Tracy Murray
Encyclopedia
Tracy Lamonte Murray is a retired American professional basketball
player who played for six different NBA
franchises and two Greek
clubs, with a final stint in France. He now serves as a fill-in analyst with the UCLA ISP Sports Network for selected games during the UCLA Bruins
' basketball season.
in California
. As a senior, he led the nation with his 44.3 scoring average. Murray scored 3,053 points in high school, the highest total ever in the state.
Murray played college basketball
for the UCLA Bruins
. In 98 games at UCLA, Murray averaged 18.3 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 1.5 APG and made the Pac-10 all-conference team twice. As a junior, he averaged 21.4 points and 7.0 rebounds and led the Pac-10 in three-point shooting at 50%, helping to lead the team to the Elite Eight. After his junior season of college, Murray declared for the 1992 NBA Draft
.
in the first round of the 1992 NBA Draft
with the 18th overall selection. Just seven days after being drafted, on July 1, 1992 Murray was dealt twice in the same day. He was first traded to the Milwaukee Bucks
for guard/forward Dale Ellis
and then dealt by the Bucks to the Portland Trail Blazers
for forward Alaa Abdelnaby
. During the 93-94 season, he led the NBA in three point average at 45.9%. Murray spent two-and-a-half seasons with Portland before being dealt to the Houston Rockets
on February 14, 1995 with guard Clyde Drexler
in exchange for forward Otis Thorpe
, the rights to Argentinian forward Marcelo Nicola
and a 1995 first-round draft
choice.
Tracy Murray played in just 25 games for the Rockets where he averaged 3.5 PPG and combined with his 5.9 PPG average in the 29 games he played as a Trail Blazer before the deal finished the campaign with a total PPG average of 4.8. On November 1, 1995 he signed a contract with the expansion Toronto Raptors
and played the best NBA season of his career averaging 16.2 PPG, 1.6 APG and 4.3 RPG. Murray then decided to sign a contract with the Washington Bullets (now Washington Wizards) on July 15, 1996.
and in his first season with the Bullets, qualified for the post-season. It was the first time he got to participate in the playoffs since his second year in the league. Tracy saw action in three playoff games where he posted numbers of 18.3 PPG, 0.7 APG and 3.0 RPG. Those numbers were far better than the ones he had when he played in his first playoff series in 1993-94 with Portland where in 2 games played he averaged 3.0 PPG, 0.5 APG, and 1.5 RPG. He most notably scored 50 points against the Golden State Warriors
on February 10, 1998. Only six other Washington players have scored 50 or more points in a game, including Michael Jordan
and Gilbert Arenas
who are the only players to have since accomplished the feat.
through a transaction which had him going from the Wizards to Denver for forward Popeye Jones and a future second-round draft choice on September 25, 2000. After appearing in 13 games with the Nuggets he was dealt on January 12, 2001 to the Raptors with center/forward Keon Clark
and center Mamadou N'diaye
for centers Kevin Willis
, Aleksandar Radojevic
, Garth Joseph
and a 2001 or 2002 second-round draft choice. Murray played in 38 games with the Raptors following the deal. That season the Raptors qualified for the NBA playoffs and Murray participated in 2 games for his team. He averaged 1.0 PPG and had 1 steal in 2.5 MPG.
In the next year Tracy played in 40 games for Toronto but after the season Murray was dealt again, this time to the Los Angeles Lakers
along with the draft rights to guard Kareem Rush
for guard Lindsey Hunter
and the draft rights to forward Chris Jefferies
on June 26, 2002.
for the Los Angeles Lakers
he signed with the Portland Trail Blazers on September 15, 2003 and played his last 7 games of his NBA career with the same team for whom he played the first game of his NBA career.
In those 7 NBA contests Murray averaged in 5.0 MPG, 0.1 APG, 1.1 PPG and 0.7 RPG.
Then on October 4, 2004 he signed as a free agent with the New York Knicks
, where he hoped he could continue playing in the National Basketball Association. However, on October 27, 2004 he was waived by New York and has not seen game action in the NBA since.
