Image via Complex Original
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Kentucky is notorious for producing one-and-done NBA talents and Jamal Murray is about to become the newest member of a freshman-to-NBA group that includes John Wall, Anthony Davis, and Karl-Anthony Towns—all of whom were the first overall pick in their respective drafts.
Murray probably isn’t going to be selected first overall in Thursday’s 2016 NBA Draft, but he has the kind of talent that could make him a potential All-Star in the years to come. The 19-year old from Canada dropped 20 points per game for the Wildcats last year and, despite being just 6’4”, has a feel for just about every position on the floor which is why coach John Calipari deemed him a “positionless player.”
That’s what we know about Murray on the court but did you know his father played basketball against Lennox Lewis? Or that he used to play goalie north of the border because, well, Canada? Before Murray hears his name called, here are 14 Things You Didn’t Know About Jamal Murray.
2.He didn’t have a cell phone until the beginning of his freshman year at Kentucky.
Murray did not have much of a social life during his teenage years. His father wouldn’t even let him hang out at the mall with his friends.
3.He was a goalie while playing hockey in Canada.
He couldn’t skate, so he picked the position that required the least of it.
4.His father played basketball against former heavyweight champ Lennox Lewis.
Murray’s father, Roger, and Lewis both grew up in Kitchener, Ontario. Lewis was apparently a hooper before fighting the biggest names (and becoming one of them) in boxing.
5.He used to do push-ups in the snow to increase his pain tolerance.
Pain is temporary, and his father wanted to make that known to him. That’s why he’d have Jamal do push-ups in the snow on top of running sprints around the track to improve his speed.
6.He meditates before every game.
Murray said that meditation “made me the player that I am today.” He meditates for about 30-40 minutes a day.
7.He used to practice free throws blindfolded.
Murray’s father would put him through some rigorous and, in this case, unorthodox routines. Murray wrote:
“At first, I really didn’t like the blindfold drill.
“Why are we doing this, Dad?” I’d complain. No one else had to do these drills with their dad, I would tell him.
“This is what it feels like when you aren’t in control,” he would respond. “You’re playing blind.” It sounded like a kung fu movie. I couldn’t see how this drill was better than just taking a lot of shots.
So I’d shoot these blind free throws while my dad rebounded. One after another. My dad would get right in my ear, doing his best to get in my head.
“Maybe you’re not ready!”
“Time to quit!”
“You’ve gone fishin’. You’re done.”
Sometimes I’d airball it, but most of the time I’d hit rim. Not very many went in.
8.He once made 270 consecutive free throws.
Father know best, right? Roger Murray said his son knocked down 270 straight foul shots last year.
9.He and teammate E.J. Floreal started the bow and arrow tradition at Kentucky last season.
As Murray recalls:
“During the Ohio State game this year, I hit a three and I was running back on D. I looked over at the bench and...E.J. was pretending to shoot a bow and arrow. The next time I hit a three, I copied what he did...Our whole bench started to do it whenever we hit a three. A tradition, and a new nickname, had been born.”
10.He is a huge kung-fu fanatic.
He said he "grew up in a kung-fu house," constantly watching kung-fu movies that introduced him to his now-regular meditation practices.
11.He always wanted to play against the older kids.
When he was six, he would play against 10-year-olds. His father was so bent on Murray becoming a better basketball player and not losing focus that he had the family’s cable removed.
12.The biggest influence on his style of play is Bruce Lee.
While he grew up idolizing Michael Jordan and Vince Carter, he says of Lee, “I would ask my dad to rewind a Bruce Lee scene so we could watch it again in slo-mo.” His dad says, "I wanted to know more about how he got so strong mentally. No matter who was standing in front of him, he was never afraid."
13.He and Thon Maker were teammates in high school.
Maker will be the second person to skip college before being drafted since 2005, when the NBA implemented a new “one-and-done” rule.
14.As a sophomore, he sent his team to the city finals with a half-court buzzer beater.
Murray credits his meditation, as he was able to stay focused in a tie ball game on defense, to get the steal (which he is more proud of than the shot), and hit the game winner.
15.He wears No. 23 because of his birthday, Feb. 23.
He can join a celebrated group of NBA players to don the number 23.