{"id":769234,"date":"2026-06-24T10:09:25","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T10:09:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/769234\/"},"modified":"2026-06-24T10:09:25","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T10:09:25","slug":"jalen-brunsons-victory-lap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/769234\/","title":{"rendered":"Jalen Brunson\u2019s Victory Lap"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>                  <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/385f6cd41f629386bdd482285d407316a6-2026-091-Jalen-Brunson-NYM-01-A-0106-H.rhorizontal.w1100.jpg\" class=\"lede-image\" data-content-img=\"\" width=\"1100\" height=\"733\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/> <\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph_drop-cap\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cmqqxpefk00250idojy55b8og@published\" data-word-count=\"116\">Fatigue had caught up to <a href=\"https:\/\/nymag.com\/intelligencer\/article\/new-york-knicks-game-5-nba-finals-title.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jalen Brunson<\/a>. For two grueling months of playoff basketball, he had seemed immune to it, growing stronger in the game\u2019s last minutes just as his opponents would begin to fade. The pattern repeated itself throughout the NBA Finals, when the youthful San Antonio Spurs and their sinewy phenom Victor Wembanyama wilted in the fourth quarter, bricking free throws and committing mystifying turnovers. Brunson and his teammates, however, consistently rallied, turning deficits into leads, and leads into wins, including a stunning <a href=\"https:\/\/nymag.com\/intelligencer\/article\/new-york-knicks-game-four-spurs-brunson-anunoby.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">29-point comeback in game four<\/a>. The most concise explanation for how the <a href=\"https:\/\/nymag.com\/tags\/new-york-knicks\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">New York Knicks<\/a> won their first title in more than a half-century is that they simply outlasted everyone else.<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cmqra5rtz00103b7deuo78g00@published\" data-word-count=\"74\">On his fourth day as an NBA champion, however, Brunson\u2019s voice bore the raspiness of a man running on fumes, his responses clipped and halting. The night before, he had planned on staying up to watch Argentina\u2019s opening match in the <a href=\"https:\/\/nymag.com\/tags\/world-cup-2026\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">World Cup<\/a> but dozed off, waking up only after Lionel Messi had completed a vintage hat trick. \u201cI was pissed,\u201d he told me as we spoke in a hotel suite overlooking Central Park.<\/p>\n<p>\n      It\u2019s Good to Be King<\/p>\n<p>        <a href=\"\"><br \/>\n          <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"package-toc-photo border\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/76243a6ba0978ebed97a2069e43a467f46-1426-Cov-4x5-Jalen.2x.rvertical.w330.jpg\" alt=\"package-table-of-contents-photo\"\/><br \/>\n        <\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cmqra5rvp00113b7dafnh6aq6@published\" data-word-count=\"139\">Brunson had just come from CBS, where he and his father, Knicks assistant coach Rick Brunson, sat for an interview with Gayle King and Nate Burleson \u2014 another stop in a post-title media tour that stretched from daytime television to late night. By then, Brunson had already appeared alongside his fellow Knicks starters on Good Morning America, Today, and the Tonight Show and also made solo appearances on The View and First Take. That evening, he and Josh Hart were expected in the Bronx to toss the first pitch at a Yankees game. A friend\u2019s wedding in New Jersey was on tap for that weekend. And in between, Brunson and the Knicks would be cheered on by some 2 million fans at a <a href=\"https:\/\/nymag.com\/intelligencer\/article\/new-york-knicks-parade-everything-happening-live-updates.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">ticker-tape parade<\/a> that culminated in Mayor Zohran Mamdani giving each player a key to the city.<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cmqra5rxc00123b7dpxypvxh9@published\" data-word-count=\"110\">On a scale that begins with OG Anunoby, the reserved hero behind that last-second tip-in in game four, and ends with Karl-Anthony Towns, who seems destined for a career in broadcasting, Brunson falls somewhere in the middle. He hosts a podcast with Hart and Matt Hillman, The Roommates Show, yet remains fairly guarded in media appearances. He is cerebral without being self-serious, funny without trying too hard to be, and, every now and then, manages to produce a line that lingers. \u201cYou\u2019re allowed to think about the worst possible scenario,\u201d Brunson said after the Knicks\u2019 win in game four, \u201cbut you gotta go out there and do something about it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cmqra5rz400133b7dwrohmoi7@published\" data-word-count=\"234\">The Knicks entered this season with their loftiest expectations since the \u201990s, as owner <a href=\"https:\/\/nymag.com\/intelligencer\/article\/james-dolans-unlikely-redemption-arc.