A video posted online shows Murray's teammate, Nikola Jokic, throwing him into a hot tub during the Nuggets' celebrations late Monday, as part of a wild and emotional night for the Canadian.
"I love that moment, man! That's special right there," Murray later said of his unexpected plunge. "I thought he was going in the cold tub!" he added. "That's why I was so resistant!"
It was a wild night for Murray, who played a key role alongside MVP winner Jokic in leading the Nuggets to their first ever title.
Murray wore a microphone during the game and luckily it was on in the moments after they won, capturing his conversations as he thanked his coach and the team's owner for all of their support.
"I appreciate you staying patient with me," he told the owner. "Y'all could've gone a different route. I appreciate you."
And while Murray might've won the championship for Denver, he made it clear that he hasn't forgotten where he came from. The 26-year-old shouted out his hometown of Kitchener, Ontario during a post-game interview, adding that he plans to bring the Larry O'Brien trophy home to Canada when he gets the chance.
"Where has all the emotion come from tonight?" a Sportsnet reporter asked Murray after the game.
"I think it stems deep," he replied. "You know, coming from a small town in Canada, Kitchener Ontario, a lot of hours I put in just to be the best I can be."
Murray also thanked his hometown supporters for all the watch parties they've held during his championship run, and for the giant chalk mural of him that's gone up in Kitchener.
"It means a lot for that kind of support," he said. "And I'm gonna bring that Larry O to Kitchener, so that'll be special."
He opened up in another interview about how he's been dreaming about this moment for most of his life.
"I envisioned this as a young'un growing up," he said during a courtside interview with the NBA. "I say as long as I stuck with the same mentality that I had grown up (...) I'll be in the right spot. I just had to keep saying my prayers, keep putting in the work and everything would take care of itself."
Everyone loves a great comeback story and Murray's is one of the best. The star point guard suffered a devastating ACL injury during a game in April of 2021, and video shows him writhing in pain while holding his knee after it happened. He was diagnosed with a torn ACL and underwent surgery a week after it happened.
His recovery was slow and he missed the playoffs that year, then sat out the entire 2021-2022 season despite pushing hard for a return to the playoffs in April 2022. However, the Nuggets ended up getting knocked out in the first round and Murray eventually targeted this season for his comeback.
"539 days later... BOUT THAT TIME!" he finally tweeted last October before making his debut.
Murray would go on to find his form and play a huge role in the Nuggets' championship run — a fact that made him all the more emotional when he was asked about the comeback on Monday.
But Murray didn't give up. Instead he worked hard to rehab from the injury, and now fans are saying that he even called this moment in a tweet back in December of 2021.
"The work now will show later," he wrote.
"You're washed buddy," wrote one critic on Twitter at the time, only to get absolutely dragged by people who found the tweet on Monday.
"Say that again," wrote one person in response.
"WORKED HARD FOR THIS CHAMP," wrote another, sharing a photo of Murray with the trophy.
Murray's comeback was the talk of the night, and he struggled to find the words to explain it during his post-game interviews. He described it as a "full circle" moment while addressing the media, adding that at one point his injury left him unable to even walk up stairs. "Not just for a month or two," he added. "It was for a long time."
Murray is just the ninth Canadian to win an NBA title, which is actually a bit shocking given that the sport was created by Canadian James Naismith, and that the league has been playing since 1949.
Still, only eight other Canadians have won an NBA title. Andrew Wiggins won it last year with the Golden State Warriors and prior to that, Chris Boucher was the only Canadian on the roster when the Toronto Raptors claimed their title in 2019.
"Congrats my dude well deserved!" Boucher tweeted at Murray on Monday night, adding a few prayer hand emojis and Canadian flags to the message.
Others flooded Murray's Instagram page with their best wishes, with many showing up in the comments on his injury photo from 2021.
"Never back down," reads the top comment.
"From this to being a champ," wrote another. "Bruh congratulations u deserved everything."
Murray was born in Kitchener in 1997 to a Syrian mom and a Jamaican father. He started playing basketball at age 3 according to NBA.com, and his dad played a major role in training him until he hit his teens, at which point he started playing internationally for Canada. He played college ball at the University of Kentucky and was drafted seventh overall in 2016 by the Nuggets.
He led the Nuggets to their championship seven years later.
Murray hasn't announced exact plans for when he'll bring the Larry O'Brien trophy to Kitchener, but it's pretty clear that the city will be ready to welcome him with open arms when he does get around to his day with the trophy.
"Congratulations to the Denver @nuggets and our hometown hero, @BeMore27 on winning the @NBA championship!" the city tweeted.
Not bad for a kid from Kitchener!
