It paid off. Brunson now has a seat at the table of sports kings of New York, alongside the likes of Derek Jeter, Eli Manning, Mark Messier and others. Deliver a championship to the Big Apple and you get celebrated for life. Brunson doesn’t seek attention – in fact, he genuinely seems to dislike it – but such is the risk one takes when he leads a storied franchise to its first title in more than half a century. There are countless reasons why the
Knicks have turned their fortunes around over the last four seasons, but the list starts with Brunson. New York had four winning seasons in a 21-year span before Brunson arrived; the Knicks have had four winning seasons in the four years that he’s worn the franchise’s colors. They’ve now won eight playoff series with Brunson in the lineup; they won seven series, total, from 1998 through 2022. He’s a bona fide superstar as well, with three consecutive All-Star selections and three consecutive seasons in which
he’s averaged at least 26 points. The only other players to do that in each of the last three years – be an All-Star and average 26 points in every one – are Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo. They’ve all been NBA champions, too. So, now, is Brunson.
Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks, Knicks championship, NBA Finals MVP, playoff series wins, All-Star, scoring average, Derek Jeter, Eli Manning, Mark Messier
Finally, New York showed up.
I kinda feel like this is just because they got lucky in the Finals, but hey… if it worked it worked. Also Jeter and Manning comparisons always seem weird to me for basketball.
Didn’t the Knicks win a title already like in the 70s? So “first title in more than half a century” sounds right-ish but I feel like I’m missing something. Brunson bet on himself… so like he invested his own money? idk
The article says he “dislikes attention” which is funny because that’s literally what sports is. But I will say those stats are wild, like 26 points every year and All-Star consecutively. The part comparing him to Jokic/SGA/KD/Giannis is basically saying he’s already in the same tier as champions, so hopefully they don’t mess it up next season.