Nuggets' Jamal Murray Reflects on 'Full Circle' Journey from ACL Tear to NBA Champion (Exclusive)

Murray missed 18 months recovering from a torn ACL before returning to help lead the Denver Nuggets to their first NBA Championship

Jamal Murray is an NBA Champion!

After missing 18 months with a torn ACL, the Denver Nuggets star returned to the court in 2022 and helped lead the franchise to its first NBA Championship alongside MVP Nikola Jokic.

“It’s nice to see all the hard work come full circle,” Murray, 26, tells PEOPLE. “From the moment of injuries, all my doubts in the beginning and from everybody else as well, it was just nice to be able to bounce back like this and be able to tell my kids one day.”

What a story it will be for Murray, who also received an ESPY nomination on Wednesday for “Best Comeback Athlete” of the year.

One of the NBA’s rising stars, the Kitchener, Ontario, native was drafted seventh overall by the Nuggets in 2016 and quickly worked his way onto the starting lineup. But as he and the Nuggets appeared on the brink of becoming a championship contender, Murray tore his ACL during a late-season game against the Golden State Warriors in 2021.

The seriousness of his injury was apparent almost immediately.

“I remember being in the bus with him, going to the airport after he did the injury…and he had tears in his eyes,” head coach Michael Malone recalled during the NBA Playoffs. “His first thought was, ‘Man, are you guys going to trade me?’ Really. That was his [first thought], ‘I’m damaged goods, are you going to trade me now?’ And I hugged him and I said, ‘Hell no. You’re ours. We love you, we’re going to help you get back, and you’re going to be a better player for it.’”

Related: Denver Nuggets Win 2023 NBA Finals After Defeating Miami Heat 94-89

He had surgery two weeks later, kicking off a grueling recovery process. “It was so much pain. I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t roll over. It was throbbing. It was miserable,” he told NBA Countdown. “The first two months were really tough. You have all these doubts going through your head and the process is so slow that it’s just hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

Murray made his long-awaited return at the start of Denver’s championship season and quickly found that light again. The point guard, who spoke with PEOPLE during a Crown Royal media event this week, averaged 20 points per game this season, a perfect backcourt complement to Jokic’s 24.5-point average in the frontcourt.

The Nuggets and their dynamic duo secured the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference and ran roughshod through the NBA Playoffs with a 16-4 overall record, defeating the Miami Heat in the finals in five games. Just moments after, coach Malone promised the Nuggets would be back next season for another title.

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Murray agrees.

“We don’t want this to be the last time we celebrate like this,” he says, while recounting moments from the Nuggets' celebration.

“Everybody in there was just having fun with each other,” he says, noting he didn't check his phone until the next morning. “It was nice to be present and enjoy that to the fullest. When you have a good time and nothing else matters but what’s going on in the moment, I thought that was cool.”

Related: NBA Finals MVP Nikola Jokić's Daughter Adorably Celebrates Award with Him After Championship Win

That night was a sentimental one for Murray’s family, as well. His dad Roger came down to the court to celebrate his son’s championship comeback with a gigantic, emotional hug. “He was really happy,” Murray says. “This is something that we’ve been working towards together our whole lives. And it was his birthday, so it was nice to give him that hug and tell him ‘happy birthday’ the day that we won it and promise him a ring down the line.”

Murray and his dad, both former track stars and basketball players, have always been close. “He taught me everything I know about the game,” Murray says. “He's been my biggest critic, my best friend. He’s always going to give me ‘the real’ about something I'm doing.”

Related: Nikola Jokic’s Father Had to Convince His NBA Champion Son to Focus on Basketball Instead of Horse Racing

The reality is starting to settle in for the newly crowned NBA Champion, who says he’s looking forward to celebrating back in Kitchener with the rest of his family (and hopefully the whole city). “I think I really know like everybody in Kitchener,” he laughs. “It’s a small town and it’ll be fun to come together and celebrate with everybody.”

Much like Jokic, Murray says he'll make it a point this summer to “relax and chill and kick my feet up” at home after a “grueling” season and two months of playoff basketball. All the while, Murray will have a chance to reflect on his long journey to the top of the NBA.

“It’s gradual,” Murray says. “The more time goes by, the more it sinks in. It’ll sink in a lot more down the line, but right now I’m just enjoying it and enjoying myself.”

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