Troy Murphy

This article is about the basketball player. For the American freestyle skier, see Troy Murphy (skier).

Troy Murphy

Murphy with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2012
Personal information
Born	(1980-05-02) May 2, 1980 (age 44) Morristown, New Jersey, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight	245 lb (111 kg)
Career information
High school	Delbarton School (Morristown, New Jersey)
College	Notre Dame (1998–2001)
NBA draft	2001: 1st round, 14th overall pick
Selected by the Golden State Warriors
Playing career	2001–2012
Position	Power forward / center
Number	1, 3, 7, 30, 14, 6
Career history
2001–2007	Golden State Warriors
2007–2010	Indiana Pacers
2010–2011	New Jersey Nets
2011	Boston Celtics
2011–2012	Los Angeles Lakers
2012	Dallas Mavericks
Career highlights and awards
2× Consensus first-team All-American (2000, 2001) 2× Big East Player of the Year (2000, 2001) 2× First-team All-Big East (2000, 2001)
Career statistics
Points	7,860 (10.8 ppg)
Rebounds	5,708 (7.8 rpg)
Assists	1,088 (1.5 apg)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference

Troy Brandon Murphy (born May 2, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player who played twelve seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Murphy was born in Morristown, New Jersey but grew up in Sparta Township. ^[1] He attended the Delbarton School and the University of Notre Dame, both of which are Roman Catholic schools. During his time at Notre Dame, he was a two-time consensus All-American before declaring himself for the 2001 NBA draft, where he was selected by the Golden State Warriors with the 14th overall pick. ^[2] Murphy has since graduated from Columbia University. ^[3]

High school

Murphy was a standout performer for Delbarton School in Morristown, New Jersey and coach Dan Whalen. ^[4]

His breakout year was as a sophomore when he averaged 20.5 points per game and 11.8 rebounds, earning first team all-county honors. He followed up his sophomore year with a successful junior campaign, averaging 23.5 points and 10.5 rebounds and All-State honors. His senior year would be his most successful season as he led Delbarton to a 20–6 record and the state quarterfinals.

For the season he averaged 33.0 points per game (on 56.8 percent shooting), to lead the state in scoring along with 14.8 rebounds and 3.2 blocks per game. At the end of the season he was named Morris County Player of the Year by the Newark Star-Ledger and the most valuable player for his team at the prestigious Capital Classic in Washington, D.C.

College career

Murphy played college basketball at the University of Notre Dame. He led the Irish in scoring and rebounding in each of his three seasons, averaging 21.8 points and 9.2 rebounds during the 2000–01 campaign. A consensus first-team All-American as a junior and sophomore, he is one of 10 Irish players to earn consensus All-American honors (which includes six players named on more than one occasion).

Murphy shared Big East Conference Player of the Year honors with Troy Bell of Boston College in 2001 and joined an elite group of four players—Chris Mullin (St. John's), Patrick Ewing (Georgetown) and Richard Hamilton (Connecticut)—as the only two-time winners of the award. He was named to the John R. Wooden Award All-America Team for the second consecutive year, finished fifth in the balloting for the Wooden Award and was among the top three finalists for the Naismith player-of-the-year honor. A first-team all-Big East selection for two seasons, Murphy also was named the Big East Rookie of the Year in 1999.

He became just the fifth player in Notre Dame history to score more than 2,000 career points and finished his career fifth on the all-time scoring list with 2,011 points. Murphy is the only player to score more than 2,000 points and grab more than 900 rebounds (924) in 94 career games. He left Notre Dame with career averages of 21.4 points and 9.8 rebounds. Murphy was a starter in 93 games during his career and scored in double figures in 92 of those 94 contests.

