BOSTON — After missing 13 months of action due to a torn right Achilles tendon, New Orleans Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray made his return during the 2025-26 NBA regular season. It marked a major accomplishment for one of the league's most athletic players, who very quickly looked like his old self.

In 14 appearances last season, Murray averaged 16.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, 6.4 assists, and 1.6 steals per game for the Pelicans while shooting 48.4 percent from the field.

Before he kicks off the big 2026-27 NBA season, Dejounte Murray joined New Balance at their second annual Beantown Elite Experience at their headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts.

The Beantown Elite Experience is the brand’s four-day elite high school basketball camp in Boston where the top-ranked male and female high school players learned from some of the very best in the business inside The TRACK at New Balance. Murray joined Tyrese Maxey, Darius Garland, Zach LaVine, and renowned agent Rich Paul in learning on-court skills and breaking down the business of basketball throughout the four-day camp.

Among those who attended was New Orleans Pelicans star Dejounte Murray. The 29-year old point guard signed an endorsement deal with New Balance back in 2019 and has been with the brand since.

“It's bigger than a partnership,” Murray told ClutchPoints of his relationship with New Balance. “I like to call it a family because there's so many people in the background that you don't see on TV or probably not even here at the camp. It's more than just one, two, five people. It's a family that keeps this thing afloat. So for me, I'm always thankful and grateful for them. They're great to me and my family. And they always make sure they're taking care of me.”

The Pelicans guard spoke exclusively with ClutchPoints in Boston at the camp about why it's so important for him to show up and impart his wisdom on the youth as well as this upcoming season, Russell Westbrook's retirement, and more.

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Tomer Azarly: “Here with Dejounte Murray at the Beantown Elite Experience. Talk to me about being here in Boston for the Beantown Elite Experience. Obviously, you've got a lot of campers here trying to learn from NBA players like yourself, Tyrese [Maxey], Darius [Garland], and Zach [LaVine]. Talk to me about this experience, being here, helping these kids, imparting your knowledge on them.”

Dejounte Murray: I'm great, I'm blessed. I mean, it's always an honor to go to camps or just be around the youth in general because we were once youth. We were once going through that process of trying to figure things out and also trying to just enjoy special things like this. Obviously, there's not every kid in the country here. So the ones here, you just got to soak it in and be thankful and grateful. And at the same time, you got to be a sponge to learn and just show your work ethic, wherever you're from and whatever that is. Like I said at the end of the day, it's an honor to be able to come back to these type of things, but also represent New Balance and knowing how much they put into us as players, not just us going out dribbling the basketball, trying to win games or losing games. It's a family. It's something that you try to build off the floor and show that importance and everything just translates. So at the end of the day, like I said, it's just an honor to always be around this. And like, less is more. I don't want to be in these kids' ears just yapping. It's really just as much as they're learning from us, we can learn from them as well. And I think that's the beauty of the sport.

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Tomer Azarly: Did you go to a lot of these kind of camps growing up and how have they kind of changed now? You got a lot of NBA talent in these, a lot of guys, like you said, not trying to be too much in their ears, but I see you participating in some drills with them. Zach LaVine was, Tyrese was, and Darius, like, has it changed a little bit over the years?

Dejounte Murray: I mean, of course times have changed, but I can say it's for the better. Obviously I was blessed to go to a lot of camps growing up, but at the end of the day, it's about them. We had our time when it's about us, so it's just an honor to be here, but also see them. For me, I see a kid from Seattle. He's from Bothell, went to the school where Zach LaVine went to, and just seeing a kid like that, like that means the world to me. Obviously seeing all the kids, but like, he's from Seattle. That's a long ways from here and he's blessed to be in Boston at New Balance's camp and just being able to get this experience. And that's what life's about. It's about experiences.

Tomer Azarly: Talk to me about the partnership that you've had with New Balance for a couple of years now. And I mean, the sentiment I've gotten from a lot of players is more than just a partnership. They're there for you a lot. Just talking about your specific relationship with them and how they've kind of been there for you.

Dejounte Murray: I mean, when it first started years ago, I was in San Antonio still recovering from ACL. And it was just, the importance for me was obviously be different and not only be different. The investment of learning the person, the human, where he comes from, and just trying to be that support system. So, for me, they won me over just off of that. You know, it was consistent and then the rest is history. But everybody that's a part of the partnership is, well it's bigger than a partnership. I like to call it a family because there's so many people in the background that you don't see on TV or probably not even here at the camp. It's more than just one, two, five people. It's a family that keeps this thing afloat. So for me, I'm always thankful and grateful for them. They're great to me and my family. And they always make sure they're taking care of me. And my job is to continue to be a high-character person, which should be normal and mandatory. Just to be a good person. And then when it comes to representing on the floor, taking care of myself. I'm finally healthy, so I'm excited just to get back on the court and not only represent for my family, my team, but also the brand.

Tomer Azarly: Now, you grew up a New Balance fan. Is that true?

Dejounte Murray: Yeah, I did.

Tomer Azarly: You have a specific shoe or something that really stuck with you over the time that. When they did come to you, were you like, ‘oh, this is like a dream partnership?'

