Jamal Murray (born February 23, 1997) is a Canadian professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player for the Denver Nuggets of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

(NBA). He also represents the Canadian national team. He played one season of

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for the

Kentucky Wildcats The Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic squads of the University of Kentucky (UK), a founding member of the Southeastern Conference. The Kentucky Wildcats is the student body of the University of Kentucky. 30,473 ...

Meet the Wildcats: Family, basketball at center of Murray’s life
CoachCal.com. Accessed on March 21, 2016.Zen and the Art of Making the Perfect Player: Meet Kentucky's Jamal Murray
Bleacher Report. Accessed on March 21, 2016. before being drafted by the Nuggets with the seventh overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft.

Early life

Murray was born and raised in

Kitchener, Ontario ) , image_flag = Flag of Kitchener, Ontario.svg , image_seal = Seal of Kitchener, Canada.svg , image_shield=Coat of arms of Kitchener, Canada.svg , image_blank_emblem = Logo of Kitchener, Ontario.svg , blank_emblem_type = ...

, the son of Sylvia (who is from Syria) and Roger Murray (who was born in

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

and moved to Canada at age nine).How to Make the Biggest Decision of Your Life
Sportsnet.ca. Accessed on March 21, 2016. He also has a younger brother, Lamar. His father grew up running

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

and playing basketball; as a youth, his father played against Kitchener native Lennox Lewis before Lewis began his professional boxing career. When Murray was three years old, he could play basketball "for hours" and at age six played in a league for ten-year-olds. By the age of 12 or 13, he began playing

pick-up game In sports and video games, a pick-up game (also known as a ''scratch game'' or ''PUG'') is a game that has been spontaneously started by a group of players. Players are generally invited to show up beforehand, but unlike exhibition games there i ...

s against top high school and college players. His father put him through many basketball drills and

kung fu Chinese martial arts, often called by the umbrella terms kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (), are multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater China. These fighting styles are often classified according to commo ...

exercises, including

meditation Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm ...

High school career

Murray attended

Grand River Collegiate Institute Grand River Collegiate Institute is a public secondary school in Kitchener, Ontario. The school is located at 175 Indian Road. It is part of the Waterloo Region District School Board. As of November 2017, there are approximately 1250 full-time st ...

in Kitchener, later transferring to Orangeville Prep in Orangeville, Ontario, where his father served as an assistant coach. He and fellow prospect

Thon Maker Thon Marial Maker (born 25 February 1997) is a South Sudanese-Australian professional basketball player for the Fujian Sturgeons of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He attended high school at Orangeville District Secondary School and pl ...

formed a duo that helped Orangeville Prep defeat many American schools. At the 2013 Jordan Brand Classic International Game, Murray was named MVP, becoming the second Canadian to win the award after

Duane Notice Duane Notice (born September 7, 1994) is a Canadian basketball player for the Sudbury Five of the National Basketball League of Canada. He played college basketball for the University of South Carolina where he is the all-time leader in games p ...

. At the 2015

Nike Hoop Summit The Nike Hoop Summit is an international men's basketball all-star game sponsored by Nike, held once a year since 1995, except from 2001–2003, which features the USA Basketball Men's Junior Select Team against a World Select Team of international ...

, Murray scored a game-high 30 points and was named the MVP. Murray was named MVP of the 2015

BioSteel All-Canadian Basketball Game The BioSteel All-Canadian Basketball Game is an annual Canadian all-star game featuring high school basketball players. It was founded in 2015 by BioSteel Sports Nutrition Inc. and Canada Basketball. Originally a boys basketball game, the event was ...

, which includes the top high school players in Canada. Murray played AAU basketball for the CIA Bounce.

College career

On June 24, 2015, Murray committed to

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

to play for coach John Calipari. As a freshman in 2015–16, he was featured on the Midseason Top 25 list for the John R. Wooden Award, and was named to the 35-man midseason watchlist for the

Naismith Trophy The Naismith Trophy is a trophy awarded to the men's champion of the FIBA Basketball World Cup, and is named in honor of basketball's inventor, James Naismith. The trophy was first awarded to the winner of the 1967 FIBA World Championship. The ...

. 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. Murray also made the All- SEC First Team and the SEC All-Freshman Team. 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. In April 2016, Murray declared for the NBA draft, forgoing his final three years of college eligibility.

