Rick Brunson: “I’m gonna stop the argument too, no disrespect, I love my son, Patrick Ewing is the greatest Knick that I’ve ever witnessed.”
Kenny Smith: “Well, I’m gonna say it, it’s gonna be debatable now.”
(h/t @MrBuckBuckNBA)
Getty
Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks celebrates with the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award trophy and his father Rick Brunson after defeating the San Antonio Spurs in Game Five of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center on June 13, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas.
New York Knicks captain Jalen Brunson got roasted not once, but twice, by his father, Rick Brunson, after he captured his first NBA title on Saturday.
First, Rick Brunson pushed back on Charles Barkley’s theory that his son was the “greatest free-agent signing in NBA history,” while picking Shaquille O’Neal’s decision to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1996 as his top choice.
“Shaq was the greatest free-agent signing. He was,” Brunson said with his son sitting beside him, eliciting laughter from the “Inside the NBA” crew.
Of course, Shaq did deliver three NBA titles to the Lakers after signing with them.
Moments later, Rick Brunson took another jab at his son.
“No disrespect — I love my son — but Patrick Ewing is the best Knick that I’ve ever witnessed,” he said.
Rick Brunson pushed back further on the narrative that his son had surpassed Ewing, Willis Reed and Walt Frazier as the greatest Knicks ever.
When Kenny Smith said it was now a “debatable” argument, Rick disagreed.
“Could be debatable, but Ewing is the best,” he stressed.
Rick Brunson: “I’m gonna stop the argument too, no disrespect, I love my son, Patrick Ewing is the greatest Knick that I’ve ever witnessed.”
Kenny Smith: “Well, I’m gonna say it, it’s gonna be debatable now.”
(h/t @MrBuckBuckNBA)
A little later, Rick Brunson also gatecrashed his son’s news conference and seized the Larry O’Brien Trophy and Brunson’s Billy Russell NBA Finals MVP trophy, too.
On the flipside, Jalen Brunson also took a playful jab at his father when told at the podium that he was the first Knick ever to score 40 points in an NBA Finals game.
“Do you know who the other Knick was?” asked Ernie Johnson at the podium.
“I was gonna guess Rick Brunson, but probably not,” he responded.
By scoring 45 points in the series-clinching 94-90 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday, Jalen Brunson became just the fourth player to score 45 or more points in an NBA Finals-clinching game. He joined Michael Jordan, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bob Pettit in the elusive list.
“It’s everything we ever dreamed of,” Brunson said after his historic outing.
“It’s why I came to New York.”
The Knicks captain was literally speechless for a few seconds.
“Words can’t describe it but I’ll say I put a lot of time and effort into trying to be the best player I can be to try and help a team win,” Brunson said. “Just really thankful to have the organization, the coaching staff, my teammates, to have my back every single day. I think that means the most to me. And my family.”
Teammate OG Anunoby, who had a great NBA Finals series, praised Brunson for carrying the team to the finish line.
“Resilient, mentally tough … no matter if we’re down, [he stays] in attack mode and plays to the end,” Anunoby said of Brunson, via ESPN’s Tim Bonemps.
“He’s an amazing player and it showed. [He] showed the world tonight.”
Sai Mohan covers the NBA for Heavy.com. Based in Portugal, Sai is a seasoned sportswriter with nearly two decades of publishing experience, including bylines at Yardbarker, FanSided's Hoops Habit and more. More about Sai Mohan
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