Dejounte Murray: I wouldn't say a dream partnership. It's just those are the only shoes we could afford. My mom bought me New Balances growing up. And so it was just like more of a blessing than a dream. It's reality. It's real. And all that stuff just comes full circle. So that's just what it was. I wore New Balances as a kid. And it's just dope to see that I'm representing the brand.

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Tomer Azarly: I know Darius Garland got the P350's on. I think LaVine got the P400's. What are you rocking and why do you like the shoe?

Dejounte Murray: Well, I was part of the Two-Ways. So I've been rocking these more, the P400's, and for me it's just getting comfortable and used to them. But I was rocking the Two-Ways. It was real comfortable, real swaggy for me. But obviously, getting used to these ones and we'll see.

Tomer Azarly: Now, big congratulations to you on on coming back from the torn Achilles. You played well last year in your return. What was it like being back on the basketball court now that you can look back at it? And what are you looking ahead to this upcoming season?

Dejounte Murray: I mean, well, I was just answering this question about how guys — any injury — but mainly, I didn't feel the real support. Obviously, only me and Tatum [and Lillard] came back from the Achilles recently. Isaiah Jackson, he was in Indiana. But it was us that came back from Achilles. And it's like them type of things should be celebrated more, just knowing how hard that is and the dedication, the work that us athletes put in. We're human as well. And we're viewed as more than humans, I guess because of being in the limelight, the money people look and see that we make, doing what we love to do. And so we're held to a different standard. But, for me, it was just a mental part, to get through the mental part. The work's always been easy for me, you know, because when you love something, you're going to do it to the best of your ability. And just to get back on the floor was a blessing. But it was really just to show that you can fall and get back up. And it doesn't matter if you're a human or an athlete.

Tomer Azarly: So looking ahead now, your upcoming season now, you're healthy. What's your focus? What are you trying to get to? What's that goal? Maybe team goal, individual goal, what is it for you?

Dejounte Murray: Get to the playoffs, not the play-in. So obviously a lot of great things come with being one of those top six teams to get in the playoffs. Obviously we got this new play-in thing in the NBA where if you're the 7th, 8th, 9th, or 10th seed, you got to battle out for that 7th, 8th spot. So, for me, I know just the work I put in and the sponge I am to learning, taking that, the experiences I have, the knowledge I have, obviously the work ethic and bringing it to the pot with the rest of the guys. Obviously the organization in New Orleans is trying to do some other things and try to actually make it a great place for the NBA and us players in New Orleans. So the goal is to make the playoffs. Obviously, you've always got your individual goals. But if you're a top six team in the NBA, then you guys are all doing something really well individually. So the main goal is to keep it team-first. And that's to get to the playoffs and the rest will take care of itself.

Tomer Azarly: Do you individually feel like you have something to prove this season?

Dejounte Murray: To myself, yeah.

Tomer Azarly: To yourself? Why? Where does that come from?

Dejounte Murray: I mean, I just always carry a chip on my shoulder. I'm also a confident person. So any room I walk in, it doesn't matter who's in it, I know I belong. Whatever conversation that is. If I'm listening as a sponge or I'm speaking of anything in my knowledge of power. And other than that, like I said, I don't live my life worrying about proving anybody else right or wrong besides myself. Because I know I get up every morning and work, I watch film, I believe in God. I'm a great person. I love my family. So only great things are bound to happen. At the end of the day, I'm ready to go prove myself right.

Tomer Azarly: The other day, you had a tweet about Russell Westbrook retiring. Obviously, as a point guard, one of the greatest ever. You call him the greatest of all time. I'm curious, what was your reaction to retirement? Why do you think he's the greatest of all time?

Dejounte Murray: Well, I mean, obviously, I wish it could have been better. I wish guys of that caliber that's done so much for the game on the floor, but also off the floor, just him as a man and what he's done for men, women, the youth, kids around the world. It means so much and I just wish he could have had like a farewell tour where he gets celebrated the way he should because the person is just, he's second to none. His work ethic, his passion for the game. The way he plays the game, that's how the game is supposed to be played. Just extremely hard on both ends of the floor. And no friends allowed until after the game. So I just respect him that much. And when it comes to my opinion as him being the greatest point guard ever, it's like, I mean, not only the stats shows it, and I'm bigger than just a stats guy. Actually, an eye test guy. I love watching basketball. And obviously, I was blessed to compete against him. And I love Magic Johnson. I love John Stockton and Isaiah Thomas. All them old school guys, but just who Russ was and what he's done I think just on and off is just you can't do that again, you can't script that so.

Tomer Azarly: I don't know LeBron or someone you're close with were you surprised at all that he went to Philly?

Dejounte Murray: I mean I think everybody was surprised at Philly, for sure. But at the end of the day like you know when I when I have spoken to him it's like as long as you happy that's all that matters. I think people get away from us being human and only Bron could be in Bron's shoes. We're all individually different and I'm just that guy that likes making sure people are happy because I know the the responsibilities and the sacrifices that come with what we do.