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">James Dolan<\/a> made it clear that a Finals appearance was a minimum requirement. They showed promise early on by winning the NBA Cup, the league\u2019s in-season tournament, and with 53 regular-season victories, they were considered a top contender to emerge from the NBA\u2019s Eastern Conference. Still, the playoffs were widely viewed as a two-horse race between the Spurs and the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder, a pair of Western Conference juggernauts that each won more than 60 games. But something shifted in the first round, when the Atlanta Hawks took a 2-1 series lead over the Knicks. \u201cI don\u2019t think it was a situation where we were nervous,\u201d Brunson told me. \u201cI think it was just a wake-up call like, \u2018This team is good. We can\u2019t overlook them. We know that we need to play better. How can we do that?\u2019 And then as a group, we realized that our attention to detail wasn\u2019t where it needed to be. So did we flip a switch or did we just kind of refocus? I don\u2019t really know, but whatever we did, it worked.\u201d The Knicks comfortably won the remaining games in the series, including a 51-point blowout in the decider, and did not lose again until game three of the NBA Finals, when Donald Trump showed up at Madison Square Garden.<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cmqra5s0p00143b7d6qicpdxw@published\" data-word-count=\"157\">By the time they entered the Finals, the Knicks dominated the conversation in the city and drove the social life of its inhabitants. A playoff game, for both <a href=\"https:\/\/nymag.com\/intelligencer\/article\/knicks-championship-new-york-fandom-has-never-felt-this-good.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">die-hard<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/nymag.com\/intelligencer\/article\/knicks-spurs-nba-finals-bandwagon.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">bandwagon fans<\/a>, became appointment viewing, a reason to gather with friends at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.curbed.com\/article\/new-york-city-knicks-watch-parties.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">teeming bars<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.curbed.com\/article\/new-york-knicks-finals-watch-parties-street-scenes-photos.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">makeshift watch parties<\/a> \u2014\u00a0and to let the children stay up past their bedtime. It was a rolling spectacle that everyone could talk about at the office or gym, in an Uber or on the subway. While New York has two NBA franchises, the Brooklyn Nets \u2014 who relocated from New Jersey nearly 15 years ago \u2014 could never challenge the Knicks\u2019 supremacy. There is no split in allegiances as there are in other parts of the city\u2019s sports landscape, where Mets fans revel in the Yankees\u2019 misfortune and vice versa. The Knicks, for a few thrilling weeks, reminded everyone that they are New York\u2019s favorite team with all five boroughs behind them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cmqra5s2h00153b7dzl0rjxm5@published\" data-word-count=\"144\">Brunson was still processing everything the morning I met him at the Mandarin Oriental. The championship hadn\u2019t fully sunk in yet, he said, and he suspected it wouldn\u2019t until he had some remove from all the confetti and Champagne and \u201cKnicks in Five\u201d chants. \u201cI haven\u2019t internalized it yet,\u201d Brunson told me. \u201cBut I know that down the line, I\u2019ll feel the effects of it.\u201d After the final buzzer sounded for game five in San Antonio, his usual stone face was cracked with streaks of tears. And there had been moments of reflection in the days that followed, like the long stretches of silence in the car with his wife, Ali Marks Brunson, the two staring at each other in elated disbelief. \u201cI haven\u2019t been as emotional,\u201d he said. \u201cI think the further I get away from it, the more I\u2019ll realize what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cmqra5s5700163b7dfuhrfqt2@published\" data-word-count=\"104\">What happened was a citywide exorcism after more than 50 years of falling short, an opportunity for New Yorkers to spill into the streets. It was also vindication: for the Knicks, who saw Brunson as a franchise cornerstone when few others did; for his father, who pushed him relentlessly as a child and hasn\u2019t stopped since; and for Brunson, who could permanently silence the critics. \u201cThis completely changes everyone\u2019s opinion of him going forward,\u201d Ali told me six days later. \u201cIf you\u2019re going to talk about Jalen, you\u2019re going to have to mention that he was a Finals MVP, that he was a champion.