Jamal Murray of Kitchener, Ont. becomes 9th Canadian to win NBA title
Jamal Murray has joined a short list of Canadians who have won a National Basketball Association (NBA) title.
On Monday night, the 26-year-old from Kitchener, Ont. became the ninth Canadian to ever win the NBA championship after his team, the Denver Nuggets, bested the Miami Heat in game 5.
The final score was 94-89 for the Nuggets, giving Denver its first championship title in franchise history.
Murray finished the night off with 14 points, eight assists and eight rebounds within 41 minutes of play.
Murray is now also the fourth player to have averaged 20 or more points-per-game and ten or more assists-per-game in the finals. The three before him to accomplish the acheivement are Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and LeBron James.
Following the game, Murray had some fun with his friend, teammate and NBA final MVP, Nikola Jokic.
Murray and Jokic are now the first pair of teammates in NBA history to each average 25 or more points-per-game, five or more rebounds-per-game, and five or more assists-per-game for an entire postseason.
HOMETOWN HERO
When asked about his hometown watch parties during a May 30th press conference, Murray smiled and pumped his fist in the air.
"I've had a lot of friends text me about the watch parties or them just gathering around," he said. "The support's been crazy back home. That means a lot, especially from a small town like Kitchener."
Murray added that he can’t wait to return home.
"Just excited for that town, I'll be back there in the summer to see all my friends and family," he said. "No one from Kitchener has ever made it this far, so it's nice to be a pioneer in that sense."
BASKETBALL CAREER
According to his NBA profile, Murray committed to the University of Kentucky in 2015 where he stayed for one year.
In April 2016, Murray declared for the NBA draft, forgoing his final three years of college eligibility.
Murray’s high school coach said he was shocked the NBA player was able to recover from a torn ACL injury he suffered last season.
“Little bit shocked he has come back this quickly, but it’s not in doubt with what he can do and what he’s done in the past. This is what Jamal does,” Tolly Henderson, Murray’s coach at Grand River Collegiate Institute, said.
“It’s super exciting, this whole process, I’d say the last three months, has been amazing.”
Jamal Murray (front row, second from left) and Tolly Henderson (back row, left) with Grand River Secondary School's basketball team. (CTV Kitchener)
When asked after the final game about recovering from that injury to become a champion, Murray got emotional and said, "It's just an amazing feeling. Blood, sweat and tears to get back to this point. Everybody, my team in here, everybody on the floor believed in me to get back on the floor. I know we proved a lot of the doubters wrong."
Murray joins the exclusive list of Canadians who have won an NBA title, including Chris Boucher and Bill Wennington.
Canadian Andrew Wiggins joined the list last year when the Golden State Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics.
When asked post-game what he would tell his younger self, Murray said, "Keep putting in the work and everything would take care of itself."
WHAT IS MURRAY LIKE?
A former classmate described Murray as an amazing friend and an amazing player on the court.
“He was always training hard, always took time to say hi to everyone, even if he didn’t know you he always brought you in for a basketball game and let you shoot around,” said Stefan Lazic, his former classmate at Grand River Collegiate Institute.
“He’s a hilarious guy, knows how to make you smile, but also knows how to play basketball really well. We’re rooting for him and hope he brings it home so we can celebrate with him.”
Lazic said he thinks Murray is handling the pressure really well, noting that when growing up Murray was the person who had to take the game-winning shot and he handled it with no issues.
“It’s just like another game in the backyard at Stanley Park Community Centre,” he added.
Jamal Murray in a Grand River Renegades jersey. (CTV Kitchener)
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