Dejounte Murray

About

Dejounte Dashaun Murray ( də-JHOHN-tay; born September 19, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for the Washington Huskies, where he earned second-team all-conference honors in the Pac-12 as a freshman in 2015–16. He was selected by the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the 2016 NBA draft with the 29th overall pick. In 2022, Murray was named to his first NBA All-Star Game and led the league in steals. He is the Spurs’ franchise leader in career triple-doubles. He has also played for the Atlanta Hawks.

Murray grew up in the impoverished South End area of Seattle, Washington. Throughout his upbringing, he was exposed to gun and drug violence, homelessness, and parental incarceration. Prior to high school, Murray spent time in juvenile detention.

Murray attended Rainier Beach High School in Seattle, Washington. The school is a basketball powerhouse, having produced such NBA talents as Jamal Crawford, Doug Christie, Terrence Williams, Nate Robinson, and Kevin Porter Jr. Crawford encouraged Murray to take basketball…