Last year, the USA went through an emotionally charged time following the losses of George Floyd and Jacob Blake, something Jamal Murray spoke up on.
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George Floyd was murdered by a police officer on May 25th, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Jacob Blake was left in critical condition after a police officer shot him seven times in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
As the cases of police brutality continued to surge in the US following incidents against Breonna Taylor, Daunte Wright, and countless others, players moved to withhold from playing in games, going on strike temporarily in the Orlando bubble last year.
One year ago today (h/t @curlyfro), NBA players responded to the #JacobBlake shooting with a wildcat strike. Their action stopped the NBA playoffs and led to play stoppages in WNBA, MLB and MLS, and more. That night, 8/26/20, I spoke with @CraigHodgesNBA:https://t.co/KssQ85yWUA
— Jack M Silverstein (@readjack) August 26, 2021
Things weren’t easy to adjust to at the time, and so even when play resumed a few days later, emotions still ran high, and Jamal Murray didn’t shy away from expressing them.
Jamal Murray Had An Emotional Post Game Interview Following 50 Point Ouburst In Game Six Win
The Nuggets were matched up with the Utah Jazz in the first round of the Western Conference Finals last year, one of the most entertaining series of that round.
The Nuggets won the first game before the Jazz took the next three, taking a commanding and seemingly insurmountable 3-1 lead in the series. However, Murray would come through big time in the next two elimination games, scoring 42 points in a 129-127 victory in game five before dropping 50 in a 119-107 game six victory.
After the game, Murray was overcome by emotions as he knew that his 50 points were coming off of a very tumultuous time for the black community in the US.
The string of polic brutality cases had shaken people, and it was difficult to get back to normal life, much less playing in a basketball game. Murray’s shoes had pictures of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd on them as well, reminding him of the injustices and giving him the strength to keep pushing and fighting every day to make a difference.
One year ago today, Jamal Murray spoke from the heart ❤️pic.twitter.com/Tj6URs5kXk
— ESPN (@espn) August 30, 2021