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cmqra5s7d00173b7d0rrqngdx@published\" data-word-count=\"139\">Forty-three floors below, Columbus Circle hummed with commuters still basking in the victory, decked out in Knicks gear, adults who might transform into giddy children if they caught a glimpse of Brunson \u2014 to say nothing of the actual youth of New York, for whom he is an icon. The day we spoke, Kim Gordon wore his jersey on The Tonight Show, while a sea of No. 11\u2019s lined the parade route the next morning in lower Manhattan. Brunson acknowledges things will \u201cbe different\u201d but is perhaps understating the new heights of his fame. He prides himself on being a normal guy; when he says \u201cI don\u2019t like to think of myself as a certain somebody,\u201d it\u2019s believable, even if it\u2019s a bit absurd coming from someone already dubbed the \u201cKing of New York\u201d before he won a ring.<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cmqra5sca00183b7d2d4nsgc4@published\" data-word-count=\"38\">\u201cI feel like I used to be able to be kind of low-key and blend in,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t know if it\u2019ll happen around here anymore, at least for now. But it\u2019s a good problem to have.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>                  <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/82ae45be07f4d72adea27cfb788cfaf5f3-DSC02590-1.rhorizontal.w700.jpg\" class=\"img-data\" data-content-img=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"467\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;\"\/> <\/p>\n<p>      Photo: Billy Dinh\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph_drop-cap\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cmqra5si5001a3b7drpvtddi5@published\" data-word-count=\"126\">They doused the trophy in Champagne with Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet somehow right in there with them. \u201cThat was all you,\u201d the actor said, as he embraced Brunson in the locker room. Brunson cradled the Larry O\u2019Brien trophy, as did Towns, who strutted through the arena clutching it and smoking a cigar. Fans at home had a window into all the revelry when Anunoby went live on Instagram and couldn\u2019t figure out how to end the stream. (A boozy Mikal Bridges spilled his guts on the platform a couple days later.) The celebration rolled on aboard the flight from Texas to New York. \u201cEveryone worked so hard for that moment,\u201d Brunson recalls, \u201cand being able to enjoy that with everyone right after the fact, just us, was awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cmqra5sju001b3b7d5dru96cq@published\" data-word-count=\"143\">Brunson relished that night, but one gets the impression his default Saturday is a Netflix binge at home in the suburbs. The next morning, he pulled into his gated community in Westchester, Larry O\u2019Brien trophy in hand, to a scene that resembled a high-school quarterback\u2019s homecoming: the blocks lined with balloons and homemade signs congratulating him. He and Ali spent that Sunday relaxing and playing with their daughter, Jordyn, who turns 2 in July. A few neighbors came by to salute the newly crowned champion, while more hugs and handshakes awaited when he took his dog for a walk. \u201cIt was awesome,\u201d Brunson said. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t overwhelming at all, which is why I love where I live.\u201d Occasionally, he\u2019d wander into the kitchen to marvel at the trophy on his counter, the surreal sight of his childhood dream temporarily converted into home d\u00e9cor.<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cmqra5sla001c3b7dw8s0987h@published\" data-word-count=\"58\">Much has been made of Wembanyama\u2019s pilgrimage last summer to China, where he trained with Shaolin monks, yet it is Brunson \u2014 with his unflappable stoicism and a discipline that veers on devotional \u2014\u00a0who feels truly monastic. By several accounts, including his own, he inherited his sense of calm from his mother, Sandra, whom Ali describes as \u201cZen-like.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cmqra5smj001d3b7dt1o7spj5@published\" data-word-count=\"94\">\u201cShe does a lot, and she handles everything with grace,\u201d said Ali, who works as a licensed physical therapist. \u201cI think Jalen saw that growing up, and he\u2019s able to implement that.\u201d Like his mom, Brunson is measured and deliberate, and he has an uncommon ability to tune out even the most deafening noise around him. He went dark on social media through the playoffs and, as a result, missed some of the Knicks fever that swept through the city: the videos of watch parties, street celebrations, and general euphoria that flooded one\u2019s timeline.