The power of perspective helped Jamal Murray actualize his All-Star potential.

The Nuggets’ lead guard for years was considered one of the best players never to be selected for an All-Star Game. That changes Sunday when he joins the best players in basketball at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif.

When his All-Star news broke, Murray was happiest for his father.

“That’s his (Roger Murray’s) dream. Obviously, as a parent, you want to see your kid do amazing things. Sometimes I forget about that,” Murray said in an exclusive interview with The Denver Gazette. “Always having him on my mind, where we came from, the stuff we had to go through to get here, it will be a full-circle moment for him to see that, but that’s just another step in the right direction. We have a lot more goals we want to achieve.”

Roger Murray didn’t waste time introducing his firstborn son to the ways of the world beyond their home in Kitchener, Ontario. For all the attention paid to their intense workouts — pushups in the snow, running hills, squatting with cups of tea resting on thighs — other lessons went further than conditioning and pain tolerance.

“How much my dad would talk to me is underrated,” Murray said. “He would talk to me about anything — life and stuff — and give me lectures on mental toughness, telling me to go watch videos on kids in Darfur, how easy we have it, how lazy I can be as a kid and just kind of put in perspective what kids are going through on a daily basis.”

Roger also exposed his son to the practices of famed martial artist Bruce Lee. Jamal often meditates before games and has one of Lee’s quotes on a poster next to his locker: “Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, we must do.” They also studied some of sports’ fiercest competitors in Jamal’s formative years. Mike Tyson. Michael Jordan. Kobe Bryant.

“That’s really helped me today in every facet of life,” Jamal said.

https://t.co/xC75inItIz pic.twitter.com/4OnxenmqFi

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) February 2, 2026

***

Jamal has even more perspective these days.

He became a father around the same time he became an NBA champion in 2023. His young daughter, Kaya, who turns 3-years old in May, can often be found in her father’s arms around Ball Arena, whether it’s courtside after his pregame shooting routine, in the hallway to the locker room after a big win, or, on one occasion, at a post-practice media scrum.

“Seeing him with his daughter is one of the coolest things in these nine years I’ve been here. I think it’s been a huge part of his maturation,” Nuggets coach David Adelman told The Denver Gazette.

“For all of us people who have children, it does change you. It makes you look at the world different. I’ve seen that. There’s a calmness to him.”

The added perspective has helped Murray enjoy a career year. At the All-Star break, Murray is on pace to set career-highs in points (25.7), rebounds (4.4), assists (7.6), field goal percentage (48.5%) and 3-point percentage (42.5%). He did so while carrying the heaviest offensive load of his career when Nikola Jokic, the Nuggets’ other All-Star, missed 16 games.

“He’s playing really quality basketball the last two or three years,” Jokic said.

“He definitely made a mark in this organization. I think he’s gone through a lot. He was injured, the championship, now an All-Star after so many years that he was so close.”

Jamal Murray goes straight to his dad after hitting the series-winning shot 🥹 https://t.co/IKUf4KexXY pic.twitter.com/tTIrMVvRdK

— NBA (@NBA) April 30, 2024

***

The pressure amped up a couple of years ago.

One year after costarring in the championship run and becoming a father, Murray signed a four-year, $208 million contract extension that divided fans.

Supporters cited his credentials as a stone-cold performer in the biggest moments, the caliber that compare to the players his father showed him in childhood. There were two game-winners against the Lakers in the 2024 postseason, a 34-point triple-double in the NBA Finals and multiple 50-game playoff performances against the Jazz in the 2020 bubble.

Detractors questioned his commitment to conditioning and fitness, another big part of his upbringing, after a series of leg injuries. These days that’s all background noise.

“I don’t stress about the game as much. I don’t worry about the energy I have to have and all the little details going into the game,” Murray said. “I just know what’s important and enjoy that time and then go do what I love to do without any extra pressure.”

https://t.co/MIdpeY1Yvi pic.twitter.com/5sUnsJd8e2

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) January 30, 2026

***

Ask the Nuggets’ starting point guard what’s different this season that’s allowed him to be a first-time All-Star, and the answer is likely to be sound something like, “I’m just playing my game,” or “Shots are falling.” Throughout the season, he’s reiterated his mental state is more important than his oft-discussed physical condition. That’s a belief instilled by his father many years ago.

“All that stuff growing up allowed me to kind of take a step back, all the success I’ve had, and appreciate everything,” Murray said. “Every day I thank God for the simple stuff. We take for granted just having food, shelter, a body that works the way we want it, all the little stuff.”

There was one thing different about the summer of 2025. For the first time since returning from his torn anterior cruciate ligament, Murray had an extended and healthy offseason. The Nuggets were the last team standing in 2023. A year later, Murray had to recover from a calf strain sustained in the playoffs before representing Canada in the Olympics for the first time.

Now that he’s checked the boxes for champion, Olympian and All-Star, he’s set his sights on becoming an All-NBA player. His father and becoming a father have provided him the mindset to make it happen.

“I’m just a lot more chill. I don’t really do anything crazy anymore,” Murray said. “It’s calmed me down. It’s put things in perspective.”