Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray was been awarded the Sports Illustrated Award for “Breakout of the Year."
“You dream of being great,” Murray said following the award announcement. “You dream of being the best version of yourself. So, I don’t see myself stopping there.”
Murray beat out Cleveland Indians pitcher Shane Bieber, Washington Mystics standout Myisha Hines-Allen, and Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell. Interestingly enough, Murray's Nuggets beat Mitchell's Utah Jazz in the first round of the 2020 NBA Playoffs.
During the 2019-20 NBA season, Murray averaged a career-best 18.5 points per game, 4.8 assists, and 4 rebounds. In the playoffs, Murray took off, averaging 26.5 points and 6.6 assists.
After the Nuggets' Western Conference Finals loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, Murray said that he plans to be the best player in the world; this new award is one step toward his goal.
“I knew I was going to be here, but now my goal is to be the greatest,” Murray said. “I wanna be the best player in the world — that is my goal and my dream. I knew I’ve always had the talent, but to actually be here and actually have a chance at it, it gives me a lot of motivation.”
[Via]