<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cmqra5so9001e3b7dymuqm8le@published\" data-word-count=\"126\">The Spurs couldn\u2019t rattle him, try as they might. Wembanyama \u2014 securing his spot in the pantheon of Madison Square Garden villains alongside Reggie Miller and Trae Young \u2014\u00a0tried to bully him, but Brunson kept getting back up, dusting himself off after every hard foul, whether it was called or not. Knicks fans were apoplectic over the Spurs\u2019 sharp elbows, not to mention the officiating. So, too, were the Knicks. Footage surfaced online of Brunson raising a glass with his teammates at one of their many post-title parties. The toast? \u201cFuck Wemby.\u201d (Brunson declined to comment further on that.) In the fourth quarter of game two, Spurs guard De\u2019Aaron Fox seemed to goad him, standing in his face, but somehow Brunson managed to walk away unbothered.<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cmqra5sq9001f3b7dhabritkj@published\" data-word-count=\"61\">His dad, however, was not. Rick Brunson went to the scene of the scrum and told Fox to knock it off. The father-son relationship sits at the center of the Jalen Brunson story, both personal and professional. If Brunson inherited his unbendable poise from his mom, then it was his dad who braced him for the harsh realities of the NBA.<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cmqra5sro001g3b7dle24diom@published\" data-word-count=\"155\">As a child, Jalen eagerly sought his father\u2019s tutelage. Rick had stints on eight different teams, including the Knicks, over nine seasons. He told Jalen that he had the blueprint on how to make it to the pros, and his son absorbed every detail. In the summer months, Jalen would wait for Rick at the foot of the stairs, desperate to tag along on his dad\u2019s offseason workouts. Rick rode Jalen hard, as evidenced by the now-viral home videos of the two practicing on a cracked outdoor court. \u201cTired is for the weak,\u201d Rick can be heard saying in the clip, before demanding his young son perform the same drill again. That sort of thing isn\u2019t for everyone, but, as Jalen has said, it worked for him. Rick would ask if he wanted to make it to the NBA and if he was willing to do what it took; each time, the answer was \u201cyes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cmqra5sv8001h3b7d59eqnx8b@published\" data-word-count=\"94\">The apprenticeship continued when Jalen went to Villanova, where Rick would show up at the dorms so they could get some shots up, and it has continued in the NBA, where Rick has served as both Jalen\u2019s advocate and coach. During the Mavericks\u2019 2022 playoff run, when Jalen emerged as one of their standout performers, Rick turned up the heat on the team\u2019s front office over his son\u2019s impending free agency. If the franchise wanted to retain his son, he told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nba\/story\/_\/id\/33801390\/nba-playoffs-2022-jalen-brunson-star-turn-dallas-mavericks-massive-free-agency-implications\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">ESPN<\/a>, it would have to pay him accordingly. There would be \u201cno discount.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cmqra5sxd001i3b7djh2y1kri@published\" data-word-count=\"64\">\u201cWe\u2019ve got to figure out if Dallas wants him,\u201d Rick said at the time. Then-owner Mark Cuban, meanwhile, complained that his negotiations with Jalen \u201cwent south when the parents got involved.\u201d (While Jalen and Cuban later made a kind of peace, all was not forgotten. Following the Knicks\u2019 title-clinching win this month, Rick <a href=\"https:\/\/www.threads.com\/@espn_macmahon\/post\/DZjfQ52laVK\/rick-brunson-tell-mark-cuban-thank-you\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">told<\/a> a reporter to relay a message: \u201cTell Mark \u2018thank you.\u2019\u201d)<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cmqra5syv001j3b7dypoa5fgo@published\" data-word-count=\"88\">Jalen signed with the Knicks that offseason, weeks after the team hired Rick as an assistant coach under Tom Thibodeau. Rick had previously coached for several teams, including the Denver Nuggets, Chicago Bulls, and Minnesota Timberwolves; he resigned from the last in 2018 following allegations of improper conduct toward women, which he has denied. He was coaching high-school basketball in Camden, New Jersey, before the Knicks gave him an opportunity to return to the pros, resulting in father and son coming to New York with something to prove.<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cmqra5t1x001k3b7dm94gv3ug@published\" data-word-count=\"71\">The captain keeps his inner circle small. Rick was with him when he arrived at the Mandarin Oriental, as was his younger sister, Erica, and his childhood friend Connor Cashaw, both of whom are part of his team of representatives. Rick, wearing a navy suit with a Larry O\u2019Brien trophy pin on his lapel, moved smoothly through the room, speaking closely with Cashaw and Jalen\u2019s security guard in a gravelly baritone.