Dejounte Murray got ill feelings for Tony Parker as he was starting to take over as the San Antonio Spurs’ main floor general.
Joining Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson’s All The Smoke podcast, Murray detailed that Parker didn’t like the idea of him going to start at the point for the Spurs in the 2017-18 season, further noting that the future Hall of Famer could have stayed to take him under his wings.
“Tony ain’t like it. I know he ain’t like it,” Murray said. “… I love real, keep it a buck with me. Keep it a hundred, bro. I’ll love you for that. And I know he didn’t like it. Because if he liked it, he would have mentored me the way he should have. He wouldn’t have went to Charlotte. He would have stayed right there.”
Murray suited up in 81 games for the Spurs that year, gaining needed growth and averaging 8.1 points, 5.7 boards, and 2.9 assists while going in as a starter for 48 games. Marred by age and injuries, Parker on his part was limited to just 55 games and started 21 of them while tallying a career-low 7.7 points to go with 3.5 assists.
While Murray wasn’t able for the entirety of the 2018-2019 season due to an ACL injury, Parker opted to leave Texas and inked a $5 million deal with the Charlotte Hornets – a move that was not anticipated by the majority given the unbreakable bond and memories he shares with the Spurs franchise as their former star point man.
As such, even without Parker at his side, Murray managed to blossom as a feared two-way guard and become an All-Star of his own last year.
Now playing his first year at the Atlanta Hawks, Murray is looking to mesh up very well with fellow star and backcourt mate Trae Young, as he is averaging 20.6 points, 6.1 assists, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game this season.
