| No. 25 – New Orleans Pelicans | |
|---|---|
| Position | Small forward /power forward |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (2000-06-18)June 18, 2000 (age 24) Durham, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
| Listed weight | 206 lb (93 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Cary Academy (Cary, North Carolina) |
| College | |
| NBA draft | 2021: 1st round, 17th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Memphis Grizzlies |
| Playing career | 2021–present |
| Career history | |
| 2021–present | New Orleans Pelicans |
| 2021–2022 | →Birmingham Squadron |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Kenneth "Trey"Murphy III (born June 18, 2000) is an American professionalbasketball player for theNew Orleans Pelicans of theNational Basketball Association (NBA). He playedcollege basketball for theRice Owls and theVirginia Cavaliers. With Virginia, he became the most recent (as of 2025) Men's NCAA basketball player to post a50–40–90 season, with a 50–43–93 tally in the 2020–21 season.
Murphy was born inDurham, North Carolina, to his mother, Albeda, and father, Kenneth Murphy Jr.[1] He played high school basketball atCary Academy inCary, North Carolina, where, as a senior, he averaged 24.7 points and 7.4 rebounds per game while shooting 49.4% from the floor.[2] He also shot 43.6% from beyond the three-point line and 85.8% from the free-throw stripe. On October 4, 2017, Murphy committed to playing college basketball forRice.[3]
As a freshman, Murphy played in all 32 of Rice's games. He came off the bench 31 times and got to start one game, the first being againstCharlotte in March 2019. He averaged 8.4 points and 2.6 rebounds. He ranked fourth inConference USA (C-USA) in three-point field goal percentage (42.1%) and 14th in 3-pointers made per game (2.0). He also set the school freshman record for three-point field goal percentage (42.1%). On January 26, 2019, Murphy scored a career-high of 24 points and five 3-pointers while going a career-best 6-of-6 from the free-throw line against UAB.[4] As a sophomore, Murphy played in 29 of 32 games for Rice. He started in 23 of those games while coming off the bench in six. He led the Owls in scoring with 13.7 points and recorded 25 double-figure scoring games with two double-doubles. He also led the team with six 20-point games.[5]
On March 30, 2020, Murphy entered the transfer portal, and on April 14, 2020, he transferred toVirginia.[6] North Carolina native and friend Justin McKoy helped recruit him to Virginia.[7] Due toCOVID-19 affecting college basketball, Murphy did not have to sit out a year and was granted three years of immediate eligibility instead of two.
Coming off the bench, Murphy scored 21 points while shooting 7-of-9 from the field in the Cavaliers' season opener inBubbleville. He made his first start againstWilliam & Mary in late December 2020 and started the remainder of the season.[8] At this time, NBA scouts saw him as a top 45 draft prospect.[9] As a junior, he averaged 11.3 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. After posting a highly efficient50–40–90 season underTony Bennett at Virginia, Murphy declared for the2021 NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility.[10] On June 21, 2021, Murphy announced that he signed with anagent, forgoing his remaining eligibility with Virginia and ending his collegiate career.[11]
Murphy was selected with the 17th overall pick in the2021 NBA draft by theMemphis Grizzlies, but was traded to theNew Orleans Pelicans.[12][13] On August 10, 2021, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Pelicans.[14] On October 20, Murphy made his NBA debut, recording six points and two assists in a 117–97 loss to thePhiladelphia 76ers.[15] wins, the Pelicans qualified for the postseason for the first time since2018 and faced thePhoenix Suns during their first round series. Murphy made his playoff debut on April 17, recording six points, four rebounds and two assists in a 110–99 Game 1 loss.[16] The Pelicans ended up losing the series in six games. During his rookie season, Murphy had multiple assignments to the Pelicans'G League affiliate, theBirmingham Squadron.[17]
On February 5, 2023, Murphy scored a then season-high 30 points, alongside four rebounds and two assists, in a 136–104 win over theSacramento Kings.[18] In February 2023, Murphy was selected to participate in theSlam Dunk Contest atAll Star Weekend inSalt Lake City, Utah.[19] He made it to the final round, but was defeated byMac McClung.[20] On March 12, Murphy put up a season-high and career-high 41 points in a 127–110 win over thePortland Trail Blazers.[21]
On October 3, 2024, the Pelicans announced that Murphy would miss the start of the regular season due to a right hamstring strain that he suffered during an evening practice at their training camp.[22] On October 21, Murphy signed a four-year, $112 million extension with the Pelicans.[23] He played in 53 games (51 starts) for New Orleans during theseason, averaging career-highs in points (21.2), rebounds (5.1), and assists (3.5). On March 17, 2025, it was announced that Murphy would miss the remainder of the season after suffering a tornlabrum and partialtear of the rotator cuff in his right shoulder.[24]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–22 | New Orleans | 62 | 1 | 13.9 | .394 | .382 | .882 | 2.4 | .6 | .4 | .1 | 5.4 |
| 2022–23 | New Orleans | 79 | 65 | 31.0 | .484 | .406 | .905 | 3.6 | 1.4 | 1.1 | .5 | 14.5 |
| 2023–24 | New Orleans | 57 | 23 | 29.7 | .443 | .380 | .815 | 4.9 | 2.2 | .9 | .5 | 14.8 |
| 2024–25 | New Orleans | 53 | 51 | 35.0 | .454 | .361 | .887 | 5.1 | 3.5 | 1.1 | .7 | 21.2 |
| Career | 251 | 140 | 27.3 | .454 | .383 | .875 | 3.9 | 1.8 | .9 | .5 | 13.7 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | New Orleans | 2 | 0 | 23.1 | .455 | .444 | 1.000 | 4.0 | 1.5 | .0 | .0 | 8.0 |
| 2023 | New Orleans | 1 | 1 | 43.9 | .375 | .400 | 1.000 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | .0 | 21.0 |
| 2024 | New Orleans | 2 | 1 | 36.9 | .500 | .308 | 1.000 | 6.0 | 4.0 | 1.0 | .5 | 14.0 |
| Career | 4 | 2 | 32.8 | .449 | .375 | 1.000 | 4.8 | 2.6 | .6 | .2 | 13.0 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | New Orleans | 6 | 0 | 20.0 | .409 | .474 | .800 | 2.5 | .5 | .5 | .2 | 5.2 |
| 2024 | New Orleans | 4 | 4 | 42.0 | .375 | .333 | — | 6.5 | 2.3 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 11.5 |
| Career | 10 | 4 | 28.8 | .386 | .388 | .800 | 4.1 | 1.2 | .8 | .7 | 7.7 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018–19 | Rice | 32 | 2 | 20.6 | .442 | .421 | .725 | 2.6 | .7 | .5 | .5 | 8.4 |
| 2019–20 | Rice | 29 | 23 | 30.2 | .434 | .368 | .824 | 5.5 | 1.2 | .9 | .6 | 13.7 |
| 2020–21 | Virginia | 25 | 20 | 29.6 | .503 | .433 | .927 | 3.4 | 1.2 | .8 | .4 | 11.3 |
| Career | 86 | 45 | 26.4 | .455 | .401 | .819 | 3.8 | 1.0 | .7 | .5 | 11.0 | |
His father, Kenneth, played atEast Carolina from 1986 to 1988.[25] Murphy goes by "Trey" because his father goes by "Kenny" and his grandfather goes by "Ken".[26]