<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cmqra5t3f001l3b7de79fpoqf@published\" data-word-count=\"77\">The Mavericks might have made a more lucrative offer to Brunson in 2022, but the Knicks were able to present him with both a larger role and the chance to join what feels like a family business. Knicks president Leon Rose, a longtime power agent, had previously represented both Rick and Jalen. The two families are extremely close. Rose has known Jalen since birth, and Jalen is currently represented by Rose\u2019s son, Sam, an agent at CAA.<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cmqra5t4w001m3b7dagv5tmfq@published\" data-word-count=\"114\">Rick had never coached one of his son\u2019s teams before, and the dynamic intrigued them both. Jalen has said that the past four seasons with the Knicks have provided bonding opportunities that weren\u2019t always possible in childhood, when Rick was consumed with the grind of an 82-game NBA season. But on the sideline, Rick has continued to supply the tough coaching of Jalen\u2019s childhood summers. In game four of the Knicks\u2019 first-round series against the Hawks, cameras caught the two appearing to have a tense back-and-forth during a timeout. \u201cI think his dad can tell him everything, whatever\u2019s going on, even if it\u2019s tough conversations,\u201d said Bridges. \u201cHe trusts and listens to his dad.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cmqra5t7i001n3b7da0bo6d74@published\" data-word-count=\"73\">Those close to them say they are able to compartmentalize their relationship on the court. \u201cHis dad will come into our house, and we don\u2019t talk about basketball. It\u2019s just about life and vacations and things that we need to do around the house, just like normal day-to-day stuff,\u201d said Ali. \u201cThey\u2019re different people on the court. He\u2019s a coach, and then once they leave the court, it\u2019s just like back to normal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cmqra5t9q001o3b7d14mq1qg4@published\" data-word-count=\"108\">Rick is both fiercely protective of his son and unwilling to indulge in the surrounding hype, a balance that surfaced following the Knicks\u2019 title win. After the clinching game in San Antonio, he intervened when a deputy sheriff attempted to move Jalen amid the chaotic scene on the court. Then, during the media blitz, Rick took him down a peg. Amid the adulation following Jalen\u2019s epic game five \u2014 scoring 45 of the Knicks\u2019 94 points \u2014\u00a0Rick said he still believes that Patrick Ewing is the greatest Knick to date. When I asked him later where Jalen ranks among New York City athletes, Rick expanded on his view.<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cmqra5ta7001p3b7d21oq08t1@published\" data-word-count=\"106\">\u201cYou have to understand we strive for perfection,\u201d Rick said. \u201cI\u2019ve always pushed him. I\u2019m going to continue to push him. People get caught up in the things he\u2019s done in a short period of time, which is tremendous. I mean, look, I\u2019m a proud father, but you have to do this for a long time to be great. I tell him that all the time. You can\u2019t take away from the great ones \u2014 the Walt Fraziers, the Willis Reeds, the Patrick Ewings. They did it for a long period of time. So we still have a long way to go, but we\u2019ll get there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cmqra5tc0001q3b7df79huwp7@published\" data-word-count=\"80\">Rick keeps Jalen\u2019s trophies at his home, a reminder that they are a package deal: father and son, moving in lockstep, united by the same goal. The Finals MVP has now joined the collection, but Rick already has his eye on additional hardware. \u201cYou always think about next season,\u201d Rick said. \u201cThat\u2019s how his mind works. We want to get back to where we were this season and hopefully have a chance to compete for another championship. You want more.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cmqra5tdb001r3b7d3arvxq79@published\" data-word-count=\"41\">There are perks to enjoy in the meantime. After our interview, a publicist for the Knicks asked Jalen if he wanted tickets to this month\u2019s U.S. Open at Shinnecock. Before he could respond, Rick chimed in: \u201cJust say \u2018yeah\u2019 to everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>                      <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/093a70e5a0bd2cbb77d83c7507a0f1fd6d-DSC01614.rvertical.w570.jpg\" class=\"img-data\" data-content-img=\"\" width=\"570\" height=\"712\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;\"\/> <\/p>\n<p>                      <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/70426d8dc2cea0edee4ae9dd72d1606c98-DSC00085.rvertical.w570.jpg\" class=\"img-data\" data-content-img=\"\" width=\"570\" height=\"712\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;\"\/> <\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph_drop-cap\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cmqra5tfx001t3b7d8jsr28ti@published\" data-word-count=\"59\">That Brunson is even in the conversation to be the franchise\u2019s greatest player would have been unthinkable when he signed four years ago. At that point, he had proved to be a good complimentary player, but he was not yet a consensus centerpiece like Luka Don\u010di\u0107, the transcendent playmaker alongside whom Brunson spent his first four seasons in Dallas.