#27 Point Guard

Jamal Murray

Height / Weight
6' 4" / 215 lbs
Born
Feb 23, 1997 (27)
College
Kentucky
NBA Draft
1st Round, 7th Overall, 2016
Nationality
Canadian
SEASON STATS
2023-2024
PTS
21.2
+1.2
Rebounds
4.1
+0.1
Assists
6.5
+0.4
PER
26.29
+3.60
PLAYER INFO
Full Name: Jamal Murray
Nickname: Blue Arrow
Place of Birth: Kitchener, Ontario
Shoe Size: 14
Education: Kentucky
Parents: Sylvia and Roger Murray
Spouse: Harper Hempel

Jamal Murray Biography Details, Age, Net Worth, and Basketball Career

Jamal Murray is a pro basketball player from Canada who currently plays for the Denver Nuggets. He was born on February 23, 1997, in Kitchener, Ontario. Murray comes from an athletic family with his father, Roger Murray, being a track & field athlete and basketball player who helped Jamal develop his skills from a young age. Murray is one of the best young players to come out of Canada in recent years and played one year of college basketball for John Calipari at Kentucky, where he averaged more points than any freshman in program history.

After one year of college, Murray was the 7th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. He was drafted by the Denver Nuggets and has spent his entire career in the Mile High City. In less than two seasons, Murray blossomed into one of the best young point guards in the league. In 2019, Murray signed a five-year extension with the Nuggets, cementing his spot as Denver’s point guard for the long term.

Jamal Murray Basketball Career

High School Career (Grand River Collegiate Institute, Orangeville Prep)

By age six, Jamal Murray was playing in a basketball league for 10-year-olds. By age 13, he was playing in pick-up games against high school and college players. Along the way, his father put him through both basketball and kung fu exercises to help improve as a player.

Murray began his high school career at Grand River Collegiate Institute in his hometown of Kitchener, Ontario. He later transferred to Orangeville Prep in nearby Orangeville, Ontario, where his father was serving as an assistant coach. At Orangeville Prep, Murray was teammates with Thon Maker of the Detroit Pistons. The two made Orangeville Prep a local power that frequently defeated teams from American high schools and prep schools.

College Career (Kentucky Wildcats)

At the University of Kentucky, Murray was an immediate starter as a freshman. However, Murray spent limited time at point guard and played primarily off the ball to accommodate the presence of Tyler Ulis and Isaiah Briscoe. He averaged 20 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game for the Wildcats. His 20 points per game were the most by any Kentucky player under John Calipari and the most by a freshman in Kentucky history. 

At the midway point of the season, he was named to the watch list for both the Naismith Award and John R. Wooden Award. As the team’s leading scorer, Murray guided Kentucky to a share of the SEC regular-season title and the SEC Tournament title. However, the Wildcats were eliminated by Indiana in the Round of 32 of the NCAA Tournament. After the season, Murray was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team and First-Team All-SEC in addition to being a Third-Team All-American.

NBA Career

The Denver Nuggets selected Murray with the 7th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. He was quick out of the gate, earning Western Conference Rookie of the Month honors for October and November. Despite starting just 10 of 82 games, Murray averaged 9.9 points per game, earning him All-Rookie Second Team honors. 

Murray became a full-time starter for the Nuggets in his second pro season and continued his quick ascent as one of Denver’s most important players. During the 2017-18 season, Murray averaged 16.7 points and 3.4 assists per game, helping the Nuggets finish the season with a winning record. The following year, Murray averaged 18.2 points and 4.8 assists per game, finishing second on the team in both categories while helping Denver win the Northwest Division and snap a five-season playoff drought.

During the summer of 2019, Murray signed a five-year, $170 million max contract to stay with the Nuggets. Despite missing 10 games due to a sprained ankle, there was no drop-off in Murray’s performance after signing a long-term deal. In his 55 games, before the NBA season was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Murray averaged 18.8 points and 4.8 assists per game.

