What a roller coaster of emotions this summer has been for Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray. First, he was the subject of trade rumors as his former team, the San Antonio Spurs, was gearing up for a tank job this coming season. Those rumors became reality as he was sent to the Hawks.
Then, Murray went on his own personal heel-turn taking “it” all out on his unsuspecting amateur competition.
Murray was an equal-opportunity antagonist, getting into it with Magic rookie Paolo Banchero.
He (and we) was all set to have that fire rekindled on August 20 at The CrawsOver pro-am. But the event was later canceled due to condensation after the two appeared to make amends. In the wake of all that transpired, though, Murray drew praise from The King.
LeBron James shouts out Atlanta Hawks star Dejounte Murray
LeBron James was making his highly-anticipated debut at The CrawOver, something with the event’s namesake, former Hawks guard Jamal Crawford celebrated. The entire day was filled with NBA talent including Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum and second-overall pick Chet Holmgren of the Oklahoma City Thunder who came away with an injury.
Murray came away unscathed – as did Banchero from this fall after which Murray helped him up and the two shared a brief embrace.
Despite the event getting cut short in the second quarter, James could feel the energy.
SEATTLE!! That was SPECIAL yesterday!! WHOA 🤯🤯🤯. Even with us having to stop play because of things we couldn't control! I appreciate the love and hospitality towards me and my folks who came along for the show! 🫡 to @JCrossover @DejounteMurray @isaiahthomas. 🙏🏾🤎👊🏾👑
— LeBron James (@KingJames) August 21, 2022
Murray, like Crawford, is from Seattle, Washington where the event takes place. Isaiah Thomas is from nearby Tacoma and also hosts the event where the Banchero-Murray beef debuted.
There was a lot made of Murray’s run through the pro-am circuit and subsequent altercation with Banchero which he later explained on Instagram. But this show of humility – which was the basis of his ire with the first-overall pick, Banchero – is sure to sway a lot of opinions.
In the end, it would appear that Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George had the best take.
“Good entertainment, that Orlando-Atlanta matchup, that Paolo, Dejounte s***. But they from the same city, so pretty sure it’s all for the love of the game.”
The Hawks will host the Magic on October 21 in the second game of the season for both teams. As division, and therefore conference rivals this game is sure to be spicy anyway. But the added intrigue of their back-and-forth was nice fodder ahead of the early matchup between teams that are at very different stages of their respective plans.
James’ Lakers are looking to get back into the postseason after injuries derailed their plans last year. But they still have a lot that is up in the air.
The shout-out is a nice gesture from the local products and a nice reminder of how prevalent the pro-am circuit has been this summer.