The ‘Bubble’ was a different time in the history of the NBA. The arenas were empty with no fans in the stands and it was just players going up against one another, playing ball. While some thrived in that scenario, many were eager for things to go back to the way they were. One player from the former category was Jamal Murray. And two-time NBA champion Rajon Rondo can attest to that.
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Former Celtics & Lakers point, Rajon Rondo recently made an appearance on the Club 520 Podcast. While on the show, Rondo talked about his time in the bubble and how he felt Jamal Murray was the real deal.
Rondo was confident that he could guard Murray and get the best of him but things took a turn in another direction. He described a move Jamal Murray pulled off during a game which convinced him that the Denver Nuggets guard was the real deal.
“That’s one to me, Murray went crazy though. That’s when I was like, ‘This ni**a for real.’ He went crazy on us, he destroyed us, we couldn’t check him. He had a move on me, so f**king cold.”
“I feel like I got him, I got him. Top of the key, I think ISO, he go to the cup, he drive left or something, he went up with his right hand, I contested. He flipped, switched it, threw it up with his left, hit that…I can’t get him…We need a big guard or something. Come here ‘Bron.”
While Rondo did ask the guys behind the camera to find the clip he was talking about, the footage does seem to be difficult to find. So, here is another video of Jamal Murray pulling off somewhat of a similar move on LeBron James.
Rondo describes the move as Murray going up to the rim, switching hands, and then finishing the move with his opposite hand while at the rim. That was all it took for Rondo to convince himself that Jamal Murray was the real deal. And given just how good a player needs to be to do it confidently during the NBA playoffs, it really is hard to argue against him.
Jamal Murray grew out of his bubble nickname
Jamal Murray and the Denver Nuggets may not have been able to go all the way back during the bubble but the team and its players were slowly preparing themselves to win it all on the big stage as they won an NBA championship last year.
During the bubble, Jamal Murray’s performance was perceived as a fluke and the Nuggets guard got a nickname, ‘Bubble Murray.’ This wasn’t a name Jamal was fond of and he even went on to give a statement on his newly found moniker, per The Score.
“I don’t how many times I gotta prove myself for y’all to believe in my game or believe in what I do, or my health or whatever it is. I can only just keep doing it, and keep trending (up), and prove everybody wrong.”
It may have taken him a couple of years to prove himself to the world but Jamal Murray and the Nuggets finally did get over the hump and bring an NBA championship to the Denver franchise. And with the team looking as dominant as ever in the 2024 NBA Playoffs, they very well could do it all over again.
