{"id":2957,"date":"2026-06-14T05:34:23","date_gmt":"2026-06-14T05:34:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=2957"},"modified":"2026-06-14T05:34:23","modified_gmt":"2026-06-14T05:34:23","slug":"jalen-brunson-bet-on-himself-and-bet-on-the-knicks-a-championship-and-a-finals-mvp-was-his-reward","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=2957","title":{"rendered":"Jalen Brunson bet on himself and bet on the Knicks. A championship and a Finals MVP was his reward"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

SAN ANTONIO (AP) \u2014 Jalen Brunson was fully aware of how much money some people spent to see the New York Knicks finally become champions again. Some tickets during the NBA Finals sold for $5,000, some for $50,000, some for probably more.<\/p>\n

Read more Felon nabbed, car seized in Smithfield raid that uncovered cocaine, guns: Police<\/a><\/p>\n

Of course, Brunson parted with more money than any of those fans.<\/p>\n

Brunson is now an NBA champion and NBA Finals MVP in large part because of what he did against the San Antonio Spurs in the finals \u2014 though, really, his biggest contribution to this title run likely came in 2024, when he left as much as $113 million on the bargaining table to allow the Knicks the financial flexibility they needed to finish building a championship roster.<\/p>\n

It was considered an unprecedented move.<\/p>\n

It paid off.<\/p>\n

Brunson had 45 points \u2014 including 13 straight down the stretch \u2014 to lead the Knicks to a 94-90, title-clinching win over the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night, one that sealed a 4-1 win.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew it was achievable,\u201d Brunson said.<\/p>\n

It was a storybook finish to a story like none other; not only did Brunson make the Knicks champions, he made his dad one as well. Rick Brunson played for the Knicks, and now is an assistant coach on his kid\u2019s team.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have all of his trophies,\u201d Rick Brunson said. \u201cHe has not one trophy at his house. I\u2019m going to get his MVP trophy, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Big Apple legend for life<\/h3>\n

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\u2019t seek attention \u2014 in fact, he genuinely seems to dislike it \u2014 but such is the risk one takes when he leads a storied franchise to its first title in more than half a century.<\/p>\n

There was no doubt Jalen Brunson would win finals MVP. Knicks coach Mike Brown doesn\u2019t understand why he wasn\u2019t among the top vote-getters for the regular-season MVP as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope you guys will listen to me: He\u2019s a top-three MVP candidate,\u201d Brown said, holding his grandson on his lap in the championship celebration. \u201cEverybody kind of mentions his name in passing. They don\u2019t do it seriously enough. \u2026 He is a fricking 1-A. He is a MVP candidate and I hope tonight you guys recognize what this man is about.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is him.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u2019s worn the franchise\u2019s colors. They\u2019ve now won eight playoff series with Brunson in the lineup; they won seven series, total, from 1998 through 2022.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s a bona fide superstar as well, with three consecutive All-Star selections and three consecutive seasons in which he\u2019s averaged at least 26 points. The only other players to do that in each of the last three years \u2014 be an All-Star and average 26 points in every one \u2014 are Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo.<\/p>\n

They\u2019ve all been NBA champions, too. So, now, is Brunson.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a tremendous player that\u2019s skilled, picks his spots, knows his angles, shoots contested shots without being sped up,\u201d Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said earlier in the finals. \u201cHe\u2019s a phenomenal player.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more The Comeback Knicks are the Champion Knicks: Brunson scores 45, and New York tops Spurs for title<\/a><\/p>\n

Another title won in Texas<\/h3>\n

Texas has been good to Brunson when it comes to titles. Villanova\u2019s 2016 championship was won in Houston, and the 2018 championship came in San Antonio \u2014 at the Alamodome, just a few minutes away from the arena that the Spurs call home.<\/p>\n

Oddly, Texas wasn\u2019t always that good to Brunson as a pro \u2014 which is how he ended up in New York.<\/p>\n

Brunson joined the Knicks in 2022 after leaving Dallas, which didn\u2019t offer him a contract anywhere near what the Villanova guard felt he deserved.<\/p>\n

And then, two years later, Brunson took far less than he\u2019d earned.<\/p>\n

In 2024, Brunson signed a four-year extension with New York that could be worth $156.5 million if he accepts his option for the 2028-29 season. If Brunson waited until 2025 for his extension, he would have been eligible for a five-year, $269 million deal.<\/p>\n

Brown said, if he was in that position, he wouldn\u2019t have taken the discount deal.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe set the bar before he even stepped on the floor,\u201d Brown said.<\/p>\n

Brunson will almost certainly recoup some if not all of that money in his next extension, one that could top $300 million \u2014 possibly by a lot. But by passing up the much larger guarantee then, he provided the Knicks with the ability to make other moves that are paying off now.<\/p>\n

And among the ones that followed his June 2024 decision: The Knicks brought in starters Mikal Bridges (a former Villanova teammate) and Karl-Anthony Towns.<\/p>\n

Could all that have happened if Brunson didn\u2019t accept the smaller extension? Maybe, but unlikely.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he\u2019s still underrated in the league, and he keeps proving people wrong, game by game, series by series, playoff appearance by playoff appearance,\u201d said Knicks forward Josh Hart \u2014 one of the \u2018Nova Knicks,\u2019 the moniker given to the trio of himself, Brunson and Bridges, all NCAA champions at Villanova who have now become NBA champions in New York. \u201cAs a friend, as a teammate, it\u2019s funny because you know he\u2019s one of the best players in the league, and you\u2019re happy that he\u2019s starting to get some recognition.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019s getting more than some recognition. He\u2019s getting a ring.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust thankful that this opportunity presented itself,\u201d Brunson said, \u201cand we were able to get it done.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Smithfield woman dies in Johnston County single-car crash, troopers say<\/a><\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP NBA: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/nba<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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