Kentucky". ukathletics.com. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
  16. Vecenie, Sam (April 1, 2016). "Kentucky freshman Jamal Murray opts for NBA Draft, could go in top 10". cbssports.com. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  17. Dempsey, Christopher (June 23, 2016). "Denver Nuggets select Jamal Murray with No. 7 pick in NBA draft". DenverPost.com. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
  18. "Denver Nuggets Select Murray, Hernangomez and Beasley in First Round of 2016 NBA Draft". NBA.com. June 24, 2016. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
  19. "Nuggets Sign Murray, Hernangomez and Beasley". NBA.com. August 9, 2016. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
  20. "Lillard scored 32 in Blazers' 112-105 win over Denver". ESPN.com. November 13, 2016. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
  21. "Barton's 2 free throws lift Nuggets over Bulls, 110-107". ESPN.com. November 22, 2016. Retrieved November 23, 2016.
  22. "Jamal Murray Named Western Conference Rookie of the Month". NBA.com. December 1, 2016. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
  23. "Jamal Murray Named MVP of 2017 Rising Stars Challenge". NBA.com. February 17, 2017. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
  24. "Murray scores career-high 30, Nuggets beat Pelicans 122-106". ESPN.com. April 7, 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
  25. Rohrbach, Ben (June 27, 2017). "Draymond Green, Joel Embiid headline NBA's All-Defensive, All-Rookie team announcements". Yahoo.com. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
  26. "Murray scores career-high 32 as Nuggets beat Magic, 125-107". ESPN.com. November 11, 2017. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
  27. "Murray scores 31 as Nuggets beat Pelicans 146-114". ESPN.com. November 17, 2017. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  28. "Murray's 38 points lead Nuggets over Trail Blazers 104-101". ESPN.com. January 22, 2018. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
  29. "Harris hits 3 at buzzer, Nuggets beat Thunder 127-124". ESPN.com. February 1, 2018. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  30. "Murray scores 48 as Nuggets beat Celtics 115-107". ESPN.com. November 5, 2018. Retrieved November 5, 2018.
  31. "Nuggets win 7th straight at home by beating Mavs 126-118". ESPN.com. December 18, 2018. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  32. "Murray scores 46, hits 9 3s as Nuggets hold off Suns 122-118". ESPN.com. December 29, 2018. Retrieved December 30, 2018.
  33. "Murray gets 17 in 4th quarter to lift Nuggets over Kings". ESPN.com. January 3, 2019. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
  34. "Murray, Jokic lead Nuggets to 135-105 rout of Bulls". ESPN.com. January 17, 2019. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
  35. "Russell scores 27, Nets hit 19 3s and beat Nuggets 135-130". ESPN.com. February 6, 2019. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  36. "Blazers go up 2-1 after 140-137 win in 4 OTs over Denver". ESPN.com. May 3, 2019. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  37. "Nuggets even series with Blazers at 2 with 116-112 victory". ESPN.com. May 5, 2019. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
  38. DJ Siddiqi (July 1, 2019). "2019 NBA Free Agency: Jamal Murray, Nuggets agree to 5-year, $170 million max contract extension, per report". CBSSports.com. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
  39. https://www.denverpost.com/2019/11/17/jamal-murray-nuggets-blowout-grizzlies/amp/
  40. https://in.nba.com/news/jamal-murray-game-winner-denver-nuggets-phoenix-suns/1g3jmtjrtt6fy1rc3hbnx3zyvs
  41. https://www.denverpost.com/2020/01/04/nuggets-jamal-murray-on-loss-wizards/amp/
  42. https://www.denverpost.com/2020/01/15/nuggets-jamal-murray-injury-hornets/amp/
  43. https://syndication.bleacherreport.com/amp/2871806-report-nuggets-jamal-murray-expected-to-miss-multiple-games-with-ankle-injury.amp.html
  44. https://www.denverpost.com/2020/02/08/jamal-murray-nuggets-beat-suns/amp/
  45. https://www.denverpost.com/2020/03/05/jamal-murray-nuggets-beat-hornets/amp/
  46. Jamal Murray is a star on the rise
  47. Orangeville Prep's Jamal Murray invited to Canada Pan Am team tryouts
  48. "Sixers' Joel Embiid, Nuggets' Jamal Murray named Rookies of the Month". NBA.com. December 1, 2016. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.