Winning an NBA championship is never easy — even for teams with plenty of talented players. But the Denver Nuggets have done it. After 56 years of the franchise's existence, the Nuggets have finally reached the pinnacle of team success, closing out the 2023 NBA Finals with a 94-89 victory over the Miami Heat. Understandably, after the final buzzer had sounded, the team became awash with emotions — with Jamal Murray being unable to contain his in the grandest stage of the NBA.

With the Larry O'Brien trophy firmly in the Nuggets' grasp, Murray burst in tears of joy as he achieved basketball immortality on a night he had 14 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists.

It hasn't been an easy journey at all for Jamal Murray to get himself and the Nuggets to where they are at the moment. Murray suffered a major knee injury — a torn ACL — that kept him out from April 2021 until October 2022, and he needed a bit of time to round into form. In fact, Murray had began doubting himself, wondering whether the Nuggets would opt to trade him following a string of uncharacteristic performances.

But Murray has put in all the requisite work needed for him to match and even surpass his pre-injury form, and now, he and the Nuggets are reaping all the rewards. His show of emotion is just a culmination of all the hard work he has put in — in fact, he was once again overcome with emotion when ESPN's Lisa Salters asked the Nuggets star what this achievement meant to him.

“Blood, sweat, and tears to get back to this point. Everyone on the floor believed in me, believed in me getting back to myself. We proved a lot of doubters wrong,” Murray said.

Jamal Murray ended up averaging 21.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 10 assists in the 2023 NBA Finals, providing the scoring punch and playmaking the Nuggets needed alongside Nikola Jokic. And with Murray only 26 years of age, he is certainly not finished tearing up nets just yet in the quest for another championship.

For now, however, Murray and the Nuggets should get to spray some well-deserved champagne towards each other in the locker room and celebrate the franchise's first championship. You know what they say — you never forget your first.