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Active NBA players curious about a future as a broadcaster often don’t explore that path until deep into their playing career, perhaps after they turn 30 and retirement starts to approach. Then there’s New Orleans forward Trey Murphy, 24. After only two pro seasons, Murphy was a host on ESPN’s 2023 NBA Draft coverage, sitting alongside Brian Windhorst during a three-hour livestream. Early in the 2023-24 season, while recovering from knee surgery, Murphy decided to provide “live analysis” of a Pelicans scrimmage in the Metairie practice facility, describing the action in entertaining fashion to (actual) Pelicans TV analyst Antonio Daniels.
“Trey is hilarious,” Daniels remembered of Murphy’s running commentary. “Obviously he was saying certain things that you can’t say on TV. But it was awesome. He was breaking down what was going on in the scrimmage, saying things like, ‘Man, that was a messed-up shot!’ knowing he’s part of the team, so he can say things (about teammates) that we can’t say on TV. It was really funny.”
In front of much larger audiences, Murphy has quickly become a popular podcast guest on NBA shows, having appeared on “Roommates” with the New York Knicks/Villanova duo of Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson, as well as pods hosted by Paul George and JJ Redick.
Murphy smiled when he recalled the recording with Hart and Brunson, which lasted nearly three hours as the trio cracked jokes and got sidetracked in numerous, humorous directions. The finished product was edited down to 1 hour, 31 minutes.
“We were just having conversation, laughing about everything,” Murphy said.
The Virginia and Rice product genuinely appreciated being on Redick’s show, saying, “I was watching JJ’s podcast when I was in college, so that was a full-circle moment, being part of that production. It was fantastic, almost like a dream come true.”
Of appearing with George, Murphy said, “That was dope, because Paul George was one of my favorite players. I’ve been watching him since I was a kid. They sought me out, which is always dope when they reach out to you. I was really thankful for that.”
Now in his fourth NBA season, the North Carolina native is one of the league’s most personable players, seemingly ultra-popular with everyone in the New Orleans organization, as well as with media members who cover the team. Murphy explained that his demeanor and approach stem from his parents, who’ve both been known to quip one-liners during and after postgame press conferences in the Smoothie King Center. His mother, Albeda, even grabbed the media’s microphone last season to interrogate her son about missing three free throws in a March blowout win over Indiana. When Trey once semi-bragged about a perfect shooting game, his father quickly pointed out in front of media members that it was only on a handful of shots from the field, drawing laughter.
“I’m just trying to be myself,” Trey said. “My parents always told me to be yourself, and that’s gotten me to where I am right now. That’s the way they raised me. They are two people with very big personalities, so I had no choice but to have a pretty large personality, too. I just try to not embarrass them. That’s the biggest thing. Make sure I’m speaking well, doing what I’m supposed to do, not say anything too crazy.”
The 2023 NBA dunk contest runner-up isn’t sure what specific direction he wants to take in media or broadcasting, for now trying out different roles to see what he enjoys most. He also hinted that a launch of his own podcast may be coming “in the near future.”
“Whenever he decides to go into media, he’ll be fine,” Daniels said. “Because he’s himself. I’ve seen people get in the media and change who they are, their whole approach, the way they speak. No, use what God blessed you with. You have a personality, a sense of humor – use it.”
Daniels, an NBA guard for 13 seasons, was immediately impressed by Murphy’s forward-thinking approach, something Daniels has rarely seen in two-plus decades since being drafted in the 1997 lottery by the Vancouver Grizzlies.
Daniels: “You know what I love that he did? He tapped into this early in his career. He didn’t wait until he was 12 years in to say, ‘Let me give this media thing a try.’ He was at the draft, doing interviews two years into his career. Just the fact that there is a want-to and he responded to that calling. How often do you see guys two or three years into their basketball career that are post-career-oriented? Never. Never. But that’s a part of his insightfulness, knowing that this ball is not going to bounce forever, so let me start tapping into something now and see if I like it.”
“I’m still 24,” a smiling Murphy said, when asked what he potentially envisions for himself as a basketball broadcaster. “It’s really early to figure out. It might be something I dibble and dabble in, but for the most part, I have no clue (on what he specifically will do).”
“I will say this,” Murphy added, remembering back to providing his courtside Pelicans scrimmage analysis to Daniels, “that stuff is hard, dawg. It’s a really difficult job. I don’t know if I’ll get to that point, but it was definitely interesting to try it, for sure. (Broadcasting is) something I feel like I could do pretty well. I express myself at a pretty high level, I would say. I’d enjoy staying around the game, so definitely getting into broadcasting in some capacity – I don’t know exactly what – would be nice.”