Jamal Murray
 Murray in Kentucky's 2015 Blue-White scrimmage | |
| No. 27 – Denver Nuggets | |
|---|---|
| Position | Shooting guard / Point guard |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born |
February 23, 1997 Kitchener, Ontario |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Listed weight | 207 lb (94 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school |
Grand River (Kitchener, Ontario) Orangeville Prep (Orangeville, Ontario) |
| College | Kentucky (2015–2016) |
| NBA draft | 2016 / Round: 1 / Pick: 7th overall |
| Selected by the Denver Nuggets | |
| Playing career | 2016–present |
| Career history | |
| 2016–present | Denver Nuggets |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
|
Medals
| |
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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 Kentucky[1][2] 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, 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
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.
College statistics
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–16 | Kentucky | 36 | 36 | 35.2 | .454 | .408 | .783 | 5.2 | 2.2 | 1.0 | .3 | 20.0 |
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.[13][14] On August 9, 2016, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Nuggets.[15] On November 13, 2016, he scored a career-high 19 points in a 112–105 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.[16] He topped that mark on November 22, scoring 24 points in a 110–107 win over the Chicago Bulls.[17]
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.[18] He played for the Canadian national team at the 2015 Pan American Games, helping the team win a silver medal.[19] 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.
References
- 1 2 3 4 Meet the Wildcats: Family, basketball at center of Murray’s life CoachCal.com. Accessed on March 21, 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 Zen and the Art of Making the Perfect Player: Meet Kentucky's Jamal Murray Bleacher Report. Accessed on March 21, 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 5 How to Make the Biggest Decision of Your Life Sportsnet.ca. Accessed on March 21, 2016.
- ↑ Stardom Without Skates: Toronto Becomes a Hub of Basketball Talent The New York Times. Accessed on March 21, 2016.
- ↑ Jamal Murray From Orangeville To The NBA?
- ↑ With bright future, Canadian prospect Jamal Murray aspires to 'be more'
- ↑ Canada's Jamal Murray named Nike Hoop Summit MVP
- ↑ Five-star guard Jamal Murray commits to Kentucky over Oregon
- ↑ Secret's out: Murray vaults Cats' class to No. 1
- ↑ Canadian hoops phenom Jamal Murray chooses University of Kentucky
- ↑ Wooden Award Top 25 Announced
- ↑ Payne, Terrence (February 11, 2016). "Naismith Trophy midseason list announced". Fox Sports. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
- ↑ Dempsey, Christopher (June 23, 2016). "Denver Nuggets select Jamal Murray with No. 7 pick in NBA draft". DenverPost.com. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Denver Nuggets Select Murray, Hernangomez and Beasley in First Round of 2016 NBA Draft". NBA.com. June 24, 2016. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Nuggets Sign Murray, Hernangomez and Beasley". NBA.com. August 9, 2016. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
- ↑ "Lillard scored 32 in Blazers' 112-105 win over Denver". ESPN.com. November 13, 2016. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
- ↑ "Barton's 2 free throws lift Nuggets over Bulls, 110-107". ESPN.com. November 22, 2016. Retrieved November 23, 2016.
- ↑ Jamal Murray is a star on the rise
- ↑ Orangeville Prep's Jamal Murray invited to Canada Pan Am team tryouts