Since his days at Kentucky, Jamal Murray has been touted as the “Blue Arrow,” a baller with elite instincts and sharpshooting skills similar to the superpowers of the Marvel Comics characters he secretly likes.
Murray is in his seventh season with the Denver Nuggets, where he’s won a championship and earned NBA All-Rookie Second Team honors in 2017. During the Nuggets’ historic NBA Finals run, the Canadian point guard cooked the Miami Heat — kitchen puns intended — averaging 21.4 points, 10 assists, and 6.2 rebounds per game.
Ahead of the Nuggets 2023-2024 season opener on October 24th against the Los Angeles Lakers (7:30 p.m. ET on TNT), For The Win spoke with Murray — who was promoting his partnership with STARRY and KFC, including The Jamal Murray Meal — about advice he has for others who might battle tough injuries and which superhero he would want to be.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
What was going through your mind as the confetti was falling after you and the Nuggets won a championship?
Not much. Believe it or not, I was more speechless than anything. I’m realizing that there’s no more basketball to play. We’re the last team standing on our home floor. It was a nice moment.
It was also a really good team bonding night. When it happened, it was like, “Yes, we can relax. We don’t come in for practice anymore.”
You overcame a major injury to get there. What advice would you give to anyone who might be dealing with the same?
While going through rehab, I just tried to set goals for myself, like, “OK, when I come back, I want to jump higher. I want to have a little quicker first step.”
There were days in the weight room when I didn’t want to be there, or my knee was sore. But, even if I couldn’t do it then, I’d do it later. I had that mindset of always working for something. I didn’t want to get complacent.
Honestly, if I didn’t have that kind of mindset going into the rehab, I don’t think I would be as strong or capable as I am now — that mentality of wanting to be better meant I had to be scared of what would happen. I asked myself, “What if I don’t do the rehab properly?” which motivated me.
It’s okay to be nervous. It’s okay to go into the unknown. But you come out at the end when you set your mind to it. That’s exactly what I did, and it paid off.
Because we like to have fun, we have to ask: If you could be any superhero for a day, what hero are you picking? Why?
I’m a big fan of Iron Man, OK? I think Iron Man would be super cool. I also would want something that’s not quite like mind reading but along those lines. Maybe something that slows down time or teleportation.
Halloween is coming up. What candy are you giving out? What candy are you keeping for yourself?
I thought about getting some Canadian candy shipped to America and giving it out. Some Sour Keys – that’s a Canadian thing. You got Maynards Sour Cherry Blasters. Those are really good. Those are also Canadian. We got Fuzzy Peaches, which, you know, America tries to emulate, but they’re not the same. So, I have a few treats in mind. I’ll probably give out Reese’s or Kit Kats, which everybody loves.
