Jay Murphy


Jay Dennis Murphy is an American former professional basketball player. He played four seasons in the National Basketball Association for the Los Angeles Clippers and Washington Bullets.

College career

He attended high school at Francis T Maloney High School in Meriden, Connecticut. A 6'9" and 220 lbs. power forward, Murphy played for coaches Tom Davis and Gary Williams at Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. He averaged 14.6 points per game in his four-year career. Murphy was a key reason why BC enjoyed success in the early 1980s, leading the Eagles to three NCAA Tournaments – two Sweet 16s and one Elite Eight – and one National Invitation Tournament in his four seasons. He was a three-time All-Big East honoree, earning first-team honors as a senior. He ranks sixth on the school's career scoring list and seventh on the career rebounding list.

Professional career

Murphy was selected in the second round of the 1984 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors. He did not play a game with the Warriors as he was immediately traded to the Los Angeles Clippers for center Jerome Whitehead. On December 17, 1985, he was waived by the Clippers. On September 3, 1986, he was signed as a free agent with the Washington Bullets. His final season in the NBA was the 1987–88 season, during his time with the Bullets. He scored a total of 160 points in his 4-year, 67 NBA game career. Murphy also played in the United States Basketball League for the Springfield Fame as well as in Europe notably in France and Italy before finally retiring in 1995.

Personal life and legacy

Murphy was inducted into the Boston College Varsity Club Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999. His son Erik played basketball at the University of Florida, and was drafted by the Chicago Bulls in the second round of the 2013 NBA draft. Murphy's son Alex played at Duke University, the University of Florida and Northeastern University. Both sons have dual citizenship due to their Finnish mother Päivi, and Erik Murphy played for the Finnish national team at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain. He also has another son, Tomas, who was named to the Colonial Athletic Association 2017-2018 All-Rookie Team after his freshman season with Northeastern.