Jamal Murray channeled some of his NBA influences during the Denver Nuggets’ playoff run.
Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray basically grew up playing basketball, having first shown an interest in the sport in early childhood and ascending up the ranks of future NBA prospects until he was a five-star recruit who committed to a national powerhouse in Kentucky.
One of the latest Canadians to rise to stardom in the NBA, it’s interesting that Murray displayed such an early interest in the sport but that can largely be attributed to his father, Roger Murray.
In an interview with sports reporter Ashley Nevel, Murray revealed that his father was a big fan of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. So much so that Murray used to watch “all the tapes” with his father and start to emulate the competitive drive that both Hall of Famers were known for.
"“My dad was a big fan of M.J., a big fan of Kobe and we used to watch all the tapes and just watch the mental, you know, the mental side of it. When Kobe’s on the court and he has that look, you know, you almost have a feeling. You just know they’re going to win the game, you know they’re going to come back, you know he’s going to do something crazy.When you watch Jordan, same thing. He has that look. He has that fearlessness and nothing’s gonna stop him from getting it and he kind of puts on his shoulders to go do that. He shows it and he trusts in his ability. So I kind of modeled my mental aspect of Bruce Lee, of Muhammad Ali, of Michael Jordan, of Kobe, that kind of ‘Go at it, go get it, go win the game’ type of attitude.”"
After watching Murray in the 2020 NBA Playoffs, the way that he got tough shots to fall, his determination to leave the court with a victory against the odds and games where his scoring was as sensational as it was explosive, finding out that Jordan and Kobe influenced his mindset makes all the sense in the world.
Murray even gave the (virtual) crowd a few well-timed mean-mugs.
That said, for a Canadian who grew up watching Vince Carter lighting it up with the Toronto Raptors, Mr. Half-Man, Half-Amazing was undeniably one of his greater influences as well. As a result, Carter joins Murray’s list in what’s likely the reality for a fair number of Canadian hoopers.
"“I was more of a Jordan fan than a Kobe fan. And I like Vince Carter a lot. I say those three: MJ, Kobe, and Vince.”"
Now, soon-to-be one of the faces of the league, Murray finds himself in a position to influence the next generation of NBA stars.
Everything has come “full circle,” he tells Nevel.