It took Jamal Murray 10 seasons to be named to his first All-Star game, and many would argue it should have happened a lot sooner, but he was soaking up the moment as much as he could over All-Star weekend and he was happy to receive the love for his accomplishment from not just his friends and family, but his fellow NBA stars.

Murray and Team World may have suffered an unceremonious exit from the All-Star tournament in two games after losing to both USA teams, but Murray still got to enjoy every second of his time at Intuit Dome receiving recognition for his accomplishments this season and his elite play holding down an injured Denver Nuggets team. 

"All my friends back home showed me a lot of support, obviously my peers here saying the same thing about it being my first time," Murray said (via NBA). "It just means I'm playing good basketball and it's nice being recognized on that kind of scale through the course of the season. So I keep doing my thing."

Murray is averaging 25.7 points, four rebounds and 4.4 assists this season for the Nuggets while shooting 48.5% from the field and 42.5% from three point range, but despite it being his first All-Star season, Murray has been elite for far longer than that.

Murray has averaged 20 points or more per game in five straight seasons including 2025-26, though he didn't play at all in the 2021-22 season due to an ACL tear, and he's been a crucial part of the Nuggets since he debuted in Denver in 2016. 

He's arguably the most under-appreciated guard of his generation and though his career has been held back at times by injuries, he's been able to show just how talented he is plenty of times.

He especially got to show off his All-Star worthy talents during the Nuggets' 2023 championship run, where he averaged 26.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and 7.1 assists in 20 games and capped off the run with a 34 point, 10 rebound and 10 assist triple-double in Game 3 of the Finals. 

Murray's first recognition in the All-Star game may have arguably come years too late into his career, but there's no reason 2026 can't be the first of many selections for the Denver star.

Now that All-Star weekend has come and gone, though, it's time for Murray and Nikola Jokic to return home to Denver and bring their All-Star energy with them as they try and lead the Nuggets to another championship despite the tough Western Conference competition ahead of them.