Kitchener watches Jamal Murray in NBA Finals from downtown pub

Denver Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray has put Kitchener on the global basketball stage.

Murray, a Grand River Collegiate Institute alumnus, scored 26 points in his team’s 104-93 Game 1 victory over the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals. That effort tied a Canadian record for points in a finals game, shared with Thornhill’s Andrew Wiggins in the 2022 finals.

Murray was a key cog in the machine that was the Nuggets offence Thursday night. He spoke about his team’s offence post-game.

“Everybody’s buying in and you can see it’s paying off. If we just play the right way, everybody stay patient, you’re going to get good looks and good shots. Our core has been playing like this for years, from [Michael Porter Jr.] to me to [Nikola Jokic]. We’ve been doing this for awhile, our timing is great, our pace is great, it’s almost natural the way we play.”

Murray added 10 assists in the contest, but the real assist may have come from downtown Kitchener, where the community was out at Bobby O’Brien’s Irish pub to show support for their local hero. Mayor Berry Vrbanovic was part of the crowd. He explained what Murray means to the City of Kitchener.

“Jamal is really your typical hard-working, Canadian story. He’s a kid that grew up in our community, who had some talent, worked hard, developed his skills here in our community centres, in our schools,” said Vrbanovic, who picked the Nuggets to win the series. “This is absolutely phenomenal for our community. Everyone is so excited, this is really about highlighting Jamal, highlighting the Denver Nuggets and seeing a Canadian kid, a Kitchener kid, make it to the NBA finals.”

Local artist Morag Webster created a 20-foot chalk mural of Murray that those attending could see on the street in front of the pub. She shared what excited her about the invitation.

Lots of support for @BeMore27 & the Denver @nuggets #DTK downtown @CityKitchener at @bobbyobriens #nuggetsnationnorth Thanks Morag Webster for creating the amazing Jamal Murray street mural. pic.twitter.com/IDIK1bG2Ho

— Dave Schnider (@DaveSchniderKW) June 2, 2023

“I thought it was a terrific opportunity to support a local person, especially a local young person.”

Carl Zehr square was lit Nuggets blue and gold for Thursday evening’s game. The same will happen Sunday night, when Murray and the Nuggets lace up for Game 2.