The Athlete of the Year Award was presented to basketball player Jamal Murray.

Jamal Murray, who plays for the NBA’s Denver Nuggets, grew up in Kitchener.

The 21-year-old accepted the award at a gala dinner at Bingeman’s on Wednesday evening.

A dozen local athletes were nominated for the annual award.

Last year’s winner was Winnipeg Jets forward Mark Scheifele.

The Athlete of the Year award is presented by the Kitchener Sports Association and sponsored by Civitan Sports Waterloo Region.