<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cmqra5thr001u3b7dkp8txqfa@published\" data-word-count=\"65\">Brunson\u2019s game is not as intuitively understood as other NBA stars\u2019. LeBron James stands out for his power and athleticism, Steph Curry for his unlimited shooting range. At six-foot-two, Brunson plays decidedly below the rim, and his skills \u2014 like the balletic footwork or ability to finish through contact \u2014\u00a0do not inspire awe in the same way as a chase-down block or a distant three-pointer.<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cmqra7e27002f3b7d30ocqd4a@published\" data-word-count=\"93\">Some questioned why the Knicks were paying such a sizable contract \u2014 four years for $104 million \u2014\u00a0to a second-round draft pick with a career scoring average that clocked in at a shade under 12 points per game. The signing marked a radical departure in the Knicks\u2019 approach to roster construction. Throughout the 2010s, the franchise had tried, and mostly failed, to lure marquee names to the Garden. LeBron spurned them in 2010. Nine years later, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving did the same and, even more humiliatingly, signed with the transplanted Nets.<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cmqra5tiw001v3b7d6wjicman@published\" data-word-count=\"139\">But when the Knicks hired Rose in 2020, Dolan took a step back from the team\u2019s basketball operations. Rose rejected the big-game hunting that had come to define the franchise\u2019s offseasons, opting instead for a methodical approach to team building. In 2023, the Knicks acquired two of Brunson\u2019s former Villanova teammates, Hart and Donte DiVincenzo, the latter of whom was dealt to the Timberwolves the following year alongside Julius Randle and others in exchange for Towns. They had also recently landed Bridges, another Villanova alum, from Brooklyn. The moves paid off. Towns has proved to be a better fit with Brunson than Randle, and the presence of his former college teammates \u2014 or the \u201cNova Knicks\u201d \u2014 improved the team\u2019s harmony both on and off the court. They also affirmed what had already become obvious: This was Brunson\u2019s team.<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cmqra5tkc001w3b7dhz54u3jf@published\" data-word-count=\"95\">In Brunson, New York didn\u2019t land a finished product but a player who was still ascending \u2014\u00a0and, perhaps most crucially, one who wanted to be here. The Knicks have made the playoffs in each of his first four seasons with the team, after qualifying for the postseason just five times in the more than two decades leading into his arrival. In 2024, Brunson reinforced his commitment by taking a team-friendly deal rather than waiting a year for a larger extension, leaving $113 million on the table in order to give the Knicks greater financial flexibility.<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cmqra5tm6001x3b7doplwivch@published\" data-word-count=\"158\">The decision only endeared him further to a fan base that had already fallen in love with a player becoming known for delivering in clutch moments. While Durant had said that he \u201cdidn\u2019t want to be the savior of the Knicks or New York,\u201d Brunson, by contrast, seemed to embrace the role. But he and the Knicks never fully quieted the critics until they ripped through the playoffs this spring. The team was good, the prevailing opinion went for much of the past four seasons, but probably not championship good. Brunson faced parallel skepticism: Sure, he had proved to be among the NBA\u2019s best, but could he lead a team that wins four playoff rounds? Brunson\u2019s standing within the organization was never questioned. He was named Knicks captain in 2024, a title that has made him more outspoken. \u201cThe biggest thing I\u2019ve seen since I\u2019ve been here is just how much more vocal he\u2019s become,\u201d Bridges told me.<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cmqra5tnb001y3b7d09zqh2q6@published\" data-word-count=\"73\">Case in point: He used his voice in January, when the Knicks lost eight of their first ten games to start the New Year. After a 17-point loss at home to the Dallas Mavericks that prompted boos from fans, he addressed his teammates in the locker room before the coaches entered. He recalls telling them, \u201cLong story short: We need to be better or we\u2019re all not going to be here much longer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cmqra5top001z3b7d27oi55zw@published\" data-word-count=\"65\">\u201cI don\u2019t want to say we weren\u2019t focused. I just think we weren\u2019t aggressive. We weren\u2019t doing the things we were supposed to do,\u201d Brunson said now of the grim stretch. \u201cWe took a nosedive, and it happens. It\u2019s all about how you respond in those situations.