A new No. 13: Sacramento Kings welcome Keegan Murray with introductory news conference
The Sacramento Kings have a new number 13. Keegan Murray was officially introduced to the team on Saturday morning.
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"This is just the first step in my journey and I'm forever grateful to be here in Sacramento," Murray said during the news conference.
The Iowa forward was drafted fourth by the Kings on Thursday night in the 2022 NBA draft. The 21-year-old basketball star quickly hopped on a plane and landed in Sacramento Friday morning.
By Saturday morning, Murray had his number 13 jersey and was sitting down beside Kings general manager and basketball operations manager Monte McNair at an introductory news conference.
McNair says Murray is a great fit for the Kings.
"Keegan the player, Keegan the person is the exact type of player we want to bring into our system here," McNair said on Saturday. "Somebody who can play in multiple different situations and succeed."
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Murray said he went into Thursday's draft day with the mindset to have fun with his family.
"I knew that at the end of the draft I'd be with an NBA team and that was the goal all along and to have it be Sacramento was one of the best feelings ever," he said. "To have a good relationship with a lot of the front office, the players, I feel like it was a great fit for me... I'm forever grateful for that night."
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Murray is already building relationships with current Kings players too, who he said was a highlight of the pre-draft process.
This past week he met with two of the Kings' top players, De'Aaron Fox and Domas Sabonis, and since then he's exchanged several texts with them and other players.
"I felt like that was a big statement that they made, I knew that they really cared about me and my abilities to be able to play here," he said.
Murray believes his versatility will fit right in with the dynamic Fox and Sabonis saying, "Being able to cut to the basket and also read what Sabonis is doing in the post, things like that. That obviously takes time with developing chemistry but I feel like I'm just excited to be able to play off on Fox, a dynamic point guard."
McNair said new head coach Mike Brown is also excited to utilize Murray's ability to "get up and down the floor and transition" specifically when it comes to playing off of with Fox, Sabonis and Harrison Barnes.
Murray said he's also excited to play with another Iowa alum – Barnes.
"Just to be able to have him as a vet, have him teach me the ropes. He's hit me up, text me, just welcoming me to Sacramento, I'm just excited to get started," Murray said.
Murray reflected on his journey to becoming an NBA player, which included him being an underdog in the game.
"I think what shaped my love for the game of basketball is just how I've been unappreciated my whole life," Murray said.
The rookie was an unranked player when he was a senior in high school, and he debated going to junior college for basketball.
"It means a lot knowing just three years ago where I was at in life was just trying to find a scholarship to go to school and play basketball. I went to being where I'm at today, it's been a dream come true," Murray said.
Murray joins the Kings after averaging 23.5 points, 8.7 rebounds and 31.9 minutes per game in his sophomore season.
The new player hasn't even played a game for the Kings yet, but he's already jumping head first into community events. After the news conference, he joined the team to tip off the first day of games for the fifth season of the Kings and Queens Rise Co-Ed Youth Sports and Mentoring League.
On a non-basketball-related note – the self-proclaimed burger aficionado says he's ranked In-N-Out's burgers as third-best on his list.