Jamal Murray of Kitchener, Ont. picked to play on NBA’s All-Star team

Basketball fans in Kitchener are celebrating after Jamal Murray was picked to play in the NBA all-star game. CTV’s Spencer Turcotte reports.

Jamal Murray is officially an All-Star.

The Kitchener, Ont. native has been selected to play in the upcoming NBA All-Star Game, a first for the 28-year-old guard for the Denver Nuggets.

Murray admitted he was taking a pre-game nap when the announcement was made.

“A couple of my best friends FaceTimed me on a group call and broke the news to me,” he told reporters at a press conference. “Honestly, I’m just really happy for my dad. He really wanted me to make it.”

While he may be playing it cool, his friends are soaking in the excitement, including long-time friend and Wilfrid Laurier University assistant basketball coach Chuder Teny.

“We told him like, ‘Buddy, are you not watching the announcement here?’ He’s like, ‘Man, I got my pre-game nap. What happened?’ ‘You just got named All-Star man.’ And then, you know, he started smiling,’” said Teny.

Murray grew up playing basketball in Kitchener, including two seasons with his high school team at Grand River Collegiate. He was picked seventh overall in the 2016 NBA Draft and spent all nine years of his professional career with the Nuggets. According to the NBA, Murray has appeared in 580 career games (with 506 starts) and averaged 18.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.0 steals per game.

“I want to be one of those guys that’s known as somebody who’s going to play hard every time he steps on the court,” he said.

That should come as a breath of fresh air for fans, considering many recent All-Star games have seen a no-defense display from star players.

“I’m down to play 1-on-1. I don’t care, I’m a competitor, so I would like to play,” said Murray.

But that doesn’t mean there aren’t some tricks up his sleeve and that he wont have fun with his shot-making.

“Half-court, full-court shot,” said Murray laughing, speaking about his shot selection. “Hey, hey, I don’t care. I’m going to make it.”

That is certainly in the realm of possibility given the season he’s having – career highs in points, shooting percentage, 3-point percentage, rebounds and assists.

Yet, his best friends are challenging him even more.

“He needs to make a left hand 3-point shot,” said Teny. “He’s a really good lefthanded shooter but I haven’t seen it in a game yet so I think the All-Star game would be a great place to showcase that.”

Kitchener’s mayor, Berry Vrbanovic, has been a big supporter of Murray’s since he was a councillor in the ward Murray and his family lived in.

When CTV News stopped by his office on Monday, Vrbanovic showed off a pair of Jamal Murray Adidas basketball shoes that were presented to him after Murray was drafted to the NBA.

“In this community, he’s been an all-star for more than a decade. But to finally have the NBA and its fans recognize this is absolutely tremendous,” said Vrbanovic.

The mayor said that no matter how big the stage has gotten for Murray, the NBA star is always focused on giving back.

“When he’s here, he often connects with young people who are developing their own basketball skills and just giving them that little bit of extra encouragement and nudge and support,” said Vrbanovic.

Yet, the highest praise of all may have come from Murray’s teammate, Nikola Jokić, who has also been picked to play in the All-Star tournament.

“I have his back and he has my back,” Murray said of Jokić. “We just go out there and play hard. It’s fun to have that kind of relationship with the greatest player in the world.”

Jokić told reporters Murray has been playing at a really high level the last two years.

“We both make each other’s game better and easier. I wouldn’t change him for anybody,” said Jokić. “Whenever I say who is the top five of my career, he’s definitely No. 1.”

The tournament will also be a historic one for basketball fans north of the border as it marks the first time two Canadians, Murray and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder, are on the All-Star roster.

The game will take place on Sunday, Feb. 15 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.