\u201d Another message Brunson instilled in his teammates during that bleak period, said Bridges, was simply to \u201ccalm down.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cmqra5tqc00203b7dvtuncv8q@published\" data-word-count=\"78\">Brunson\u2019s remarks underscored the enormous pressure surrounding the Knicks, which was constructed to win a title \u2014 and could just as readily be dismantled if it fell short. The front office had already fired Thibodeau last year after he had guided the team to its first Conference Finals in a quarter-century. \u201cOur organization is singularly focused on winning a championship for our fans,\u201d Rose said last June, shortly before hiring Mike Brown as the team\u2019s next head coach.<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cmqra5ts500213b7dibx8s7f6@published\" data-word-count=\"27\">Following Brunson\u2019s postgame pep talk, the Knicks rattled off eight wins in a row. Essentially, they thought about the worst possible scenario, then did something about it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cmqra5ttw00223b7dzwf4bm9r@published\" data-word-count=\"100\">Few were more vocal in their doubts about Brunson than Becky Hammon, the head coach of the WNBA\u2019s Las Vegas Aces. During an appearance on ESPN in 2023, Hammon, a former star player herself, said the Knicks weren\u2019t in a position to win a title because they lacked a \u201c1A dude.\u201d Brunson, she argued at the time, was \u201ctoo small\u201d to be that guy, citing the league\u2019s historical trends. On Instagram Live, Bridges said that Brunson used her skepticism as \u201cfuel.\u201d (A more sober Bridges later clarified to me that Brunson \u201cdoesn\u2019t go to sleep worrying about nobody else\u2019s words.\u201d)<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cmqra5tvb00233b7dfzxs0xf5@published\" data-word-count=\"157\">When I asked about Hammon\u2019s comments, Brunson passed on the chance to gloat or to credit her for any added motivation. \u201cI don\u2019t want to say it drove me,\u201d he said. \u201cShe definitely wasn\u2019t the only person that said anything, so I\u2019m not even going to single her out by giving her an answer. I said I didn\u2019t care about it then. I\u2019m not going to answer it now. I feel like I don\u2019t really have to at this point anymore. I did what I was supposed to do.\u201d It is telling, though, that Brunson said he felt \u201crelief\u201d from winning the title, which may speak to the dual burden of expectation and uncertainty that has accompanied his tenure in New York. \u201cI think there was a lot of pressure,\u201d Ali said. \u201cIf he wasn\u2019t able to achieve this, it proves everybody right that New York needed someone different and they made the wrong choice in Jalen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cmqra5twp00243b7d3w2fww9m@published\" data-word-count=\"72\">If the team had fallen short of the ultimate prize again, it\u2019s easy to imagine Knicks fans spending this month debating the merits of Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Milwaukee Bucks star who had long been the subject of trade rumors and who is now heading to the Miami Heat. Even Brunson admitted he doesn\u2019t know if the team would have entered next season with the same core had they not won it all.<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cmqra5u0h00253b7d22e480f1@published\" data-word-count=\"116\">Instead, Brunson enters his first summer as an NBA champion with plenty to do. There will be a family trip, though he isn\u2019t sure where, and at the end of the month he will host his annual basketball camp in the Chicago area, where he attended high school. In the fall, the start of the new season will bring rings and, at long last, a championship banner raised to the Garden rafters. \u201cWe did everything we could to bring something back here,\u201d said Brunson. \u201cThe character and then everything that this team embodies, it means a lot to me. It means a lot to the city, and obviously having a championship puts the cherry on top.