‘Something I’ll never forget’: Kings rookie Keegan Murray helps Team Pau win Rising Stars
In the days, weeks and months leading up to the 2022 NBA draft, analysts spent countless hours discussing which teams would select Paolo Banchero, Keegan Murray, Jaden Ivey and Bennedict Mathurin.
No one could have imagined all four would end up on the same team, but that’s what happened Friday on the first night of All-Star Weekend at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City.
Four of the top six picks from June’s draft joined forces to help Team Pau win the Rising Stars tournament. Murray, a rookie forward who has contributed to the Kings’ dramatic turnaround this season, said he enjoyed teaming up with Banchero, Ivey and Mathurin.
“We were all in the green room and things like that, so we’ve all shared the same experiences in a sense so far this year,” Murray said. “So kind of just being all together, kind of just letting loose, having fun, competing at the same time, I feel like it was really cool — something that I’ll never forget.”
It was also a special occasion for New Orleans Pelicans point guard Jose Alvarado, a second-year player who went undrafted out of Georgia Tech in 2021. Alvarado was named Rising Stars MVP after leading Team Pau to victory.
“Jose was a really lively guy on our team, so that was really cool to see,” Murray said.
The event featured four teams in a three-game mini tournament with three teams comprised of NBA rookies and sophomores and a fourth team featuring top G League players. Former NBA All-Stars Pau Gasol, Deron Williams and Joakim Noah served as honorary coaches for the rookie-sophomore teams while Jason Terry, a Utah Jazz assistant who once coached the G League’s Grand Rapids Gold, led the G League team.
Team Pau selected Banchero, Murray, Ivey, Mathurin, Alvarado, 2022 Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes and Andrew Nembhard in the Rising Stars draft. The first two games of the tournament were played to a target score of 40. The championship game was played to a target score of 25.
Team Pau defeated Team Deron 40-25 in the first game. Murray made a step-back 3-pointer to win the game, finishing with three points, four rebounds and two assists. Team Pau beat Team Jaokim 25-20 in the championship game.
Alvarado had 13 points in the first game and five points in the second game. Banchero, the No. 1 pick in the 2022 draft, had nine points and five rebounds in the first game and four points in the second.
Kings owner Vivek Ranadive, All-Star center Domantas Sabonis and guard Kevin Huerter, who is competing in Saturday’s 3-Point Contest, sat courtside to show their support for Murray. Murray was asked what his teammates said to him during the games.
“Telling me just let it fly,” Murray said. “Domas was obviously heckling me from the sideline, so I tried to avoid that corner as much as possible, but it was fun to see them courtside there.”
Murray, who rarely shows emotion, gestured to Sabonis and Huerter after making the game winner in Game 1.
“I feel like I pointed,” Murray said. “I pointed to Domas and Kevin. I think I put like a 3 signal out. I did more than I’ve done this year, so …”
Murray said his first All-Star Weekend experience was a good one.
“It was fun,” he said. “I did what I needed to do, hit a game winner, didn’t get hurt, so I think it was a success. I had fun with the guys and we ended up winning, so I feel like that’s a good weekend to me.”