Professional career

Denver Nuggets (2016–present)

2016–17 season: Rookie season

On June 23, 2016, Murray was selected by the Denver Nuggets with the seventh overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft. On August 9, 2016, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Nuggets. On November 13, 2016, he scored a then career-high 19 points in a 112–105 loss to the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

. He topped that mark on November 22, scoring 24 points in a 110–107 win over the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January ...

. On December 1, he was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month for games played in October and November. On February 17, 2017, Murray was named MVP of the

Rising Stars Challenge The Rising Stars Challenge is a basketball exhibition game held by the National Basketball Association (NBA) on the Friday before the annual All-Star Game as part of the All-Star Weekend. The current format to be used in 2022 includes first- an ...

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. On April 7, 2017, he scored a career-high 30 points in a 122–106 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. At the season's end, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.

2017–18 season: Sophomore season

On November 11, 2017, Murray scored a career-high 32 points in a 125–107 win over the Orlando Magic. Six days later, he had a 31-point effort in a 146–114 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. 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

104–101. On February 1, 2018, he had a 33-point effort in a 127–124 win over the

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays i ...

2018–19 season: First playoff appearance

On November 5, 2018, Murray scored a career-high 48 points in a 115–107 win over the Boston Celtics. On December 18, he had 22 points and a career-high 15 assists in a 126–118 win over the Dallas Mavericks. On December 29, he scored 46 points and made a career-high nine 3-pointers in a 122–118 win over the Phoenix Suns. On January 3, he scored 17 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter of the Nuggets' 117–113 win over the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

. On January 17, he scored 22 of his 25 points in the third quarter of the Nuggets' 135–105 win over the Bulls. 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 The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The ...

. In Game 3 of the Nuggets' second-round playoff series against the Trail Blazers, Murray had a then playoff career-high 34 points in a 140–137 quadruple-overtime loss. In Game 4, he again scored 34 points in a 116–112 win.

2019–20 season: Western Conference Finals and NBA Bubble comebacks

On the first day of free agency period, Murray signed a contract extension of a 5-year, $170 million maximum deal with the Nuggets. 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 The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...

. Three days later, during a 105-95 victory over the Houston Rockets, Murray recorded a career high 6 steals, along with scoring 10 points and adding 9 assists. 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. On January 4, 2020, he tied his season-high 39 points in a 128–114 loss to the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...

. After missing ten games due to an ankle sprain suffered against

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

on January 15, 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. 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. On August 17, during the Nuggets' first round matchup with the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...

in the 2020 NBA playoffs, Murray recorded 36 points and 9 assists, scoring 20 points in the fourth quarter and overtime to lead the Nuggets to a 135–125 Game 1 victory. In Game 4 six days later, Murray erupted for a career-high 50 points, along with 11 rebounds and 7 assists, in a 129–127 loss to the Jazz. With

Donovan Mitchell Donovan Mitchell Jr. (born September 7, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Spida", he was drafted in the first round of the 2017 NBA draft w ...

scoring 51, it was the first time in NBA playoff history that two opponents scored at least 50 points in the same game. In a potential elimination game in Game 5 with Denver down 3–1 in the series, Murray recorded 42 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists to lead the Nuggets to a 117–107 win and force a Game 6, where Murray again scored 50 points, shooting 9–12 from three and helping the Nuggets extend the series to a Game 7 with a 119–107 victory. Following Game 6, Murray became emotional during the postgame interview with

TNT Trinitrotoluene (), more commonly known as TNT, more specifically 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, and by its preferred IUPAC name 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. TNT is occasionally used as a reagen ...

’s Jared Greenberg, addressing

racial injustice Social inequality occurs when resources in a given society are distributed unevenly, typically through norms of allocation, that engender specific patterns along lines of socially defined categories of persons. It posses and creates gender c ...

, as well as honoring George Floyd and

Breonna Taylor Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old African-American woman, was fatally shot in her Louisville, Kentucky apartment on March 13, 2020, when at least seven police officers forced entry into the apartment as part of an investigation into drug dealing op ...

, as each of their pictures were on his shoes. On September 15, in Game 7 against the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

, Murray scored 40 points while hitting six three-pointers, leading the Nuggets to a series-clinching 104–89 win to advance to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2009. With the win, the Nuggets became the first team in NBA history to comeback from multiple 3–1 deficits in a single postseason. However, the Nuggets would go on to lose in the Western Conference Finals in five games to the eventual NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers, with Murray recording 28 points, 8 rebounds and 12 assists in the lone Denver victory in Game 3.

