Kitchener celebrates hometown hero Jamal Murray following NBA Finals win

Kitchener is celebrating a hometown hero after the Denver Nuggets bested the Miami Heat in game five of the NBA Championship Monday night.

Murray has now joined a list of only nine Canadians who have won the NBA title. This is the Denver Nuggets’ first championship title in franchise history. Murray had tears in his eyes after the Nuggets clinched the win, “I couldn’t even hold it in, I couldn’t even hold it in.”

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The final score was 98-94 for the Nuggets. Murray finished off with 14 points, eight assists, and eight rebounds within 41 minutes of play.

“It was just a surreal moment, everything was hitting, you know what I’m saying, from the journey the celebration with the guys, enjoying the moment, looking back on the rehab, looking back on myself as a kid,” Murray said.

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The City of Kitchener has been hosting watch parties since the series began and says it’s proud of its hometown hero. Mayor of Kitchener Berry Vrbanovic said, “It speaks to the dream that’s possible in this country. You know, you come here you work hard, you got some talent, maybe get a little bit of luck thrown your way, and with all of that put together, ultimately you can win the ultimate in terms of sport.”

Murray attended Grand River Collegiate and played on their basketball team but he started out with the Kitchener-Waterloo Youth Basketball Association. Mike Quigley with the association said he met Murray when he was six years old and said, “he was the best player on the court, it was a playoff game, he was just dominating.”

Murray isn’t the only Kitchener native that could be taking home a championship title. Nick Hague and the Las Vegas Golden Knights could win the Stanley Cup Tuesday night.

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