Thessaloniki
BC where he played for another year. He left PAOK in January 2006. He retired from the NBA in 2004, proceeding to play the 2004-05 season in Greece with Panathinaikos. He did not see much action, and was then cut when the team's starting center got sick, and they needed to make room to sign a replacement. He then played the following season with PAOK also of Greece. He also runs a basketball camp at Glendora High School.
The year 2006 was supposed to be his final and 14th of professional basketball. "I have a (22-month-old) son of my own and it's time to concentrate on him and my family", said Murray. "For the last 14 years, I haven't been able to spend time with them. My parents spend the whole year preparing for one week ...Fourteen years is a long time; it was a good run. We all sat down and talked about it and decided this was the last year. It takes a lot out of me. None of us are getting any younger. It's time to do some family stuff."
Murray, now that his professional playing career was done, expressed an interest in coaching at the collegiate level. From 2007 to 2009, Tracy served as an assistant coach and player mentor for the NBA D-League Bakersfield Jam.
small forward
Lamond Murray
and cousin of former New York Knicks
shooting guard
Allan Houston
. After his playing career ended, he returned to UCLA to graduate and earn his degree in history.
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player who played for six different NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
franchises and two Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
clubs, with a final stint in France. He now serves as a fill-in analyst with the UCLA ISP Sports Network for selected games during the UCLA Bruins
UCLA Bruins
The UCLA Bruins are the sports teams for University of California, Los Angeles . The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pacific-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation . For football, they are in the Football Bowl Subdivision of Division I...
' basketball season.
High school and college career
Murray played competitively at Glendora High SchoolGlendora High School
Glendora High School is located in Glendora, Los Angeles County, California, United States.-History:The high school was built in 1958 on the land owned by Clarks Gordan, an orange grower. The land contained oak trees which still grow on the school ground. The first graduating class of GHS was in...
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. As a senior, he led the nation with his 44.3 scoring average. Murray scored 3,053 points in high school, the highest total ever in the state.
Murray played college basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
for the UCLA Bruins
UCLA Bruins
The UCLA Bruins are the sports teams for University of California, Los Angeles . The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pacific-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation . For football, they are in the Football Bowl Subdivision of Division I...
. In 98 games at UCLA, Murray averaged 18.3 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 1.5 APG and made the Pac-10 all-conference team twice. As a junior, he averaged 21.4 points and 7.0 rebounds and led the Pac-10 in three-point shooting at 50%, helping to lead the team to the Elite Eight. After his junior season of college, Murray declared for the 1992 NBA Draft
1992 NBA Draft
The 1992 NBA Draft took place on June 24, 1992, in Portland, Oregon. At the time, the draft was considered to be one of the deepest drafts in NBA history. The top three picks were considered can't-miss prospects. O'Neal and Mourning are likely Hall of Famers...
.
Spurs, Bucks, Blazers and Rockets
Murray was selected by the San Antonio SpursSan Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ....
in the first round of the 1992 NBA Draft
1992 NBA Draft
The 1992 NBA Draft took place on June 24, 1992, in Portland, Oregon. At the time, the draft was considered to be one of the deepest drafts in NBA history. The top three picks were considered can't-miss prospects. O'Neal and Mourning are likely Hall of Famers...
with the 18th overall selection. Just seven days after being drafted, on July 1, 1992 Murray was dealt twice in the same day. He was first traded to the Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They are part of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and currently plays at the Bradley Center....
for guard/forward Dale Ellis
Dale Ellis
Dale Ellis is a retired American professional basketball player, who played in the National Basketball Association....
and then dealt by the Bucks to the Portland Trail Blazers
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...
for forward Alaa Abdelnaby
Alaa Abdelnaby
Alaa Abdelnaby is a retired Egyptian-American professional basketball player. He played for Duke University in college and then played in the NBA and CBA, among other leagues.-Early life:Abdelnaby was born in Cairo, Egypt...
