Jamal Murray writes "Sharpen The Arrow" for The Players' Tribune
Jamal Murray is the latest athlete to contribute to The Players’ Tribune. The former Wildcat penned “Sharpen The Arrow” for the online publication, giving a detailed, first-person account of his kung fu background and how he applied its lessons to basketball. Murray’s piece also tells stories from his childhood and reminisces back on his one season in Lexington, what he calls his “second home”:
Lexington became my second home this year. The program is great about making us all feel part of the same family. To all the Kentucky fans that supported me, I loved playing in front of you. I fed off of your energy. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
I’m really going to miss my teammates and our traditions. During the Ohio State game this year, I hit a three and I was running back on D. I looked over at the bench and my teammate EJ was pretending to shoot a bow and arrow. The next time I hit a three, I copied what he did. You wind your right arm back like you’re pulling back an arrow, then you let it go. Our whole bench started to do it whenever we hit a three. A tradition, and a new nickname, had been born.
For more on Murray’s kung fu upbringing, including how his father taught him to meditate and blindfolded him during shooting drills, definitely give it a read. He has a very unique approach to the game.
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