The New York Knicks have a new Finals MVP, and Jalen Brunson’s place in franchise history is now a completely different conversation.
Winning the championship changes everything. Brunson is no longer just the face of this Knicks era; he is now being discussed alongside the names that have defined New York basketball for decades.
That makes the view of Rick Brunson especially interesting. As Jalen’s father, a former NBA guard and someone who knows the pressure around the Knicks better than most, he was asked to weigh in on the greatest Knick debate.
Rick Brunson backs Patrick Ewing in greatest Knick debate
After leading the Knicks to the title and winning Finals MVP, the debate around Brunson’s legacy has moved much faster than anyone expected.
The Brunson free-agent signing debate has been well and truly settled, but in a clip shared by Hoop Central, Rick kept Patrick Ewing at the top of his personal list.
He said: “I’m going to stop the argument too. No disrespect, I love my son, Patrick Ewing is the greatest Knick that I’ve ever witnessed.”
Kenny Smith immediately pushed back on how settled that debate still is, adding: “Well, I’m going to say it, it’s going to be debatable now.”
Ewing still has the longevity, the iconic status and the weight of carrying the Knicks for years. But Brunson now has the championship and Finals MVP that every New York star before him in the modern era was chasing.
That is why being crowned Mr. New York no longer feels like hype. The best player in the biggest market is now an undisputed superstar, and the title has pushed him into a different class.
Rick may not be ready to move his son above Ewing yet. But if Brunson keeps building from here, even his father might have to change his mind in the coming years.
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