Monica McNutt is thankful for Jalen Brunson.
The ESPN reporter went viral for her questioning Taylor Swift’s fandom during Game 4 of the NBA Finals when the superstar showed up alongside her friends to sit courtside. While McNutt already apologized for her remarks, Brunson also defended her following the New York Knicks’ win over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 to clinch the NBA championship title. The Knicks reporter also thanked Brunson for the layup on her Instagram Story on Monday, June 15.
“King of New York, we good over here,” McNutt wrote alongside the video of Knicks star Jalen Brunson defending her.
As previously mentioned, McNutt went viral for questioning Swift’s Knicks fandom during Game 4.
“Is that Taylor Swift down there?” McNutt asked Knicks’ radio voice, Tyler Murray.
McNutt is later heard saying, “She’s not a Knicks fan, get out of here, girl,” McNutt said.
Knicks radio team on the Hot Mic
"Is that Taylor Swift? She's not a Knicks fan. Get out of here girl.” pic.twitter.com/cGXrzt1VOK
— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) June 11, 2026
McNutt has since apologized per TMZ and shared she has since learned about the singer’s fandom. The outlet reports that since she’s been covering celebrity row all season and didn’t see Swift, it reflected in her assumption.
Brunson then defended McNutt after the NBA championship win.
“I just want to say something to the Swifties. She’s a really good one. Cut her some slack. It’s all good. I promise,” Brunson said.
Jalen Brunson: “I just want to say something to the Swifties. She’s a really good one. Cut her some slack. It’s all good. I promise”
Monica McNutt: “
Thank you” pic.twitter.com/0EClYe9H1l
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) June 14, 2026
McNutt began laughing and responded, “Thank you.”
She then spoke about the incident on Breakfast Club about the backlash she received following the incident.
“Even if you call out race being super peace of mind, I’m just making an observation of what is happening,” she said. “Quickly people were like, ‘Oh, you’re racist.’ No, I’m kind of stating a fact. But we have had to live in the fact and it makes everybody else uncomfortable. I didn’t even remember saying it, y’all.”
McNutt added, “It was just like, ‘Oh girl, get out of here. I ain’t seen you all year.’ But words are powerful, the way the story gets told. All of these things come into play.”
Swift shared her admiration for the Knicks began when she was a teenager after participating in a talent show sponsored by the team.
“So I’ve always had this sort of love of the Knicks, just because Amar’e is so cool,” Swift told Time Magazine in 2014. “And also I performed at the Knicks’ — at Madison Square Garden’s Kids Talent Competition at halftime — when I was 12 or 13,” Swift explained.
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