In addition to finishing fifth on the all-time career scoring list, upon his departure from the university, he ranked second in blocked shots (126), free throws made (587) and free throws attempted (755), sixth in rebounding and field goals made (680) and ninth in field goals attempted (1,370). ^[5]

On January 23, 2016, Murphy was inducted into Notre Dame's Ring of Honor.^{[ citation needed ]}

Professional career

Golden State Warriors (2001–2007)

Murphy was selected 14th overall in the 2001 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors. After starting slowly, he showed promise toward the end of the season. He realized this promise in his second pro season, averaging a double-double – 11.7 pts and 10.2 boards – and finishing second in Most Improved Player voting. He also started the Rookie Challenge as the Sophomores' power forward. However, his three-point shooting that was a huge part of his college success was nearly absent, as he only attempted 14 three-pointers during the year, making five. He spent the next offseason working extensively on his outside shooting; however, he never got much of a chance to test out his new jumper in 2003–04 after a series of injuries limited him to 28 games, with no starts.

However, he did attempt 17 threes in those games. With that part of his arsenal seemingly ready to go, Murphy spent the following offseason working on strength and conditioning as he looked to be a more well-rounded and complete player. While he had one injury scare the next season, he played in 70 games, and rediscovered his three-point shot, attempting nearly three per game. He averaged 15.4 points and 10.8 rebounds and finished 22nd in Western Conference All-Star voting that year. His numbers dropped off slightly in 2005–06 to 14.0 and 10.0 per game.

Indiana Pacers (2007–2010)

On January 17, 2007, Murphy was involved in an 8-player trade that sent him, Mike Dunleavy Jr., Ike Diogu, and Keith McLeod to the Indiana Pacers for Stephen Jackson, Al Harrington, Šarūnas Jasikevičius, and Josh Powell. ^[6] During his time with the Pacers, Murphy's three-point shot improved even more. Against the Utah Jazz on March 10, 2009, Murphy made seven out of his first eight three-pointers in the first half.

New Jersey Nets (2010–2011)

On August 11, 2010, the Pacers traded Murphy to the New Jersey Nets in a four-team, five-player deal. ^[7]

Boston Celtics (2011)

On February 23, 2011, the Warriors reacquired Murphy and a second round pick in exchange for Brandan Wright and Dan Gadzuric. ^[8] On February 27, Murphy and the Warriors reached a buyout agreement. He was waived in time to be playoff-eligible for a new team. ^{[9] [10]}

Murphy with the Celtics

On March 2, 2011, Murphy signed with the Boston Celtics for the remainder of the 2010-11 NBA season. ^[11] On April 22, 2011, Murphy played in his first career playoff game, a first-round game against the New York Knicks.^{[ citation needed ]}

Los Angeles Lakers (2011–2012)

On December 17, 2011, Murphy signed with the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2011-12 NBA season. ^[12] Over the season, he averaged 3.2 points in 16.2 minutes per game.^{[ citation needed ]}

Dallas Mavericks (2012)

On November 2, 2012, Murphy signed with the Dallas Mavericks for the 2012–13 NBA season, replacing Eddy Curry. ^[13] Murphy's final game in the NBA was played on November 28, 2012, in a 78 - 101 loss to the Chicago Bulls where he recorded 7 points, 2 rebounds and 2 blocks. He was waived the very next day on November 29 when Dallas signed guard Derek Fisher. ^[14]

NBA career statistics

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2001–02	Golden State	82	4	17.7	.421	.333	.776	3.9	.9	.4	.3	5.9
2002–03	Golden State	79	79	31.8	.451	.214	.841	10.2	1.3	.8	.4	11.7
2003–04	Golden State	28	0	21.8	.440	.294	.750	6.2	.7	.4	.6	10.0
2004–05	Golden State	70	69	33.9	.414	.399	.730	10.8	1.4	.8	.5	15.4
2005–06	Golden State	74	74	34.0	.433	.320	.787	10.0	1.4	.6	.4	14.0
2006–07	Golden State	26	17	25.7	.450	.373	.712	6.0	2.3	.8	.7	8.9
2006–07	Indiana	42	31	28.2	.461	.409	.772	6.1	1.6	.6	.6	11.1
2007–08	Indiana	75	61	28.1	.455	.398	.797	7.2	2.2	.7	.4	12.2
2008–09	Indiana	73	73	34.0	.475	.450	.826	11.8	2.4	.8	.5	14.3
2009–10	Indiana	72	69	32.6	.472	.384	.798	10.2	2.1	1.0	.5	14.6
2010–11	New Jersey	18	4	16.0	.342	.174	.529	4.2	.9	.4	.1	3.6
2010–11	Boston	17	0	10.5	.421	.100	.846	2.2	.4	.5	.1	2.6
2011–12	L.A. Lakers	59	0	16.2	.450	.418	.667	3.2	.9	.3	.3	3.2
2012–13	Dallas	14	1	18.3	.361	.314	.909	3.5	.5	.7	.4	4.6
Career		729	482	27.3	.445	.388	.785	7.8	1.5	.7	.4	10.8

