The legendary Bruce Lee may have died many years ago, but his impact lives on even in the current generation. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar who was the NBA leading scorer credited Lee for his teachings. In the current generation, Jamal Murray, the Denver Nuggets’ sharpshooter who crushed LeBron James and the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals, has also credited Lee for his teachings which have helped his NBA career.
Murray’s NBA career has flourished greatly and everyone expects greater things as the Nuggets’ super max contract awaits him.
Bruce Lee’s influence on Jamal Murray’s basketball journey
Jamal Murray is one player who has prepared for life in the NBA, and learning as much as possible from legends like Bruce Lee. In a Nuggets’ 109-94 victory over the Miami Heat in the NBA finals, Jamal was seen holding his left hand after a fall in the third quarter. He actually sustained a nasty floor burn but continued to play the game excellently.
While speaking with ESPN’s Malika Andrews, he revealed how he was able to continue playing the game after the injury. Jamal revealed that when he was younger, his dad would have him do pain tolerance including balancing a cup of hot tea on his quads while holding a squat. And this helped him prepare for moments like the injury he sustained. Jamal’s father Roger was a lifelong fan of the legend Bruce Lee having grown up in 70’s, and watched movies like “Enter the Dragon” and “Game of Death”.
Roger made sure to instill in Jamal all that he learned from Bruce. Jamal has been able to develop a deceptive quickness that lulls opponents into lax defensive positions, as well as a cerebral maturity that allows him to make quick, sound decisions regarding beating his man or passing to an open teammate.
He has credited Lee for his career improvement. He said “Bruce Lee took his craft very seriously, just as my dad took his stuff very seriously. I just love Lee’s attitude, “You can’t go into a game lax and acting like somebody isn’t trying to beat you. If you go into a fight [like that], you are going to get knocked out. That’s the mentality I have when I’m going into competition.” Jamal said during the 2015 NBA draft.
Nuggets GM expects Jamal Murray to secure Supermax contract
Jamal Murray, the guard for the Denver Nuggets, is not set to receive a supermax deal as he still has two years left on his existing contract. However, the reigning NBA champions are making plans in case they need to offer him a supermax extension. Denver Nuggets General Manager Calvin Booth, after making strong statements about his franchise’s readiness to defend its NBA championship, has predicted a supermax contract for the talented Jamal Murray.
Murray said “We’re anticipating that we’re probably paying him the supermax. He will probably make All-NBA.” As reported by SportsKeeda. Jamal Murray’s unique style of approaching the game has brought him several achievements, and a super-max contract is imminent. Jamal Murray is a great star which Nuggets will love to keep around, and the news of the Supermax contract could be the fuel to him firing up for the season ahead.