2020–21 season: Season-ending injury

On February 19, 2021, Murray scored a career–high 50 points in a 120–103 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. During the game he became the first player in NBA history to score 50 points without attempting a free throw, as well as being the second player to get 50 points while shooting more than 80 percent from the field and from three-point range. On April 12, Murray suffered a torn ACL on his left knee during a game against the Golden State Warriors. The following day, the Nuggets announced Murray would be out indefinitely. On April 21, Murray underwent surgery on the torn ACL on his left knee. The same day Nuggets announced that he remained out indefinitely. Murray averaged a career-high 21.2 points, 4.8 assists, and 1.3 steals, and shot a career-high 47.7% FG and 40.8% 3FG while playing 35.5 minutes per game.

2021–22 season: Year absence

Although he was never officially shut down for the season, Murray missed the entire 2021–22 campaign while recovering from his ACL tear. Without Murray, the Nuggets lost in 5 games to the Golden State Warriors during the first round of the playoffs.

2022–23 season: Return

On October 19, 2022, Murray played in his first game in eighteen months, scoring 12 points in 26 minutes of playing time during a 123–102 loss to the

. On December 8, Murray scored 21 points alongside a game-winning three-pointer in a 121–120 win over the

. On January 9, 2023, Murray scored a season-high 34 points in a 122–109 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

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, 81 , , 80 , , 31.7 , , .451 , , .378 , , .905 , , 3.7 , , 3.4 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , 16.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 75 , , 74 , , 32.6 , , .437 , , .367 , , .848 , , 4.2 , , 4.8 , , .9 , , .4 , , 18.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 59 , , 59 , , 32.3 , , .456 , , .346 , , .881 , , 4.0 , , 4.8 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , 18.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 48 , , 48 , , 35.5 , , .477 , , .408 , , .869 , , 4.0 , , 4.8 , , 1.3 , , .3 , , 21.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 345 , , 271 , , 30.1 , , .446 , , .367 , , .878 , , 3.6 , , 3.8 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , 16.3

Playoffs

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, 14 , , 14 , , 36.3 , , .425 , , .337 , , .903 , , 4.4 , , 4.7 , , 1.0 , , .1 , , 21.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

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, 19 , , 19 , , 39.6 , , .505 , , .453 , , .897 , , 4.8 , , 6.6 , , .9 , , .3 , , 26.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center" colspan="2", Career , 33 , , 33 , , 38.2 , , .473 , , .409 , , .900 , , 4.6 , , 5.8 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , 24.3

College

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, 36 , , 36 , , 35.2 , , .454 , , .408 , , .783 , , 5.2 , , 2.2 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , 20.0

National team career

Murray represented Canada at the 2013

FIBA Americas Under-16 Championship The FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship is the Americas basketball championship for players under 16 years that take place every two years among national teams of the FIBA Americas zone. The event started in 2009. The top four finishers qualify ...

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

, and averaged 17 points, 6 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game in leading the team to a bronze medal. He played for the Canadian national team at the

2015 Pan American Games Fifteen or 15 may refer to: *15 (number), the natural number following 14 and preceding 16 *one of the years 15 BC, AD 15, 1915, 2015 Music * Fifteen (band), a punk rock band Albums * ''15'' (Buckcherry album), 2005 * ''15'' (Ani Lorak al ...

, helping the team win a silver medal. 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. On May 24, 2022, Murray agreed to a three-year commitment to play with the Canadian senior men's national team.

Awards and honors

;NBA * NBA All-Rookie Second Team:

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

* Rising Stars Challenge MVP:

*Western Conference Rookie of the Month: October/November 2016 ;College *Third-team All-American – AP (

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

) *First-team All- SEC (2016) *SEC All-Freshman Team (2016) *SEC All-Tournament Team (2016)

References

External links

Murray's official websiteKentucky Wildcats bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murray, Jamal 1997 births Living people All-American college men's basketball players Basketball people from Ontario Basketball players at the 2015 Pan American Games Black Canadian basketball players Canadian expatriate basketball people in the United States Canadian men's basketball players Amateur Athletic Union men's basketball players Canadian people of Jamaican descent Canadian people of Syrian descent Denver Nuggets draft picks Denver Nuggets players Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball players Medalists at the 2015 Pan American Games National Basketball Association players from Canada Pan American Games medalists in basketball Pan American Games silver medalists for Canada Point guards Shooting guards Sportspeople from Kitchener, Ontario