Jamal Murray

“Everybody knows when I get in the zone... I just kind of go crazy. I have a lot of fun.”

“I just play basketball. That's me: all I know is basketball.”

“I have ultimate confidence in myself and my abilities.”

“Everything is good when you're winning. But true colors come out when you lose.”

“My dad taught me a lot of meditative techniques. I used that to my advantage.”

“When guys get competitive and get under each other's skin, it brings you out more. Some people fold.”

“I always wanted to get better, I always wanted to be the best, and I knew from a young age, so I kept putting in the hard work and kept training around the outside courts outside my house and it paid off.”

“Just wanting to play, I think that's my biggest attribute, just wanting to play through whatever I have to in order to go out and compete.”

“Learning to meditate is one of my earliest memories. I started when I was maybe three or four. I mean, I didn't know I was meditating. I just thought it was a weird game my dad had invented.”

“I've had broken fingers and still played for Team Canada.”

“I myself have seen the same racism happen to me and my Dad... I think about all the stories I have growing up with my Dad how obvious it is.”

“Hockey and soccer weren't my thing.”

“I play instruments and stuff, but I can't rap or anything like that.”

“I always try to demand greatness from myself.”

“The fourth quarter is where players are made.”

“I'm just trying to be aggressive. Be aggressive with my shot. Be aggressive going to the rim.”

“It's cool to be a pioneer in something, especially in basketball in Canada, it's pretty good.”

“Meditation is about breathing, it's about clarity, taking your time and not rushing through your thinking.”

“Well, my dad did a lot of Kung Fu when I was growing up, so he taught me a lot about mental toughness. Ways to slow your heart rate down, slow your breathing down to take control of your body so you can push yourself to the next limit.”

“I was growing up in Kitchener, practising every day on my playground - and it's all about how bad you want it.”