Elmo and Jalen Brunson are cool.
The iconic “Sesame Street” character caught flak from Knicks fans earlier this month for posting a video on his official social media account saying, “Elmo hopes both teams have fun!” with four basketball emojis, referring to the NBA playoff series between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs.
Elmo’s fairweather message has amassed 27 million views on X, where fans roasted the furry red monster for not picking a side and displaying a lack of media literacy.
“A rotten individual fueled by resentment, ego, and emotional dysfunction,” one user replied. “They imitate confidence, manipulate for attention, and drag others into their chaos because misery is the only thing they know how to spread. F—kk you elmo.”
Elmo tried to walk back his comments, writing, “KNICKS that last message! Elmo didn’t mean to SPUR you on!” He also told E! News on the red carpet, “Elmo has learned that he should not pick favorites for online consumption.”
But the backlash didn’t let up. After the Knicks did the impossible and defeated the Spurs in Game 5 on June 13, millions of New Yorkers flooded the streets — and it quickly became clear the win hadn’t exactly repaired the “Sesame Street” star’s reputation. In one especially deranged bit of viral fallout, a video circulating online shows a Knicks fan displaying a mock Elmo head on a pike above a cardboard sign reading, “TRAITOR.”
The next day, Cookie Monster tried to help repair his friend’s reputation, writing on X, “Elmo teach me not to eat trophy. Me teach Elmo to pick a team.”
Yet it was the even-keeled Brunson who showed Elmo some forgiveness. At the Knicks’ official championship ticker-tape parade on Thursday, Variety filmed the team captain holding up and kissing an Elmo plush with a cardboard sign reading, “Forgive me PLEASE,” while standing beside the NBA championship trophy on his float.
During an interview on “CBS Mornings,” Gayle King asked Brunson why he chose to walk away without saying a word after Spurs star Victor Wembanyama shoved him on what she called “a blatant foul,” and the Knicks captain offered a glimpse into his Mamba mentality that defines his character.
“It was definitely a spur-of-the-moment thing, but no matter what, you have to understand the moment, what you’re doing, and what your main goal and focus are,” he explained. “I’ve always had the ability to stay even-keeled — never too high, never too low. That’s what prepared me for that situation.”
If Brunson can move on from Wembanyama — and Elmo — maybe it’s time for New York to do the same.
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