Jamal Murray's 'Blue Arrow' celebration explained: History, what it means

This offseason we’ve had nothing but negative and pessimistic stories and rumors about Jamal Murray. The Nuggets’ star guard struggled in the playoffs, then struggled even further in the Olympics, and remains without a contract extension as he heads into the last year of his deal clouded by his injury history and concerns.

But let’s take a minute to focus on some of the positives with Murray and reminisce about all of the good memories he has created while in Denver. One staple of Murray’s game when things are going well is his signature celebration as he appears to mimic an archer, shooting an imaginary arrow after drilling big shots.

Murray’s Blue Arrow nickname and celebration dates back to his college days at Kentucky

The earliest incarnation of the celebration goes back to Murray’s days at Kentucky. He would pull out an imaginary arrow from a fake quiver and shoot it with his fake bow after making shots. The sharp-shooter, Murray was like a sniping superhero, and the ‘blue’ part was added as he was a member of the Kentucky Wildcats.

His coach at the time, John Calipari wasn’t a big fan of the celebration at first, noting that Jamal almost conceded an open shot at the other end after celebrating, but overall the move was a big hit. It has stayed a key move for Murray and the nickname has stuck with him into the pros.

It helps that the nickname and celebration seem perfectly fitting as Murray has continued to hit timely shots throughout his career and has landed in Denver, playing for another team that wears blue.

Murray appears to pull out the celebration only when he’s fully locked in and feeling his best. You know he’s in a groove when he’s knocking down shots and busting out the blue arrow move. He’s made it fun over the years and is even known to incorporate teammates; sometimes aiming his arrows at them as they over-dramatically react.

It’s a fun little part of Murray’s game and something that fans can look forward to. It’s a far cry from the version of Murray we saw in the playoffs as he was struggling mightily and became so frustrated he threw a heating pad onto the court at one point.

Hopefully, Murray is getting healthy and will be ready to bounce back with a revenge season for the Nuggets. If he can get back to feeling his best and playing with confidence, we should see many more Blue Arrow celebrations this coming season.