Shortly after the Knicks won their first NBA championship since 1973, captain Jalen Brunson had a simple message for people denying his status as a “1A” player.
“I didn’t respond to them then, I’m damn sure not gonna respond to them now,” Brunson said.
Critics have often said Brunson isn’t a 1A player because he might not fit the typical definition. Large guards like Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant, and big men like Shaquille O’Neal or Tim Duncan, are examples of what people have traditionally thought of as 1A players.
Jalen Brunson lifts the NBA Finals MVP trophy after the Knicks’ championship win on June 13, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
JUNE 13: Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks talks to the media after the game San Antonio Spurs during Game Five of the 2026 NBA Finals on June 13, 2026 at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. NBAE via Getty Images
Brunson has received criticism in the past, most infamously from Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon, for being incapable of the 1A status due to his size. But Brunson has been changing the definition of a 1A player with his impact on the Knicks as a franchise.
Brunson was named Finals MVP after scoring 45 points in the championship-clinching Game 5 Saturday night.
He was the unanimous selection for the Bill Russell Trophy as Finals MVP amongst 11 voters. Only three other players have ever scored 45 or more points in a closeout Finals game.
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Since being signed to a four-year, $104 million contract in free agency in 2022, Brunson has been the cornerstone of the Knicks’ turnaround. Before Brunson left Dallas for New York, the Knicks had won one playoff series in 21 seasons. In the four years since Brunson came to town, they have won at least one playoff series every season.
The immediate success Brunson has brought to the Big Apple has the signing considered one of the best in NBA history.
A man holds a poster of New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson, as fans gather along 42nd Street in Times Square, on the day of Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs, in New York City, U.S., June 13, 2026. REUTERS“He understands what winning is about,” head coach Mike Brown said. “Now when you take his play into account, it’s off the charts, man. Brunson…he is him, man.
“When it comes to New York basketball, he is freaking him.”