. During the 93-94 season, he led the NBA in three point average at 45.9%. Murray spent two-and-a-half seasons with Portland before being dealt to the Houston Rockets
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...
on February 14, 1995 with guard Clyde Drexler
Clyde Drexler
Clyde Austin "Clyde The Glide" Drexler is a former National Basketball Association shooting guard and small forward. A ten-time All-Star and member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, the NBA named him one of basketball's fifty greatest players as of 1996. Drexler won an Olympic gold medal in 1992 and...
in exchange for forward Otis Thorpe
Otis Thorpe
Otis Henry Thorpe is a retired American professional basketball player in the NBA.-Early years:...
, the rights to Argentinian forward Marcelo Nicola
Marcelo Nicola
Marcelo Patricio Nicola Virginio is a retired Argentine-Italian professional basketball player. A very versatile power forward, he was a regular member of the Argentine national basketball team, and competed many years in the Euroleague.-Pro career:Nicola was selected 50th overall in the 1993 NBA...
and a 1995 first-round draft
1995 NBA Draft
The 1995 NBA Draft took place on June 28, 1995 at SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It marked the first NBA draft for the two Canadian expansion teams, Toronto Raptors and Vancouver Grizzlies...
choice.
Tracy Murray played in just 25 games for the Rockets where he averaged 3.5 PPG and combined with his 5.9 PPG average in the 29 games he played as a Trail Blazer before the deal finished the campaign with a total PPG average of 4.8. On November 1, 1995 he signed a contract with the expansion Toronto Raptors
Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors are a professional basketball team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1995, along with the Vancouver Grizzlies, as part of the NBA's re-expansion...
and played the best NBA season of his career averaging 16.2 PPG, 1.6 APG and 4.3 RPG. Murray then decided to sign a contract with the Washington Bullets (now Washington Wizards) on July 15, 1996.
Washington Wizards
He spent four seasons with the Washington WizardsWashington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., previously known as Washington Bullets. They play in the National Basketball Association .-Early years:...
and in his first season with the Bullets, qualified for the post-season. It was the first time he got to participate in the playoffs since his second year in the league. Tracy saw action in three playoff games where he posted numbers of 18.3 PPG, 0.7 APG and 3.0 RPG. Those numbers were far better than the ones he had when he played in his first playoff series in 1993-94 with Portland where in 2 games played he averaged 3.0 PPG, 0.5 APG, and 1.5 RPG. He most notably scored 50 points against the Golden State Warriors
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in Oakland, California. They are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
on February 10, 1998. Only six other Washington players have scored 50 or more points in a game, including Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
and Gilbert Arenas
Gilbert Arenas
Gilbert Jay Arenas, Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association . He plays as a point guard and shooting guard....
who are the only players to have since accomplished the feat.
Nuggets, Raptors and Lakers
After his tenure with Washington concluded he joined the Denver NuggetsDenver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...
through a transaction which had him going from the Wizards to Denver for forward Popeye Jones and a future second-round draft choice on September 25, 2000. After appearing in 13 games with the Nuggets he was dealt on January 12, 2001 to the Raptors with center/forward Keon Clark
Keon Clark
Arian Keon Clark is a former American National Basketball Association player.After a collegiate career at two different junior colleges and UNLV, Clark was selected 13th overall by the Orlando Magic in the 1998 NBA Draft but was traded to the Denver Nuggets...
and center Mamadou N'diaye
Mamadou N'diaye
Mamadou N'Diaye is a Senegalese professional basketball player. After a college career at Auburn University, in the United States, N'Diaye was drafted by the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the 2000 NBA Draft. He played for the Toronto Raptors, Dallas Mavericks, Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles...
for centers Kevin Willis
Kevin Willis
Kevin Alvin Willis is a former American professional basketball player who last played for the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA. He is a 7-foot power forward/center...
, Aleksandar Radojevic
Aleksandar Radojevic
Aleksandar Radojević is a professional basketball player who plays for APOEL in Cyprus.-Early life:Radojević was born in either Herceg Novi, or Bijela,Montenegro, or Trebinje, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, all in the now former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia...
, Garth Joseph
Garth Joseph
Garth McArthur Fitzgerald Joseph is a Dominican professional basketball player who previously played in the NBA....
and a 2001 or 2002 second-round draft choice. Murray played in 38 games with the Raptors following the deal. That season the Raptors qualified for the NBA playoffs and Murray participated in 2 games for his team. He averaged 1.0 PPG and had 1 steal in 2.5 MPG.
