from stevenlebron:

In Conversation with Tracy Murray

Former NBA forward Tracy Murray was drafted in the first round in 1992 by the San Antonio Spurs and went onto play twelve seasons in the league before retiring after the 2004 season. I recently exchanged emails with him to discuss his professional basketball career.

As one of the members of the 1995-96 Toronto Raptors expansion team, I wanted to get Murray’s impression of playing in Canada, especially since there’s a perception that we’re inferior up north.

“The first year as a Raptor was special. I knew about Toronto with my trip with USA Basketball the summer before with friendly games before the Pan American Games. The city was beautiful, so when I heard there was going to be an NBA team there, I was all in. The first year of the organization was great! Ten guys needed a second chance, plus our two draft picks, Damon Stoudamire and Jimmy King, who were hungry to make an impression. The secret to that expansion team’s success was playing hard for forty-eight minutes. No one took their second chance for granted.”

One of the best memories from that season was when the team defeated Michael Jordan and the Bulls. It was especially rewarding given that the Bulls went onto set a NBA record with 72 wins.

Murray averaged 16.2 points and shot 44% from threes that year, but left in the off-season for a long-term contract from the Washington Wizards in what he describes as “strictly a move to secure my family.”

He has his regrets.

“I left my happiness in Toronto. That wasn’t a good time for me.”

But his time in Washington also brought him an individual career high. On February 10, 1998, Murray scored 50 points in a victory over Golden State. He still remembers the game: “It was a time I finally got a chance to play my game with no restrictions. It reminded me of high school again when I averaged forty four points a game. The team was short handed, lots of injuries and we needed some wins. We won the game also which made it sweeter.”

Murray would eventually return to Toronto in a mid-season trade in 2001. He didn’t play much but was part of the playoff run led by Vince Carter that ended in a Game 7 loss in Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference semi-finals. In a recent local television interview, Tracy McGrady said: “Had I been part of that team, there’s no question we would have advance and gone to the Finals that year. There’s no question in my mind.”

Murray agrees.

“Tracy’s comment was a truthful statement. He was a great talent and he had a better killer instinct than Vince. I think he would have pushed Vince more. They were competitive against each other in a positive way that would have made our team better.”

As for how the organization had evolved from his first stint: “The fans were more basketball savvy and educated. As far as the organization, it got too Americanized. They didn’t do the special things like they did in year one. I think it was the John Bitove and Isiah Thomas special touch at the beginning that made that experience the best to me.”

In the 2002-03 season, Tracy Murray joined the Lakers as Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson were coming off three straight championships. For Murray, it was a balance between the benefits off the court and the frustrations on it.

“That was a cool year to spend at home with my family. Basketball wise, worst season off my career. I loved my teammates. We had a lot of fun off the court, but on the court I wasn’t given much of a chance to play in my home town. It hurt honestly, growing up in Los Angeles and finally achieved a dream of being in that uniform became a nightmare fast. It was the kiss of death to my career.”

In June of 2011, Murray was hired as assistant coach of the WNBA’s Tulsa Shock.

“That position was taken at a temporary basis. Teresa Edwards is a legend, when a legend, Hall of Famer, and close friend ask for help, you provide it. I had nothing on my schedule when she took over so I joined her in Tulsa. It was a great experience. Teresa and I have been like brother and sister for years. I never had an older sister and she’s that to me. We were on the 1991 Pan American basketball teams where we first met and about four years ago we went to Africa with the NBA Basketball Without Borders Program.”

He continues to keep busy with his post-basketball career.

“Nowadays I broadcast UCLA Men and Women’s Basketball games on the radio. I also help my brother Cameron Murray train and coach kids at Prodigy Athletic. I’m also the Ball Up Streetball Coach which was the number one watched Fox Sports Show in 2011. We’re about to do a reality show for that team as well as start the second season. I also just finished my first annual Tracy Murray Comedy and Golf Charity Weekend benefiting Prodigy Athletic and the Boys and Girls Club of Las Vegas.”

photo via SLAM