Jalen Brunson had just delivered the Knicks’ first championship since 1973, but his first instinct at the buzzer was not to join the celebration.
He went to Spurs coach Mitch Johnson first.
It was a small gesture on a night when New York’s captain had every reason to focus only on himself.
Jalen Brunson’s handshake shows the Knicks captain’s class
As the final seconds ticked away in the Knicks’ 94-90 Game 5 win, Brunson walked over to Johnson by ignoring Knicks assistant coaches and players, shook his hand, and only then turned toward the title celebrations.
It was a brief moment, but it stood out.
Reports and video clips after the game focused on Victor Wembanyama heading straight for the Spurs locker room without congratulating the Knicks, with the wider Spurs handshake absence becoming a talking point.
Losing the Finals at home is brutal, especially for a young team that reached this stage earlier than expected. Still, Brunson’s gesture showed why he has become such a steady face for the Knicks.
He had carried the biggest market in basketball to the mountaintop and still found time to acknowledge the coach on the other side before joining Josh Hart, Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges, and the rest of his teammates.
Jalen Brunson’s legacy grows after Finals MVP run
The handshake would not have mattered as much without the performance behind it. Brunson averaged 32.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 4.6 assists in the Finals, then closed the series with 45 points on 14-of-27 shooting and 13-of-15 at the line.
He scored 15 in the fourth quarter of Game 5, turning another Knicks deficit into a championship finish. The voting reflected that dominance, with Brunson taking all 11 Finals MVP votes.
That places him in rare Knicks air. Willis Reed and Walt Frazier still define the 1970 and 1973 title teams. Patrick Ewing remains the franchise’s great symbol of longevity and 1990s relevance.
Brunson now owns the modern argument. He arrived in New York from Dallas as a questioned free-agent signing, became the captain, won Eastern Conference finals MVP, and then delivered the franchise’s first championship in 53 years.
Whether he is already the greatest Knick ever is a debate for history. What is not debatable is how he won. Brunson finished the job, accepted the trophy, and still made sportsmanship his first move.
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