In the next year Tracy played in 40 games for Toronto but after the season Murray was dealt again, this time to the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
along with the draft rights to guard Kareem Rush
Kareem Rush
Kareem Lamar Rush is an American former professional basketball player who last played at shooting guard with the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers...
for guard Lindsey Hunter
Lindsey Hunter
Lindsey Benson Hunter, Jr. is a former American professional basketball player. He was a point guard in the National Basketball Association from 1993 to 2010, spending most of his career with Detroit Pistons...
and the draft rights to forward Chris Jefferies
Chris Jefferies
Christopher Allen Jefferies is an American former professional basketball player. He played for the Toronto Raptors and the Chicago Bulls in the NBA....
on June 26, 2002.
Back with the Blazers
After playing one season at the Staples CenterStaples Center
Staples Center is a multi-purpose sports arena in Downtown Los Angeles. Adjacent to the L.A. Live development, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along Figueroa Street. Opening on October 17, 1999, it is one of the major sporting facilities in the Greater Los Angeles...
for the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
he signed with the Portland Trail Blazers on September 15, 2003 and played his last 7 games of his NBA career with the same team for whom he played the first game of his NBA career.
In those 7 NBA contests Murray averaged in 5.0 MPG, 0.1 APG, 1.1 PPG and 0.7 RPG.
Then on October 4, 2004 he signed as a free agent with the New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
, where he hoped he could continue playing in the National Basketball Association. However, on October 27, 2004 he was waived by New York and has not seen game action in the NBA since.
Panathinaikos Athens, PAOK Salonica, Chalon Sur-Saône
In 2004 he signed with former European Champions Panathinaikos Athens BC. He played there for one season and then he was transferred to PAOKPAOK BC
P.A.O.K. Thessaloniki B.C. is the professional basketball department of the Greek multi-sports club P.A.O.K., originally founded in 1926 and is based in Thessaloniki, Greece. The club has established a firm reputation in Greek sports, especially for its success in European leagues...
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
BC where he played for another year. He left PAOK in January 2006. He retired from the NBA in 2004, proceeding to play the 2004-05 season in Greece with Panathinaikos. He did not see much action, and was then cut when the team's starting center got sick, and they needed to make room to sign a replacement. He then played the following season with PAOK also of Greece. He also runs a basketball camp at Glendora High School.
The year 2006 was supposed to be his final and 14th of professional basketball. "I have a (22-month-old) son of my own and it's time to concentrate on him and my family", said Murray. "For the last 14 years, I haven't been able to spend time with them. My parents spend the whole year preparing for one week ...Fourteen years is a long time; it was a good run. We all sat down and talked about it and decided this was the last year. It takes a lot out of me. None of us are getting any younger. It's time to do some family stuff."
Murray, now that his professional playing career was done, expressed an interest in coaching at the collegiate level. From 2007 to 2009, Tracy served as an assistant coach and player mentor for the NBA D-League Bakersfield Jam.
Personal life
Tracy Murray is the cousin of former Los Angeles ClippersLos Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, United States. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
small forward
Small forward
The small forward, or colloquially known as three, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically somewhat shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers, but on occasion are just as tall...
Lamond Murray
Lamond Murray
Lamond Maurice Murray is an American professional basketball player who last played with the NBA's New Jersey Nets. In 2009, Lamond Murray joined the Bahrain Basketball Association in Bahrain...
and cousin of former New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
shooting guard
Shooting guard
The shooting guard , also known as the two or off guard, is one of five traditional positions on a basketball team. Players of the position are often shorter, leaner, and quicker than forwards. A shooting guard's main objective is to score points for his team...
Allan Houston
Allan Houston
Allan Wade Houston is a retired American professional basketball player for the NBA, and currently the Assistant General Manager for the New York Knicks. He was one of the top 3-point shooters in the NBA until a knee injury forced him to retire...
. After his playing career ended, he returned to UCLA to graduate and earn his degree in history.