Artist Chris Murray blends childhood, Syracuse basketball in new Boeheim mural
Syracuse native Jumal Salaam, 40, watches and records Murray as he creates the mural, hoping to post a video on his TikTok account. The piece’s vibrant colors are what made him stop in his tracks, Salaam said. Cassie Roshu | Senior Staff Photographer
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For Chris Murray, art and Syracuse basketball have always been constants. In middle school, Murray attended Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim’s basketball camps, where he remembers chatting with Boeheim and even receiving a high five from the legend.
“It’s a full circle moment now that I’m painting a mural of (Boeheim),” Murray said. “(The project) is kind of tapping back into my childhood in some sense.”
Years later, Murray’s two passions merged: he had the opportunity to paint a five-story mural of his basketball idol: Boeheim. Murray, who started painting the mural in Armory Square in September, will wrap up the mural this Friday and unveil it on Saturday.
Boeheim became Syracuse basketball’s head coach in 1976. During his 47-year coaching tenure, Boeheim led the SU basketball team to the school’s first NCAA championship in 2003 in addition to three Final Four appearances, leading to his Hall of Fame induction in 2005.
Murray’s knack for art stems back to childhood. When Murray’s parents noticed his gift at an early age, they encouraged him to focus on his talent. He attended Rochester Institute of Technology, soon flourishing into a career.
While many artists choose a single medium to portray their works, Murray stretches his pieces through all disciplines, from prints to murals. However, murals offer an incentive that other mediums don’t share, he said.
“It is one of the parts of the art that allows me to be outside, to have conversations with people, to engage with the communities, and that’s really what I love about it,” Murray said.
From attending Boeheim’s basketball camps to watching the Syracuse University basketball team compete under his wing, Boeheim’s influence became part of Murray’s identity. This impact has carried on throughout Murray’s life, from childhood to when he first came up with the idea for the mural a year and a half ago.
Syracuse native and artist Chris Murray works on Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim mural ahead of his goal to finish it by Friday, Oct. 17.
When Murray was scrolling through his phone one night, a picture of a mural titled “Legendary Syracuse Firsts” showed up on his feed. The mural, painted on the Monroe Building, depicted four basketball players connected to Syracuse: Breanna Stewart, Earl Lloyd Jr., Dolph Schayes and Manny Breland.
“This was one of those occurrences where I had this passion and energy all of a sudden to do a little digging to see if there was a Jim Boeheim mural, and, surprisingly, there wasn’t one,” Murray said.
Spontaneous ideas like these are hard for Murray to ignore. As Murray “went down the rabbit hole” to see who he had to reach out to to kickstart his mural, he got in contact with Syracuse International Jazz Festival founder Frank Malfitano, who spearheaded the “Legendary Syracuse Firsts” mural in 2022.
Malfitano knew Boeheim from his early walk-on days for the SU basketball team in 1962. He’d seen how Boeheim placed a spotlight on Syracuse athletics over the decades: from getting inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame to becoming an Olympic gold medalist as an assistant coach for Team USA.
“If you think of someone who personifies Syracuse athletics and placed Syracuse on a national stage, it’s Jim Boeheim,” Malfitano said.
Whether it was securing finances to navigating city approval, Murray and Malfitano spent a long time discussing the do’s and don’ts of painting a mural in Syracuse. Despite challenges, Malfitano saw Murray’s will to do anything necessary to ensure his project would come to fruition.
Boeheim has been building his legacy in Syracuse since he walked on to the basketball team in 1962. Murray’s “Legacy” mural of Boeheim looks over Armory Square, reflecting the basketball icon’s deep connection to the city.Cassie Roshu | Senior Staff Photographer
“I answered his questions and I tried to provide advice, but Chris is responsible for this mural happening,” Malfitano said. “He deserves all of the credit. It’s his perseverance and stick-to-itiveness.”
Murray based his initial sketches on the mural’s location. Location was a hurdle for Murray — he first designed the mural on the Bank of America building, then considered a building on West Genesee Street surrounded by trees that would’ve blocked the mural. That all changed when Murray reached out to William Severyn, the CEO of Offer Advantage.
Through Offer Advantage’s work as a partnership of real estate investors, Severyn helped Murray finally find the mural’s home.
Murray painted the mural on a recently refurbished five-story apartment complex in Armory Square. Since many of the tenants work at SU, the building’s location makes it a fitting spot to house the Syracuse icon, Severyn said. The apartment’s proximity to downtown Syracuse is an added plus.
The mural’s location wasn’t Murray’s only challenge — funding the mural was another obstacle. Though Murray was often left hanging or denied donations, he was able to pull through thanks to donors like Keenan Nolan, senior sales engineer of Stark Tech and a friend of Murray’s.
Nolan, who’s familiar with Murray’s design style, was quick to jump at the opportunity to be part of the project. A lifelong Syracuse resident, Nolan grew up with Syracuse football and basketball. Connecting Murray with other donors helped secure the mural’s funding, Nolan said.
“The football and basketball programs and the other programs give us residents something to look forward to,” Nolan said. “So (Syracuse athletics) is very impactful to the quality of life to the Syracuse residents. And Jim Boeheim, of course, has been a huge part of that for many years.”
Though Murray didn’t grow up in Syracuse, Boeheim’s influence still reached him. Now living in Philadelphia, he said Boeheim gives him a feeling of representation. Zabdyl Koffa | Staff Photographer
Malfitano, who’s watched the mural’s progression over the past few weeks, said the designs morphed throughout the process. Now it’s “larger than life,” he said. Nolan said Murray’s vibrant colors and hidden Easter eggs were a special treat.
In Severyn’s eyes, the mural highlights Boeheim’s importance to the Syracuse community while giving visitors a reason to explore Syracuse culture.
“(The mural) gives another reason for people to visit the area while creating a longer, lasting legacy for Boeheim,” Severyn said. “There wasn’t much else that we could paint on that building to accentuate the area. I think this creates a lot more activity and excitement.”
For Murray, the mural isn’t only an opportunity to showcase his next project — a mural of Basketball Hall of Famer Allen Iverson in Philadelphia — but a dedication to Boeheim.
Aptly titled the Jim Boeheim “Legacy” mural, this is Murray’s gift to Boeheim’s enduring career.
“(Boeheim) just gave me a great feeling of representation,” Murray said.“I’ve seen him, spoken to him and watched him coach. He’s like a superhero walking amongst you.”
