New Orleans Pelicans guard DeJounte Murray recently revealed the true story behind his departure, more than just his hand injury.
In an interview, Murray revealed that his mother having a stroke played a huge factor in him taking a break from the court. The official reason was his hand injury, but he revealed there was more to it.
“I appreciate the Pelicans leaving a lot of stuff private,” Murray said, referring to him needing to be with his mother last month. “Before the first game, my mom had a stroke. It was tough to leave and go deal with that. As she got better, she wanted me to come play.”
And he did. Dejounte Murray played for the first game of the Pelicans this season. They played against the Chicago Bulls and made 14 points, 10 assists, and 8 rebounds. They won the game with a final score of 123-11, but Murray sustained a hand injury and he has been ruled out of al the succeeding games of the Pelicans.
Murray considered this turn of events as some kind of divine intervention so he could spend time with his mother.
“I came back for the first game, and I think (the broken hand) was God (saying), ‘Nah, you need to stay with your mom,’” he continued. “The injury comes with the game; I was more concerned about my mother. That was my priority. Because I know how much I work and how much I take care of my body. I wasn’t really worried about my recovery. It’s been a long four or five weeks. I’m excited. And my mom is great (now). I’m healthy and ready to help this team compete at a high level.”
DeJounte Murray: “I Play For My Mother”
DeJounte Murray further talked about his motivation and inspiration in getting back inside the court as he joins the Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center against the Toronto Raptors. Citing his mother as his inspiration, Murray expressed his eagerness to bring home the bacon for the team.
“I’m ready to hoop,” he said. “[I] play for my mother. She’s going to be watching, and she’s doing well. And obviously play for the Pelicans. I’m ready to compete, [and] bring that winning spirit. No excuses. I don’t care who’s (out with an injury). I don’t care how many games we’ve lost. I just know every time I step on the floor I feel like we can win games. That’s just my mentality, and I feel like it can carry over to a lot of guys.”
DeJounte Murray will join the New Orleans Pelicans against the Toronto Raptors, as they seek to break their five-game lose streak.
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Dan has been active in sports since 2016 and has worked behind the scenes as a scriptwriter for basketball, volleyball, and other sports. At a time, Dan has also been working as a sports commentator for CBA Pilipinas. During the pandemic, he has also been actively writing betting articles for CashBet and BetNow.
