Jamal Murray is a Canadian-born NBA basketball player who has been dunking hoops practically since he was in diapers. Due to his striking looks and fair complexion, many people find themselves wondering what ethnicity is Jamal Murray?
Jamal Murray is considered to be bi-racial or mixed race. He has Caribbean, Middle Eastern, and African-American roots, and he gets his light complexion from his mother while his classic Afro-Caribbean hair comes from his father’s side of the family.
As Jamal Murray gets more time on the court, more eyes are on him — and those eyes are looking to find out everything about the rising basketball star. If you’ve ever wondered what ethnicity is Jamal Murray, who his parents are, or what his early life was like, you’ve come to the right place.
What is Jamal Murray’s Ethnicity?
In a nutshell, Jamal is mixed race. The athlete’s father was born in Jamaica and his mother was born in Syria, so his lineage consists of ties to both the Middle East and the Caribbean.
Jamal gets his dark hair and features from his mother and father alike while his skin tone resembles his mother’s more so than his father’s. His African-American features are likely a result of the genealogy on his father’s side of the family.
While at a glance it may appear that he looks more like his dad than he does his mom, upon closer inspection it is clear that his facial features are more Middle Eastern than they are Caribbean.
Typical facial features of Middle Eastern people include a full and symmetrical oval face shape, almond-shaped eyes framed by thick, arched, eyebrows, and well-defined cheeks, lips, chins, and jawlines. Take one look at Jamal and you will note that he has most of these striking features.
Who are Jamal Murray’s Parents?
On 23 February 1997, Jamal was born to parents Slyvia and Roger Murray. Other than the fact that she was born in Syria and is the reason for Jamal and his brother’s lighter complexions, not much is known about Slyvia Murray.
Jamal says of his mother “She’s always been helping me. She helps me with my schoolwork sometimes. She would talk to me and send me messages when she’s at work telling me she loves me and bless my heart, stuff like that. She’s always had a positive attitude toward me. Very supportive of what I do.”
Roger Murray, on the other hand, is an open book so we know quite a bit about him. Roger was born in Jamaica and lived there until he was nine years old before he moved to Canada with his family.
Growing up, Roger was athletically inclined. He was a track and field runner and — somewhat unsurprisingly — a gifted basketball player who played a pivotal role in his son’s success.
When speaking of the impact his father has had on his career, Jamal says “My dad put a basketball in my hand and I’ve loved it ever since. I had a little tykes net from Walmart and I used to play on it every day and then I got a net in the backyard and I kept continuing.”
Jamal Murray’s Early Life
Jamal was born in Kitchener, Ontario, which is a predominantly white city located 62 miles west of Toronto. Other notable residents of Jamal’s hometown include actor Jeremy Ratchford, author David Morrell, athlete John “Jack” Gibson, and all members of the heavy metal band Helix.
The sports star spent all of his childhood in Kitchener and grew up with a little brother named Lamar. His love for the game was evident early on in his life and by the time he turned three years old he was playing basketball against six-year-olds.
Jamal attended Kitchener’s Grand River Collegiate Institute before it became evident that he had enough talent on the court to make for a promising basketball career. He then transferred to Orangeville Prep Athlete Institute.
At the time, Roger was serving as the assistant coach at Orangeville Prep so he was able to continue coaching his son. To this day, the pair have what would appear to be an unbreakable father-son bond.