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Dejounte Murray Feuds with Paolo Banchero

The Southeast Division is heating up.

Pat Benson

Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
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August is always the slowest month on the NBA calendar. The only time fans get to see their favorite players is through workout videos and the rare Pro-Am experience.

However, basketball fans watched a dramatic series of events unfold in real time last night. Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray and Orlando Magic rookie forward Paolo Banchero competed at Isaiah Thomas’ annual summer hoops tournament, the Zeke-End.

Clips from the exhibition game quickly started going viral. Murray faked out Banchero before throwing an alley-oop to himself off the backboard. Then, as the crowd erupted, Murray said something to Banchero and threw the ball at him. 

Here is where the story gets both hard to follow and juicy. Murray posted the highlight video to his Instagram story. Banchero then re-posted Murray's story to his own Instagram story but added his side of the story. Banchero called out Murray for unfollowing him on social media and sending double teams at him during the Pro-Am game.

Naturally, Murray was going to make sure he got the last word. The veteran accused the rookie of trying to flex his top draft pick and no longer being humble. See the Bleacher Report tweet below for Murray's full comment.

Honestly, this is the biggest development in the relationship between the Hawks and Magic since the 2011 Eastern Conference Playoffs Series. The two Southeast Division foes will face each other four times next season. We will know the exact dates next week after the NBA releases the 2022-23 schedule. Stay locked into AllHawks.com for breaking news, highlights, and analysis.

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Pat Benson
PAT BENSON

Pat Benson covers the Atlanta Hawks for Sports Illustrated's All Hawks. He has covered the NBA for several years and is the author of "Kobe Bryant's Sneaker History (1996-2020)".

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