This story originally appeared in Mile High Sports Magazine. Read the full digital edition.
Each month Mile High Sports Magazine sits down with an important figure in Colorado sports. This month Vanessa Hughes spoke with Nuggets rookie guard Jamal Murray. Here’s what Murray had to say…
I’ve been playing basketball since I was three years old. Hockey was never something I even thought of because I couldn’t skate – couldn’t find skates my size.
I always played a couple years up just to get used to the physicality, or the speed, or bigger guys. I would have to use my quickness and be able to shoot really well. It helps you eliminate your mistakes, make good passes, think about every shot, anticipating and seeing things before they happen. That’s something I’ve been doing for a very long time.
I started meditation when I was in middle school. My dad does kung fu, so he does a lot with mental energy and core strength. He’s all about energy and spirit and attitude and the way you see things.
Meditation takes a lot of practice. It’s taken me years to get the hang of it. Now it’s something I do every day and before every game for about 45 minutes. I just clear my mind and make sure I focus on what I need to do and always want to better myself. It makes you see things slower that happen fast. It’s difficult to explain. You read people better, you anticipate things better, you’re quicker and more focused. Instead of deflecting the ball, you’ll catch it. You’re a split-second better. When you shoot it, you have more focus, better muscle memory. All that stuff.
Certain words I just don’t say, like “can’t.” Don’t say “can’t.” Say, “you’re not doing it right now.”
Toronto was my favorite team growing up. I liked Vince Carter a lot. I had a “Little Tykes” net in my room and I practiced all his dunks.
I’m just trying to show all these young kids in Orangeville and Kitchener that they can stay in Canada. I was one of the first ones to stay in Canada and still be able to go to college and then the NBA, so I want them to know that anything’s possible and that we’re able to develop players just as good [as other countries do].
My friends talk about it all the time, like I’m going to get switched off on LeBron [James] one time and I’m gonna be standing like this. It’s not something I’m going to play in my head. He’s LeBron, okay, [Steph] Curry is Curry, [Kyrie] Irving is Irving, whatever. It’s basketball. They’re trying to win and I’m trying to win, too.
I’ve been playing point guard my whole life. A lot of people don’t know that because I was playing the two-guard position at Kentucky, but point guard is my natural position and I’m hoping to be able to show both sides of the two positions. I prefer the one, but I have no problem playing the two.
Emmanuel Mudiay gets to the rim and uses his strength. I’ll be there to spread the court for him to have driving lanes. If I’m open, I’ll shoot it and let it fly, so hopefully we can complement each other well. I hear he’s a good two-way guard. He can shoot it, he can play defense, he does a little bit of everything. So I think we’re going to have a very good backcourt.
Strength and efficiency are probably the two biggest things I’m trying to improve right now.
In college, I had a phone I could use to call home and coaches but I didn’t have data or internet access. I grew up without it. My mom and dad didn’t have a [cell] phone. We just had a home phone. We didn’t really need to talk to anybody. We didn’t have cable or internet for a long time. We just did what we needed to do and we were focused on that and we limited distractions. I just don’t need a phone. I’ll leave it at home sometimes. You enjoy the moment better.
We had cable during basketball season so we would be able to watch the [Raptors] games. After that, none. I’ve never heard of half the shows that are on right now.
I don’t talk about it a lot, but I like to create poems or quotes.
With video games, I like to beat the game. I’m not playing against the computer; I’m playing against the game – like, the way they make the game, the actual blueprint. I like to discover things and beat the system. If we’re playing chess, I know the board, I know what every piece is capable of, I know what works best and then after that, I’m just playing you so I tend to beat you. I’m very good at video games and board games.
I draw a little bit [too]. I come up with designs or draw nature.
John Calipari is a funny guy. He’s very loyal. He’s animated. He cares about every individual on the team and the coaching staff. He looks out for everybody. He’s a person you want in your corner.
I was goofy around Coach Cal. There aren’t many players that are goofy around their head coach, especially in college, when everything’s strict and they get on you. When he yelled at me, I just smiled and told him a joke and went down and hit a shot. We had a very good relationship at Kentucky.
It’s fun knowing that all the Kentucky alumni come back and play pickup. Boogie Cousins, Karl-Anthony Towns, Tayshaun Prince, Devin Booker, there’s a lot of people that come back and play pickup or to work out. It’s a close community.
“Shooting the arrow” is something that everyone knows I do already, so I’m going to continue to do it. I just gotta be sure I make the shot first before I do that. It came from college [at Kentucky]. My teammates did it to me and I did it back. It started from the show Arrow. After I hit a three, I look at the bench, take out a [fake] bow and arrow, shoot it at the bench and then somebody would act like they got shot. Someone would catch him and one would do CPR. It was a fun thing we did in the middle of the game to keep the energy up and keep everybody’s spirits up. People started calling me “The Blue Arrow” and it just kind of took off from there.
Cole is my favorite artist. He’s a lyricist. He’s not vulgar, he’s a story-teller.
I like to be able to sit and look at the mountains and do my meditation.
The hardest thing here is getting used to the air. It’s not just on the court. Even in the house, I have some stairs in my place and it’s like, “geez, I feel like I’m out of shape when I’m in my house and I have to go get something. It’s crazy.
I like it here. Good weather. Definitely not as cold as Canada. I don’t think winters are as bad as what I’m used to. A lot of sunshine too.
