New York City has long been known for celebrating bigger-than-life sports icons like Babe Ruth, Joe Namath, Joe DiMaggio, Patrick Ewing, Pele, Lawrence Taylor, Derek Jeter, Darryl Strawberry, Walt “Clyde” Frazier and Reggie Jackson, to name a few. Then there’s the current king of the New York sports scene who has little interest in the bright lights of Broadway: Knicks guard Jalen Brunson.
“Nothing could be done without my teammates, and them and my coaching staff believing in me,” Brunson said.
While those words are quite humble, Brunson has made a loud statement by leading the Knicks to the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed in the NBA playoffs. The Knicks open playoff action Saturday (ESPN, 6 p.m. ET) at Madison Square Garden against the Philadelphia 76ers and All-Stars Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.
Brunson, a first-time NBA All-Star, was fourth in the NBA in scoring (28.7 points per game) and 13th in assists (6.7) this season. The six-year veteran also scored a career-high 61 points on March 29 versus San Antonio. But with fellow All-Star Julius Randle sidelined since Jan. 27 and other key injuries to OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson, Brunson has not only taken over for the Knicks as a scorer, but as the captain and heart and soul of the team.
“He’s the ultimate leader,” Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeaux said. “When you study him, his entire career, his individual accomplishments were off the charts. But the team accomplishments were amazing. He was a great teammate in high school. He was a great teammate in college. They won at a very high level in college. He won at a high level in Dallas and he brought that here.
“And you’re not replacing a Julius Randle or OG [Anunoby] or Mitch [Robinson] individually. We can’t do that, but we can do it collectively. And that’s what I love about Jalen. He not only brings the best out of himself, he brings the best out of the team and it’s usually the best team that wins. So, he’s always had that characteristic and he’s never satisfied. He always thinks he can do better. He always wants to learn more. You can’t say enough about what he’s done.”
Said Knicks guard Josh Hart on Brunson: “We’re really just giving him the keys and we’re going as far as he goes.”
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The Knicks put their faith in Brunson by signing him to a four-year, $104 million contract in free agency after four years with the Dallas Mavericks. For Brunson, going to New York was also an opportunity to be reunited with family.
His father, Rick, is an assistant coach on the Knicks’ staff, and Jalen Brunson has known Thibodeaux since he was 10 years old. In addition to the Knicks, Rick Brunson was an assistant coach under Thibodeaux with the Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves. The Knicks also have two of Jalen Brunson’s former Villanova teammates in Hart and Donte DiVincenzo, who love ribbing Brunson at any opportunity.
While Brunson’s contract may have looked like an overpay when he signed with the Knicks, his two stellar years make him seem underpaid. Playing for USA Basketball’s 2023 FIBA World Cup team raised his profile. He now has a national television commercial with AT&T and endorsement deals with DoorDash, NBA2K, Samsung and Catalina Crunch cereal. Brunson’s jersey was the 15th best seller among NBA players this season. Renowned filmmaker and Knicks fan Spike Lee has also been sporting a specially made vest-jacket of Brunson’s jersey at games.
While the celebrity status will take time for Brunson to get used to, he is enjoying the love that New York’s royalty is giving him.
“When you see celebrities come and sit courtside and meet them, I’m like, ‘Man, I’m a big fan.’ And they’re like, ‘No, I’m a big fan.’ That is pretty surreal sometimes,” Brunson said. “I’m enjoying it. It’s a dream come true. It’s everything I want.”
While Brunson has shined in New York’s brightest lights, he isn’t feeding into his growing celebrity or changing who he is.
“I had the same circle since when I came into the league. They keep me humble. They keep me grounded. And that’s just the way I want it…,” Brunson said of his life since becoming a first-time NBA All-Star.
“I do stuff. But I’m chilling. I prepare for games, get all that stuff done first. All the extracurricular stuff can wait. I just make sure I get my work done.”
Said Hart: “I feel like he’s getting more respect nationally. That’s been dope, but he’s never changed. He’s going to be the person that he is all the time.”
So, who deserves credit for Brunson’s humility?
“[My parents] Sandra and Rick Brunson, [sister] Erica Brunson and my wife [Ali Marks Brunson]. That was just how I was raised. I give credit to them. It’s kind of my second nature,” Brunson said.
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In four games against Philadelphia this season, Brunson averaged 22.3 points, 7.8 assists and 3.0 rebounds. Maxey spoke about the need to stop Brunson in hopes of stunning the Knicks in the upcoming “dogfight” between longtime rivals.
“It starts with the head of the snake,” Maxey told NBATV. “We have seen the season that Jalen Brunson has had. He’s been remarkable. We have to slow him down, first and foremost.”
The Knicks crowd will likely include Lee and other celebrities old and new. Hart, however, said Brunson fits in more with the blue-collar workers of “The Big Apple.”
“He fits in that toughness, that grit, that mentality of he’s not satisfied, wants to keep working. That’s the biggest thing,” Hart said.
Brunson has won at every level of his career. He led Stevenson High School (Lincolnshire, Illinois) to a state championship in 2015. He won two NCAA championships at Villanova in 2016 and 2018. The biggest challenge of his basketball career is finally getting another title banner at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks’ two titles in 1970 and 1973 were long before the 27-year-old was born.
While Knicks fans have long been dreaming of a championship, Brunson says his focus is on Game 1 against the Sixers.
“It’s one day at a time,” Brunson said of his title hopes. “Obviously, I want to get there. Obviously, it’s the No. 1 goal.”
