Jamal Murray issues a guarantee after getting his first NBA All-Star nod

At last, Jamal Murray can call himself an NBA All-Star. 

After years of failing to be part of the annual NBA midseason exhibition, the Denver Nuggets’ star point guard will be among the elites who will partake in the 2026 NBA All-Star Game after getting the news on Sunday that he’s been named a reserve for the event.

Following the Nuggets’ 121-111 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo., Murray gave the impression he won’t take the All-Star Game for granted and will play as if something important is on the line.

After seeing how lackadaisical the energy was in previous iterations of the All-Star Game, the former Kentucky Wildcats star is looking forward to giving it a shot in the arm.

“I really kind of lost interest in All-Star just watching whatever they’re doing out there,” the 28-year-old Murray said in the postgame press conference, via DNVR Sports.  

“I’d rather go on vacation if that’s the basketball we’re going to be playing…I would like to play (hard).”

Playing hard has always defined Murray’s game since he was selected by the Nuggets in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft. Ten years later, he’s finally achieved the dream of being an All-Star, and he’s not going to waste the opportunity by holding back in the game.