VOTE: Kitchener native Jamal Murray nominated for NBA All-Star Game

By Ben Eppel

A tweet from the Denver Nuggets is focusing on Jamal Murray, a Kitchener man who's had an already stunning career in the NBA in just over two years since he was drafted in 2016.

Starting strong, Murray was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month in December of his signing year.

He was named the MVP of the NBA Rising Stars Challenge in 2017, a game played the Friday before the all-star game.

Murray was also put on the NBA all-rookie second team in 2017 after being voted for by NBA coaches.

The 21-year-old has been branded as a “villain” in the league because of his sometimes antagonistic playstyle, but Murray says he doesn't mind.

“It's weird because they call Canadians soft and they always harp on that, and now they call me evil. Pick one, you can't have both, man,” Murray says with a laugh. “I just go out there and compete. I love to challenge people. You get to see who the real people are when you challenge people, they take it with grain of salt and challenge you back or they just get frustrated.”

Just in November Murray hit a career high, scoring 48 points against the Boston Celtics in one game leading them to a 115 – 107 win, which prompted one of their players to hurl the ball 100 feet into the stands out of frustration.

Murray played a huge role in Canada's silver medal performance at the 2015 Pan American Games, looks forward to joining the national team for this summer's World Cup in China, and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

He's not just a basketball powerhouse though, as the Kitchener community knows well.

He frequently comes back to Kitchener to work with the community; filling backpacks for school kids and running basketball workshops at Conestoga College.

Murray insists he's just an ordinary guy, but his career says otherwise.

The All-Star weekend is from February 15-17 this year.

You can vote for Murray by clicking this link, then using the poll at the top of the screen.

With files from the Canadian Press

 

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