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cmqra5u7600263b7d7z3fgqe0@published\" data-word-count=\"71\">And there\u2019s another celebration in the works \u2014\u00a0at the White House. Dolan publicly accepted the president\u2019s invitation, which would make the Knicks the first NBA champion to visit while Trump is in office. Hours before Dolan\u2019s announcement, Brunson appeared noncommittal when I asked about a White House trip. \u201cWe haven\u2019t discussed it,\u201d Brunson said. \u201cBut as a team, we\u2019ll discuss it and we\u2019ll cross that bridge when we get to it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cmqra5u8p00273b7dz3ud8i2j@published\" data-word-count=\"124\">For now, there was a parade to attend with a couple million of Brunson\u2019s friends. Hard-core Knicks fans began staking out their seats along the route the night before, while others hired \u201cline-sitters\u201d to do the waiting for them. On parade day, Brunson rode the float with his wife, sister, and parents, alongside a coterie of Celebrity Row regulars, including Spike Lee, Tracy Morgan, and Mariska Hargitay. Lee later said he felt \u201cblessed\u201d to be on a float alongside the MVP. \u201cI\u2019ve never been to a parade, ever,\u201d he told an MSG Networks reporter. \u201cI\u2019m glad it\u2019s this one!\u201d Meanwhile, Hargitay told the same reporter that to be among Brunson and his family \u201cis just the most extraordinary feeling I think I\u2019ve ever had.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cmqra5u9z00283b7d38jqgej2@published\" data-word-count=\"73\">As he made his way along the route, alternating between holding the Larry O\u2019Brien trophy and his daughter, he looked loose, buoyant, and, yes, relieved. \u201cEveryone gravitates to the Knicks, and I\u2019ve seen that since I got here,\u201d said Brunson. He admits he didn\u2019t fully understand the team\u2019s resonance in the city as a child, when his dad wore the uniform and took him to the Garden. \u201cNow I see it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cmqra5udb00293b7d51ocjd5h@published\" data-word-count=\"66\">At City Hall, Mayor Mamdani gave him a shout-out for his \u201cpay cut,\u201d before Brunson stepped to the podium himself. He was punchier than usual, tiptoeing up to the edge of calling out his critics before pulling back. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of people who have a lot of opinions,\u201d Brunson said. \u201cBut when you prove them wrong, you really don\u2019t have to say shit to them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cmqra5uek002a3b7dwc80xum5@published\" data-word-count=\"42\">The festivities later shifted to the exclusive Chez Margaux, where Knicks players partied with Teyana Taylor, Cardi B, and Adrien Brody. A few hours after being honored at City Hall, draped in orange and blue banners, Brunson addressed his kingdom on X.<\/p>\n<p class=\"clay-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"nymag.com\/intelligencer\/_components\/clay-paragraph\/instances\/cmqra5ugf002b3b7du5j54ruh@published\" data-word-count=\"6\">\u201cNew York !!! Where we at???\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"subscriber-copy\">Thank you for subscribing and supporting our journalism.<br \/>\n    If you prefer to read in print, you can also find this article in the June 29, 2026, issue of<br \/>\n    New York\u00a0Magazine.<\/p>\n<p class=\"non-subscriber-copy\">Want more stories like this one? <a class=\"subscribe-link to-landing-page\" href=\"https:\/\/subs.nymag.com\/magazine\/subscribe\/official-subscription.html?itm_source=disitepromo&amp;itm_medium=siteacquisition&amp;itm_campaign=end-of-magazine-article\" data-affiliate-links-ignore=\"true\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Subscribe now<\/a><br \/>\n    to support our journalism and get unlimited access to our coverage.<br \/>\n    If you prefer to read in print, you can also find this article in the June 29, 2026, issue of<br \/>\n    New York Magazine.<\/p>\n<p>      <a class=\"see-all-link\" href=\"https:\/\/nymag.com\/tags\/new-york-knicks\" aria-label=\"See All from More on the New York Knicks\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/>\n        See All<\/p>\n<p>      <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Fatigue had caught up to Jalen Brunson. For two grueling months of playoff basketball, he had seemed immune&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":769235,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3768],"tags":[7,1066,288,3237,94235,304,6,1220,1136,191,16222,3810,3806,66],"class_list":["post-769234","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york-knicks","tag-basketball","tag-games","tag-jalen-brunson","tag-james-dolan","tag-king-of-new-york","tag-knicks","tag-nba","tag-nba-finals","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-knicks","tag-new-york-magazine","tag-newyork","tag-newyorkknicks","tag-sports"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116804542009805130","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/769234","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=769234"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/769234\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/769235"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=769234"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=769234"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=769234"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}