Jamal Murray Net Worth, Salary, Endorsements & Career Earnings

Like most rookies, Jamal Murray was a little slow to build his net worth with his rookie contract being worth an average of $3.6 million per year. However, that is changing after signing a max contract in the summer of 2019. Murray is set to make $29 million during the 2020-21 season and over $30 million per season for the rest of his contract starting with the 2021-22 season. As a rookie, Murray signed a lucrative endorsement deal with Adidas.

Jamal Murray signed a four-year, $14.5 million deal with the Denver Nuggets in 2016.

Jamal Murray signed a five-year, $170 million deal with the Denver Nuggets in 2019.

Jamal Murray Personal Life

Jamal Murray is the oldest son of Sylvia and Roger Murray. Roger is originally from Jamaica but moved to Canada when he was nine years old. Jamal also has a younger brother named Lamar. 

Murray’s girlfriend is Harper Hempel, who played volleyball at Kentucky. The two met when Hempel was a sophomore and Murray was a freshman. After Murray left for the NBA after one season, Hempel remained at Kentucky to finish her degree. The couple has tried to remain out of the public eye. Unfortunately, in March of 2020, while the NBA season was suspended, a sex tape of Murray and Hempel was reportedly leaked online after Hempel’s Instagram account was hacked.

Jamal Murray Fun Facts

  • While growing up in Canada, Jamal Murray would do push-ups in the snow as a way to improve his tolerance for pain.
  • Jamal Murray didn’t have a cell phone until he started college at Kentucky because he was too focused on basketball to have a personal life.
  • Unofficially, Jamal Murray once made 270 straight free throws, according to his father.
  • Jamal Murray briefly played hockey while growing up in Canada but played goalie because he wasn’t a strong skater.
  • Jamal Murray meditates for at least 30 minutes every day, a trick he learned from his father.
  • One of the unusual drills his father made him do involved shooting free throws blindfolded.
  • Growing up, Jamal Murray idolized Bruce Lee, admiring his fearlessness.
  • Jamal Murray wears No. 23 not because of Michael Jordan but because his birthday is February 23.
Career stats
2023-2024
DEN
2022-2023
DEN
2021-2022
DEN
2020-2021
DEN
2019-2020
DEN
2018-2019
DEN
2017-2018
DEN
2016-2017
DEN
Season Team G MIN FG% 3P% FT% REB AST BLK STL PTS
2023-2024
59 31.5 48.1 42.5 85.3 4.1 6.5 0.7 1.0 21.2
2022-2023
65 32.8 45.4 39.8 83.3 4.0 6.2 0.2 1.0 20.0
2021-2022
0 N/A 0.0 0.0 0.0 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
2020-2021
48 35.5 47.7 40.8 86.9 4.0 4.8 0.3 1.3 21.2
2019-2020
59 32.3 45.6 34.6 88.1 4.0 4.8 0.3 1.1 18.5
2018-2019
75 32.6 43.7 36.7 84.8 4.2 4.8 0.4 0.9 18.2
2017-2018
81 31.7 45.1 37.8 90.5 3.7 3.4 0.4 1.0 16.7
2016-2017
82 21.5 40.5 33.4 88.3 2.6 2.1 0.3 0.6 9.9
Recent Games
Sun 5/19
Thu 5/16
Tue 5/14
Sun 5/12
Fri 5/10
Mon 5/6
Sat 5/4
Mon 4/29
Sat 4/27
Thu 4/25
Date Opp RESULT MIN PTS OR DR REB AST STL BLK TO
Sun 5/19
L 98-90
42 35 0 3 3 3 0 0 4
Thu 5/16
L 70-115
32 10 0 2 2 5 1 0 2
Tue 5/14
W 97-112
41 16 1 0 1 4 1 0 2
Sun 5/12
W 115-107
38 19 1 4 5 8 2 0 3
Fri 5/10
W 117-90
37 24 1 3 4 5 3 0 3
Mon 5/6
L 106-80
35 8 2 11 13 2 2 1 4
Sat 5/4
L 106-99
34 17 0 1 1 4 0 0 1
Mon 4/29
W 106-108
40 32 1 2 3 7 1 0 2
Sat 4/27
L 108-119
39 22 1 5 6 5 0 1 4
Thu 4/25
W 112-105
40 22 1 4 5 9 0 1 4

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