Dejounte Murray doesn't know when the emotions will hit him Tuesday night, but he knows they will.
Perhaps when he puts on his No. 5 New Orleans Pelicans jersey. Or maybe when he runs out of the tunnel onto the court for the first time in 389 days. Or maybe during the national anthem or when he makes his first basket.
After all, he hasn’t played in an NBA game since Jan. 31, 2025.
That was the night he missed a shot against the Boston Celtics, then planted his right foot to try to get the rebound before crumbling to the Smoothie King Center floor and grabbing the back of his leg. Murray limped to the bench and got helped to the locker room with what turned out to be a ruptured Achilles.
Murray makes his return Tuesday, back at the crime scene where he was robbed of most of his first season in New Orleans.
He can hardly wait.
“Let’s do it,” Murray said after practice Monday. “... When this game gets taken away from you and you love it like I do, it's not a great thing. There'll be some emotions, but a lot of excitement.”
Murray has had to bounce back before. He missed the entire 2018-19 season with a torn ACL in his third year with the San Antonio Spurs. Last season, just 3½ months after the Pelicans acquired him in a trade with the Atlanta Hawks, he fractured his left hand in the season opener. Seven days earlier, his mother had a stroke. He left the team to be with her, but she insisted he get back for the opener.
Then three months later came the Achilles injury. All of that explains why Murray said on a podcast that last season was the worst experience he’s had since coming to the NBA.
“I don't like to make excuses, but I wouldn't wish what I went through off the floor on anybody that's a normal human being that doesn't play sports,” Murray said. “So playing sports made it that much harder. But I took it on the chin, held my head high, put the work in, and I'm excited to go out there and show all of my supporters and my family that I'm built for it.”
The Pelicans, just 16-42 this season, surely could use his help. And no, not just the 17.5 points and 7.4 assists he averaged in the 31 games he played last season. The Pelicans will count even more on his leadership and ability to play on both ends of the court.
“Dejounte will raise our level,” Pelicans interim head coach James Borrego said. “… He’s worked his tail off, so there’s probably a little bit of relief of ‘I’m finally back.’ But more than anything, I just want him to go out there and compete and embrace the moment and be there with his teammates.”
Pelicans forward Saddiq Bey was Murray’s teammate with the Atlanta Hawks two seasons ago. Bey suffered a torn ACL that season, so he can relate to what Murray has gone through.
“Once he gets back, everyone is going to look at wins and losses and how we are doing,” Bey said. “But I’m just happy as a man to another man seeing him get healthy. (He brings) overall leadership. He’s a floor general, and his wisdom and being able to play both sides of the ball and get people involved and score. He can do everything.”
Some of Murray’s most important teammates during his rehab were guys who play elsewhere. He kept in constant contact with fellow NBA stars Jayson Tatum, Damian Lillard and Tyrese Haliburton, who all suffered Achilles injuries last season. They leaned on each other for support.
Murray never got discouraged.
“I've been through so much,” he said. “This is part of the journey. Injuries are a part of sports. It's not how you fall. It's how you get back up. For me, it was attacking the process day-by-day and staying level-headed and trying to find some positive and fun out of it.”
Murray knows he could have sat out these last 24 game, but he refused to do so because he's just not wired that way. Basketball is his love and he needed to get back to it.
"What I've been through, what I go through, I use that all to fuel the fire,” Murray said. “I could have sat out and been a chump and been like, ‘Nah, I'm not playing. I'm going to get my money and I'm going to get more rest, more recovery.’ But for me, I love the game and I put myself in a position to be able to say I want to go out and play for not only my family and organization but also the city of New Orleans.”
That begins Tuesday when he plays in his first game in over a year. He plans to treat each of these last 24 games as if they were championship games.
“Life's a challenge,” Murray said. “I accept the challenge.”