Dejounte Murray recently made an appearance on All The Smoke podcast where he talked about his past, which has molded his work ethic. Like every athlete, the 27-year-old also follows a strict regimen to keep himself in game shape, avoiding trouble off the court. Interestingly, that’s where the similarities between him and his peers end. The 2022 All-Star talked about the usual distractions that athletes face at a young age and why those don’t affect him personally anymore.
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Murray said that he always distances himself from going to clubs or partying because basketball is his main priority. While the rule applies to almost everyone competing seriously in the league, it’s easier for Murray to avoid these gatherings than anyone else.
The newly signed Pelicans star said that at this age, he has no interest left in that kind of lifestyle because he has already lived it for a long time. He said, “I was in 21 and over clubs [at] 13-14 years old. To make it to where I am now, I have no interest in it.”
Murray said that he often sees a lot of youngsters and even some vets get trapped into that lifestyle. But for him, it’s a thing of past. Another reason why he prefers keeping his game at the top of his priority list is because he has faced career altering challenges due to his past.
Murray said, “I know how I was judged in that draft, from the things that I did or where I was around as a kid. I don’t want that to be the reason that they move me out of here…I feel like I only got one [chance].”
Dejounte Murray: I was in 21 and over clubs 13-14 years old. To make it to where I am now, I have no interest in it… I have no interest to do things I've already done… If you aint grow up like me, you cant relate to me… I really be inside and I have fun doing it pic.twitter.com/cLD9X0xKx8
— Pelicans Film Room (@PelsFilmRoom) July 9, 2024
The draft incident that Murray was referring to, its root can be traced back to his days as a teenager. During a conversation with Chris Haynes in 2020, Murray talked about his troubled childhood.
He told Haynes, “I got active in the streets at 11 years old. When I mean active in the streets, not just on the corner. They knew my name when I got on the block.” Involvement in drug related activities led to him spending time in juvenile detention as well.
That is when Murray decided to turn his life around, under the mentorship of Jamal Crawford. The former NBA star spotted the talent in him and helped bring the 27-year-old to the level of an NBA player. Unfortunately, his past wasn’t going to let him enjoy his big moment fully as word spread out in the NBA at the time of his draft, prompting rumors that he was a ‘gang member’.
Murray fought through that as well, in the hopes of getting one chance from a franchise.
That chance came from the San Antonio Spurs who drafted him as the 29th pick in 2016. Murray told Haynes that the Spurs also heard the rumors about him, but they were more focused on giving the talented youngster a chance to prove everyone wrong. After that, Murray has proved that he is more than what the naysayers perceive him to be. Two years ago, he made his first All-Star appearance.
