Jalen Brunson will forever be immortalized as one of the greatest players in New York Knicks history. His clutch performances and leadership led to the Knicks winning their first NBA title since 1973, and in the process, he was the Finals MVP.
Much has been said about Brunson’s willingness to do what it took to win. That became evident courtesy of his father, Rick, during his discussion of Jalen’s first meeting with head coach Mike Brown, per Sam Amick of The Athletic.
After Brown became the head coach, he called Rick. Afterward, Brown forged a connection with Jalen, with Dad providing some pointers.
“The first thing he did was drive down to Jalen’s house and go to dinner with him in Jersey Shore,” Rick Brunson told The Athletic late Saturday night. “And I had told him, ‘Build a good relationship with Jalen, and he’ll run through a wall for you.’ That’s what they both did (this season). This is amazing, man. Mike’s been amazing. He gives way too much credit to everybody else. This is Mike Brown.”
The rest is history.
Brunson became the focal point of a Knicks team seething with ambition, possibility, and cohesiveness. That enabled them to get past a Spurs team that is young and still searching for an identity.
Along the way, Brown heaped praise on Brunson, saying he deserves more credit than he is being given. Additionally, Brown called out the media for discrediting Brunson after he won the NBA Cup MVP last December.
The right player, the right coach, the right time.
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