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2011	Boston	1	0	3.0	—	—	—	1.0	.0	.0	.0	.0
2012	L.A. Lakers	4	0	3.8	1.000	1.000	—	.8	.0	.0	.0	.8
Career		5	0	3.4	1.000	1.000	—	.8	.0	.0	.0	.6

Personal life

Murphy earned $66,000,000 in his NBA career. ^{[15] [16]} He then attended the Columbia University School of General Studies, pursuing a degree in sociology. ^[2] Murphy maintained a 3.8 GPA and made the dean's list, according to The New York Times. He has since graduated. ^{[2] [15]}

References

1. Brown, Clifton. "COLLEGE BASKETBALL; The Irish Pound Rutgers To Win Eighth in a Row", The New York Times , February 15, 2001; accessed October 4, 2008. "It was a happy homecoming for Notre Dame's star junior forward, Troy Murphy (18 points, 5 rebounds), a native of Sparta, N.J."
2. Stephenson, Colin. "Delbarton product Troy Murphy starts in Nets debut", The Star-Ledger , November 4, 2010; accessed February 15, 2011.
3. Columbia Daily Spectator (April 27, 2014). "Troy Murphy, former NBA player, talks transition into Columbia life". Archived from the original on December 13, 2021 – via YouTube.
4. Noie, Tom. "Notre Dame's Dynamic Duo – Troy Murphy and Ruth Riley expected to boost both the men's and women's basketball teams at Notre Dame", Basketball Digest, January 2001; accessed May 29, 2007.
   "Such push stems from Murphy's high school days at the exclusive Delbarton School in Morristown, N.J."
5. "Murphy Declares For The Draft".
6. "Pacers, Warriors announce 8-player deal". Associated Press. January 17, 2007. Retrieved December 23, 2007.
7. "Pacers get Collison from Hornets in 4-team trade". NBA.com. August 11, 2010. Archived from the original on May 30, 2011. Retrieved August 11, 2010.
8. "Warriors Acquire Troy Murphy And 2012 Second Round Draft Pick From New Jersey". NBA.com. February 23, 2011. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
9. Kawakami, Tim (February 27, 2011). "Breaking news: Warriors buy out Troy Murphy (and why it's a wise move)". San Jose Mercury News . Retrieved February 28, 2011. Murphy had to be waived before Tuesday to remain eligible for a playoff roster on a new team. CLARIFICATION: There is a later deadline for signing with a new team.
10. "Warriors, Murphy reach buyout agreement". NBA.com. Associated Press. February 28, 2011. Archived from the original on March 3, 2011. Retrieved February 28, 2011.
11. "Celtics Sign Troy Murphy". Nba.com. Retrieved August 3, 2012.
12. "Lakers Sign Troy Murphy". NBA.com. December 18, 2011. Retrieved August 3, 2012.
13. Tim MacMahon (November 2, 2012). "Mavs make Troy Murphy, Eddy Curry moves official". Espn.go.com. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
14. "Mavericks sign free-agent guard Derek Fisher; Waive Troy Murphy". nba.com. November 29, 2012. Archived from the original on April 29, 2014.
15. Ken, Andrew (March 25, 2015). "A Big Man in the N.B.A., but Not on Campus at Columbia". The New York Times. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
16. Profile, businessinsider.com; accessed January 2, 2018.

External links

• Sports portal

• Career statistics from NBA.com    and  Basketball Reference