Kenneth Murphy III goes by Trey, perhaps the first hint that he would someday grow up to become a prolific 3-point shooter.
And if that wasn’t enough to convince you, maybe taking a look at the crib his parents had for him when he was an infant should've warned you.
If it was up to Albeda Murphy, Trey would have just had a regular crib like most 1-year olds.
But her husband Kenny insisted the crib have a basketball goal on it.
It’s almost as if Trey Murphy was born to do what he’s doing.
Murphy, who is only 25 and in his fifth season with the New Orleans Pelicans, became the franchise’s all-time leader in 3-pointers last Sunday in a loss to the Miami Heat. Murphy surpassed former teammate CJ McCollum, who became the franchise leader in January of 2025 when he eclipsed Jrue Holiday.
Murphy vowed after that game last January that McCollum’s name wouldn’t stay in the record book.
“It won’t be long,” Murphy said that night. “That’s all I have to say. It’ll be taken down. It’s like having a bar set for me.”
Less than a year later, Murphy proved to be a man of his word. Murphy tied McCollum’s record of 692 3-pointers with 3:58 left in the second quarter of last week’s game in Miami. He broke the record with 39.8 seconds left in the half.
“It’s pretty cool,” Murphy said. “You always want to leave your mark somewhere on and off the court and I feel like this is something to show on the court.”
Murphy needed just 285 games to set the record and join a list of some of the greats of the game.
The Pelicans’ franchise record (709 and counting for Murphy going into Sunday’s game against the Orlando Magic) is the fewest among all NBA franchises. (The franchise is in just its 24th season.) The Los Angeles Clippers’ franchise record (820 by Paul George) is the second lowest.
But as long as Murphy stays a Pelican, you can expect him to push the record to a place where it will stand for a long time.
Murphy is in one of his hottest stretches since entering the league. He’s made at least six 3-pointers in his last three games. That's seven in Friday’s win against the Washington Wizards, six in Tuesday’s loss to the Los Angeles Lakers and seven on his record-setting day against the Heat. It’s the first time he’s made six treys in three straight games. He’s averaging 34.6 points over the last three games, including a career-best 42 points in the loss to the Lakers.
“At the end of the day, we didn’t get the win so it doesn’t really matter,” Murphy said after his career-high night.
That’s been the case for Murphy and the Pelicans for most of these last two seasons. The Pelicans are 9-31. They’ve lost nine of their last 10 games, making it hard to appreciate what the Pelicans’ most consistent all-around player has done. Murphy leads the team in minutes played. His 21.7 points rank second on the team behind Zion Williamson. His 6.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists rank second behind Derik Queen. His 1.7 steals rank second behind Herb Jones.
“He deserves a ton of credit,” said Pelicans' interim head coach Borrego. “He’s put the work in. He’s a tremendous worker. He’s going to have a wonderful career here. He’s already put up some big numbers. I’m proud of him. He’s fantastic and keeps growing every year and adding to his game. He's tremendous and deserves all the credit for that.”
His parents deserve some of the credit, too. His mom remembers the youth basketball days when Trey would run up and down the court with his hands in his pockets. The solution? Trey’s dad threw away every pair of shorts that had pockets.
Or the time when Trey was around 5 when his dad started coaching him.
“That first year he was really bad and he didn’t score a point,” Kenny Murphy recalled.
But over time, he got better and better.
By the fourth grade, he started draining 3’s.
By the eighth grade, he was one of the best shooters in the area.
“He’s been at it ever since,” the elder Murphy said.
Murphy’s first NBA 3-pointer came in the season opener of his rookie season.
He went scoreless in the first half of that game in the Smoothie King Center against the Philadelphia 76ers.
“I hadn’t scored the entire first half,” Murphy recalls. “I was nervous and a little angry about that.”
He made his very first one with 1:56 left in the game on an assist from Kira Lewis.
He made his second one less than a minute later on an assist from Naji Marshall. That one was from 28 feet.
Trey Murphy was just getting started, doing what he was born to do.