“[John] Calipari guards”: College hoops fans reminisce about Jamal Murray’s talent as ex-Kentucky star’s highlights resurface

Denver Nuggets star Jamal Murray is among the many NBA talents who have honed their craft under Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari. Murray played under Calipari for one season at Kentucky between 2015 and 2016.

During the Nuggets' series against the LA Clippers, highlights of Murray's best plays during his Kentucky career were posted on the Bleacher Report's Instagram page.

College basketball fans reminisced on Murray shining under Calipari, who has garnered a reputation for producing NBA-ready players.

"Calipari - Kentucky guards," one fan wrote.

"Kentucky guards," another fan wrote.

"SG1 for Caliper guards," one fan wrote.

"People saying Calipari guards conveniently forgetting about Rondo and Kyle Macy and others," another fan wrote.

"You mean Cal guards!!!" One fan wrote.

"*Calipari guards," another fan wrote.

When Jamal Murray revealed how John Calipari pushed him

Jamal Murray was a star for the Wildcats during his sole season in Lexington under John Calipari. He averaged 20.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 36 games before declaring for the 2016 NBA draft, where he was picked No. 7 by the Denver Nuggets.

During an episode of the "Knuckleheads" podcast in April 2024, Murray revealed how John Calipari pushed him to become a better player.

“He (Calipari) was just hard on me all the time," Murray said. "He would stay on top of me -- from missing open shots, to knowing that the team relied on me to make shots, to being better defensively... I wasn't playing the point, so I had to be the guy that would stretch the floor and be able to knock down shots.

"I was playing the two guard, and that kind of changed my game and how everybody looked at me. He kind of stretched my game... he held me back from handling the ball, but he got me to get my shot.”

During an interview with the "Denver Post" in 2020, after Murray forced Game 7 against the Utah Jazz, Calipari detailed the close relationship that the pair still shared.

“I sent him the picture, and just ‘Wow, can’t tell you how proud I am of you,’” Calipari said. "Let me tell you. When they gave him a max contract, he calls me and said, ‘I got a max deal. Can you believe it?’ I go, ‘Yeah, I can believe it. You should’ve gotten a max deal.’ So, he’s one of those kinds. They’re young men, they’re trying to figure out, ‘Who the hell am I?’”

Calipari has continued to support Murray during his NBA career, which has seen him win an NBA title in 2023 while starring alongside Nikola Jokic.

About the author

Cabral Opiyo is a journalist who covers college sports at Sportskeeda. With work experience spanning over 10 years, Cabral is an avid follower of college football and basketball and what goes into making the perfect elite prospect. He brings the news as it happens and analyzes football games to a high degree of accuracy.

As a writer, he loves bringing to life historical and iconic moments with his writing, fueled by extensive and verifiable research, creating an image in the reader's eyes.

Cabral has been known to sneak away from a high-profile NBA game to catch an obscure college basketball game and is an avid re-watcher of Tim Duncan and San Antonio Spurs games from the 2000s.

UConn winning its first national title under Dan Hurley remains his best college sports moment. Cabral rates A'ja Wilson and Caitlin Clark as his favorite players due to their productivity and the Alabama Crimson Tide as his favorite college team.

In addition, Cabral follows football and is a huge Italian and Brazilian football fan. He has written about football for a decade and held a byline with Outside of the Boot Football.

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Edited by Krutik Jain