Jamal Murray's tough journey to become NBA champion

The Denver Nuggets secured the franchise's first-ever NBA Championship on Monday night, beating the Miami Heat 89-94 to win the series 4-1.

Denver's Jamal Murray was instrumental in the deciding victory, producing 14 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists on the way to his first NBA title.

Murray became the fourth player in NBA Finals history to have averaged 20+PPG and +10+APG, joining Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Lebron James.

After speaking with ESPN in the decisive win, Murray said: "It was hard to speak. Being out two postseasons... that was everything, man. I felt so much love from everyone in this arena."

The Canadian has created an unstoppable two-punch with Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, averaging 26.1 points, 7.1 assists, and 5.7 rebounds across 20 playoff games this season.

As he alluded to in his post-victory comments, Murray has had no easy road to becoming an NBA champion, missing two postseasons due to an ACL injury.

Let's look at his road from the sidelines to NBA champion!

After a slow start to life in the NBA after being drafted in 2016, Jamal Murray was quickly becoming an NBA superstar by the time the 'NBA Bubble' came around.

Jamal Murray was near unstoppable in the bubble, averaging 26.5 points per game, 6.6 assists, and 4.8 rebounds, producing two 50-point games in the series against the Utah Jazz.

It was April 12, 2021, when Murray was hit by his biggest obstacle. With 50 seconds left in the fourth quarter against Golden State Warriors, Murray's knee buckled as he traveled to the basket, suffering a torn Anterior Cruciate Ligament.

Murray would be sidelined until October 2022, missing the entire 21-22 season and both 2021 and 2022 playoff exits against the Phoenix Suns and the Golden State Warriors.

According to clutchpoints.com, Murray said: "I was motivated. I was busting my ass for a good six, seven months straight like I didn't want to do it, but I'm doing extra just because I know that we're going to need me."

It was a slow return to the NBA action for Murray, who had to waive the self-doubt he had created in his mind that stemmed from the possibility of the Nuggets front office potentially trading him.

After a month of adjustments, Murray quickly returned to his role of second fiddle to Nikola Jokic, averaging 20.6 points a game and helping Denver to the number-one spot in the Western Conference.

According to clutchsports.com, Murray said: "It took a good month and a half, but once I started seeing improvement, I was like okay, 'I'm seeing this much improvement already? I know that by the time I'm ready to go, I'll be ready."

To return from an ACL injury and miss a season of action and then become a vital part of a championship side shows the heart and level of commitment a true sporting legend would show. With that, Murray will be etched into the game forever.