The Denver Nuggets got a 50-point performance from Jamal Murray in their 119-107 in against the Utah Jazz, and Murray credits that performance to his shoes, which display the images of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.
When asked what inspired his offensive explosion to force a Game 7, Murray said, “These shoes mean a lot.”
Murray, who appeared emotional in the video, went deeper when describing the impact the shoes have on him.
“These shoes give me life,” Murray said. “Even though these people are gone, they give me life. They help me find strength.”
Murray continued, “In life you find things that hold value, things to fight for, and we found something worth fighting for as an NBA, as a collective unit. I use these shoes as a symbol to me to keep fighting all around the world.
“Like I said, they give me a lot of power to keep fighting.”The NBA was the first major American sports league to restart their season after the coronavirus lockdowns. So far, the league’s return has been greeted by extremely lackluster ratings. The league’s first playoff game fell 23% in ratings from last year’s first playoff game. In fact, if it weren’t for LeBron James and the Lakers, the league’s numbers would be beyond abysmal.There’s no concrete reason why the NBA’s numbers should be so poor, especially considering the country was starved for sports for five months and much of the country is at home due to Covid restrictions. Well, there are no concrete reasons other than the fact the NBA joined with Communist China in suppressing the pro-democracy speech of an American citizen. In addition to turning their games into a showcase for Black Lives Matter, a group that has said they believe looting can be justified as “reparations.”Other than that, there’s no reason at all that the ratings should be bad.Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter @themightygwinn