Denver Nuggets looked like a title contender in his 2020-2021 season nba. So, Jamal Murray severely wounded.
Shortly after the Nuggets traded for Aaron Gordon to prepare for a deep playoff run, Murray suffered a knee injury that kept them out of title contention in 2021 and 2022. With Murray healthy, the Nuggets began the path they once seemed destined and defeated the Miami Heat in the 2023 Finals to capture their first championship.
Like that Murray became an NBA champion within two years of tearing his ACL.
More | Yes, Jamal Murray is a superstar – his playoff stats with the Denver Nuggets prove it
How Jamal Murray went from serious injury to NBA champion in two years
April 12, 2021: Murray is back in Denver’s starting five after four games with a sore knee. In the final minutes, he injured his knee with a lip attack. He fell to the ground after attempting a layup and was visibly in pain, clutching his left knee. He left the party and never came back.
Jamal Murray was helped off the court after suffering an apparent knee injury with 50 seconds left against the Warriors. pic.twitter.com/sz7akzOiq4
—SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 13, 2021
April 13, 2021: The Nuggets announced that Murray he had torn the ACL in his left knee and would be low indefinitely.
April 21, 2021: The Nuggets announced that Murray successfully underwent surgery on his left knee at a California medical center. Coach Michael Malone said at the time that doctors had been impressed with how well Murray’s knee was doing.
Murray shared a photo of himself in a hospital bed.
Check out this Instagram post
June 12, 2021: Without Murray, Denver was he was banned in four matches against the Phoenix Suns at Second round of the Western Conference.
October 20, 2021: Six months after surgery, Murray shared a video attacking the hoop with everything:
Six months after ACL surgery, Jamal Murray is sinking. pic.twitter.com/V4BwttJhOk
— Harrison Wind (@HarrisonWind) October 20, 2021
April 9, 2022: Sams Harania reported that Murray would not play in the 2021-22 regular season finale. He said the player was progressing well but was not expected to be available for the 2022 Playoffs.
April 13, 2022: Tim Connelly, president of the Nuggets, did not rule out Murray’s possible return and said it is up to him to choose when he plays.
“I wouldn’t be surprised at all”Connelly talked about a possible Murray return. “When Jamal feels he’s ready, he’s going to run. He’s close to playing again. It’s totally up to him. Once we give him some reassurance that he’s looking good physically — we’ve told him throughout the process, ‘pass’ those specific lines and he’s in it’s up to you to tell us when you’ll be ready to play again.”
Connelly’s comments came days after Malone said Murray has yet to get over a “great mental barrier”.
April 19, 2022: Murray seemed to indicate on his Twitter that he had not played again despite being cleared. “You think I wouldn’t want to be out there… That’s crazy”.
You don’t think I want to be out there, crazy
— Jamal Murray (@BeMore27) April 19, 2022
April 27, 2022: The Warriors defeated the Denver Nuggets in five games in the first round of the playoffs.
Murray missed all 82 regular season games and 5 playoff games while trying to complete his recovery from his knee injury.
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September 27, 2022: Murray gave an injury update ahead of the 2022-2023 season.
“In a way I feel renewed. It feels like the first day of school, but it’s my seventh year doing this. I put the batteries in. It’s fun. I’m happy to be out on the field and back in the mix, not out there in some rehab, running around. I’m happy to find my routine again.”
October 3, 2022: Murray returned to play in a preseason friendly against the OKC Thunder. Scored 10 points in 15 minutes.
539 days later… THIS TIME!!
— Jamal Murray (@BeMore27) October 3, 2022
October 19, 2022: Murray played his first official game since the injury. In 26 minutes, he had 12 points on 5-for-13 shooting in a tough loss to the Utah Jazz.
“Obviously I was getting the rust off”Murray said after the game. “I had some good chances, I ran with them to gain some pace”.
October 22, 2022: Murray played his first Regular Season game in Denver since the injury.
The fans have been amazing keep it up!! Appreciate all the love 🖤 💯
— Jamal Murray (@BeMore27) October 23, 2022
February 4, 2023: Murray led the Nuggets to a big win over the Atlanta Hawks with a season-high 41 points. It was his third straight game with 30 or more points, which tied his career high.
“An aggressive Jamal, a confident Jamal, is a scary Jamal”Malone said after the game.
March 9, 2023: Denver defeated Sacramento in the final game of the Regular Season. Murray finished it with averages of 20 points, 6.2 assists and 4 rebounds in 65 games.
April 19, 2023: Murray led Denver with 40 points to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 2.
JAMAL MURRAY 40 PIECES 🔥
IT’S INSIDE #PLAYOFFMODE
📺: TNT | Game 2 | DEN leads 1-0 pic.twitter.com/LICF00q73X
—NBA (@NBA) April 20, 2023
May 18, 2023: Murray scored 23 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter to beat the Lakers in Game 2 and go up 2-0 in the series. She was fifth time he scored 20 or more points in a quarter in the playoffstying Stephen Curry for most since 1997.
23 POINTS IN THE QUARTER‼️
JAMAL MURRAY IS GONE 🔥 pic.twitter.com/9gmhSXgAcq
— ESPN (@espn) May 19, 2023
May 22, 2023: The Nuggets defeated the Lakers in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals and advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time in their history. Not only did Murray score 25 points in the win, but he made a great defensive play on LeBron James on the final possession of the game.
June 7, 2023: Murray and Nikola Jokic were the first teammates in NBA history to record a triple-double in the same Finals gameleading the Denver Nuggets to a road win over the Miami Heat to take a 2-1 Finals lead.
Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray are the first pair of teammates with a triple-double in Finals history!
Jokic: 32 PTS, 21 REB, 10 AST
Murray: 34 PTS, 10 REB, 10 ASTDEN/MIA Game 4: Friday, 8:30pm/et on ABC pic.twitter.com/0hLcPvv0zN
—NBA (@NBA) June 8, 2023
June 9, 2023: Murray had 12 assists in Denver’s Game 4 at home. It is him First player in NBA history to finish with 10 or more assists in his first four Finals games.
🇨🇦 THE CANADIANS 🇨🇦
Jamal Murray | vs. Miami (Game 4)
15 GRADES
2 THREE POINTS
12 ASST
3 rebounds@Nuggets | #NBAFinalsThe NBA Finals is presented by @DoorDash. pic.twitter.com/CANLePSp5y
— NBA Canada (@NBACanada) June 10, 2023
June 12, 2023: The Denver Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat 94-89 with 14 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists from Jamal Murray and became the NBA champion for the first time in its history.
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