Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray is an NBA champion and a bona fide young star in the league, but if that wasn’t his path in life, the Canadian sharpshooter says he would have given MMA and UFC a shot.

“That’s just a skill that, like if I wasn’t playing basketball, I’d probably be in,” Murray told reporters ahead of the Nuggets 2023 season getting underway. “It’s my other love, I guess, for martial arts, and now it’s back to work in my actual job.”

Jamal Murry is a well-known MMA fan and attends many of the big UFC fights. This offseason, after winning his first NBA championship ring, the former Kentucky Wildcat stepped into an MMA training ring with UFC Champion Alexander Volkanovski.

The Australian Featherweight champ seemed to go easy on Nuggets’ $158 million man until the end of their one-round sparring session. Still, Murray held his own, getting on top of Volkanovski several times and ultimately lasting the entire 60 seconds without tapping out.

While Murray obviously has a passion for MMA and maybe even some talent, he made the right decision to pursue a professional basketball career.

After one season at Kentucky, the Nuggets took Murray No. 7 overall in the 2016 NBA Draft. The Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, has now played six NBA seasons (missing the entire 2021 campaign with a torn ACL) and is averaging 16.9 points, 4.2 assists, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 37.3% from 3-point range.

Murray and his Nuggets became NBA champs for the first time ever in June 2023, as he, Nikola Jokic, and the rest of the team ran through the NBA playoffs with a dominant 16-4 record.