Denver Nuggets star point guard Jamal Murray is showing some extreme toughness in the NBA Finals vs. the Miami Heat. He sustained a painful-looking floor burn in Game 3, and Malika Andrews revealed that gutting through such ailments is something his dad instilled in him a long time ago.

“I did squatting with tea on my quads, I would sit there for awhile, a lot of times without a clock, so you didn't know how much time was left, which was a little bit different mentally…we had this big maple tree in the front yard and in the fall the leaves would fall off and it would be cold, so I would learn to pick up the leaves with my bare hands and it would strengthen my hands.”

Jamal Murray talks about drills that his dad would put him through in order to increase his mental toughness, and they are extremely creative. He details how he would squat with hot tea on his quads so if they fell over, it would burn his skin. Then he reminisces on picking up cold leaves in the fall in order to strengthen his hands and prepare him for whenever he would be playing in a cold gym.

It is clear that the toughness Jamal Murray was instilled with is paying off, as he has played with a very consistent mental fortitude throughout the 2023 NBA Playoffs. It was extremely evident in Game 3 as he and Nikola Jokic combined for triple-doubles in an historic performance. He will look to keep up the toughness and strong play for the Nuggets in Game 4.