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Murphy, who has owned a home in Norwalk, turns 68 on Monday. The professional basketball player was born May 9, 1948, in Norwalk.
Before playing basketball, Murphy was a world-class baton twirler. In 1963 as an eighth-grader, he won a national championship in baton twirling. His reputation as a twirler earned him invitations to perform at major sporting events and the 1964 New York World's Fair. In 1977, at the height of his basketball career in Houston, Murphy won the Texas State Men's Twirling Championship.
He played basketball for Norwalk High School, where he was All-State three times and All-America twice. He is a member of the Connecticut Coaches Association Hall of Fame and a Connecticut Sportswriters Gold Key Award winner.
He was drafted by the San Diego Rockets (now the Houston Rockets) as the first pick in the second round (18th overall) of the 1970 NBA Draft and was nominated to the NBA All-Rookie team.
Murphy was one of the best free-throw shooters ever, setting NBA records for most consecutive free throws made and for the highest free throw percentage in a single season (1980-81).
After retiring from the NBA in 1983, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993 and worked for the Rockets organization in numerous roles. Murphy is most well-known for as the television analyst for Rockets games.
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