Jamal Murray has become even more popular among basketball fans since he won the ESPYs Award for Best Comeback Athlete on July 12, 2023. The ESPYs are awarded to individual and team athletic achievement and other sports-related performances during the calendar year.
During his acceptance speech, Murray acknowledged UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones, another nominee for the award, and joked about them sharing the prize.
He said: “I was actually there to watch you witness a comeback three years off. So we can share this together, just don’t choke me out.”
Murray played a crucial role in getting the Nuggets their first-ever championship, thereby establishing himself as one of the best guards in the NBA. Given Murray’s increased popularity, it is not shocking that his new fans have been curious about his life off the court.
One part of that life is Harper Hempel, Murray’s girlfriend. Keep reading to learn more about her.
Who Is Harper Hempel?
Harper Hempel is Jamal Murray’s long-time girlfriend. She was born in Union, Kentucky, in 1997 to Richard Hempel and Colleen Hempel. Her father is the CEO and one of the co-founders of eCoachSports — an acclaimed online coaching platform.
Harper majored in Marketing and Digital Media at the University of Kentucky. She was known to have a great love of sports. Harper played college volleyball until her senior year and was named three-time All-State by the Kentucky Volleyball Coaches Association.
She also enjoys photography, and in 2014, she launched her own photography business, Harper Hempel Photography. Harper is a Social Media Community Manager at Fact & Fiction and Social Media Marketing Manager at All Social Jessie.
She is active on social media, with a large following. On her Instagram account alone, she has more than 67k followers.
Harper Hempel and Jamal Murray
Murray and Harper initially met at the University of Kentucky, where he played as a member of the Wildcats. They ran into each other while Harper was in her sophomore year and have been dating ever since.
Unfortunately, they seem to have a long-distance relationship because Harper is based in Atlanta, Georgia, while Murray primarily resides in Denver, Colorado. In 2020, an intimate video of them made rounds on the Internet, causing much trouble. The video was shared via Murray’s account, but he has since claimed that it was the work of a hacker.
It was a terrible time for the pair, as fans who watched the video took screenshots and recordings. Harper later confirmed that the tape was genuine and shared a since-deleted apology on her Instagram.
Murray also apologized for the mishap, but he still got treated terribly by some of his fans. One even went as far as heckling him during a game, talking about how he had seen Harper “s***ing d**k.”
Murray did not like that very much, and he had to be restrained by officials at the game before things got out of hand. After the leak in 2020, Murray and Harper chose to keep their relationship under the radar while they continued to develop their respective crafts.
Some claim that the scandal was enough to break them apart, but no evidence suggests the two are no longer together.
Harper Hempel Parents
Not much is known about Harper’s mother. However, her father, Rich Hempel, runs in basketball circles. He co-founded eCoach, a company that offers high-level sports instruction remotely to NBA coaches at a reduced price.
Harper Hempel’s Net Worth
Harper does not share much personal information, and since Murray was hacked, they have become even more private. As such, it is currently unknown how much she is worth. We do know that she has a career in social media marketing.
The global average pay for a social media promotions manager position in the United States is about $65k annually. Harper is also projected to make about $40k a year from her photography company. Her current net worth is suspected to be between $1 million and $5 million.
Other famous faces like hers that are serious about photography include Jeff Bridges, Henry Wrinkler, and Brendan Fraser.
