SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Jalen Brunson knew exactly how much fans were shelling out to witness the New York Knicks capture an NBA championship. Finals tickets were going for $5,000, $50,000, and in some cases even more.
But no one in those seats gave up more money than Brunson himself.
Brunson walked away from this season as both an NBA champion and the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player — a reward built largely on his performance against the San Antonio Spurs in the Finals, but more importantly on a financial sacrifice he made back in 2024. That year, Brunson voluntarily left as much as $113 million in potential earnings on the table, giving the Knicks the salary cap room they needed to assemble a championship-caliber team around him.
It was called an unprecedented move at the time.
It turned out to be the right one.
With a championship now in hand, Brunson has earned a place among New York’s all-time sports legends — a group that includes the likes of Derek Jeter, Eli Manning, and Mark Messier. Brunson, by most accounts, is someone who prefers to stay out of the spotlight. But when you deliver a first title in more than 50 years to one of sports’ most storied franchises, the attention is unavoidable.
The Knicks’ turnaround over the past four seasons has many contributors, but Brunson sits at the top of that list. Before he arrived, New York had managed just four winning seasons over a 21-year stretch. Since Brunson joined the team, the Knicks have posted four winning seasons in four years. They have won eight playoff series with him in uniform; in the 24 years from 1998 through 2022, the franchise won just seven total.
His individual credentials are equally impressive. Brunson has earned three straight All-Star selections and has averaged at least 26 points per game in each of the past three seasons. The only other players to accomplish both of those things over that same three-year stretch are Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Kevin Durant, and Giannis Antetokounmpo — all NBA champions. Brunson now joins that club.
Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson offered high praise during the series. “He’s a tremendous player that’s skilled, picks his spots, knows his angles, shoots contested shots without being sped up,” Johnson said. “He’s a phenomenal player.”
Interestingly, the state of Texas has been a lucky destination for Brunson when it comes to winning titles. His Villanova squad claimed the 2016 national championship in Houston, and the 2018 title came in San Antonio — at the Alamodome, just a short distance from the arena where the Spurs play.
Texas as a professional stop, however, was a different story — and that’s ultimately what brought Brunson to New York.
After departing Dallas in 2022 following a contract dispute in which the team failed to offer him what he believed he was worth, Brunson signed with the Knicks.
Two years later, he made another financial decision that raised eyebrows across the league.
In 2024, Brunson agreed to a four-year contract extension with New York valued at up to $156.5 million — if he exercises his option for the 2028-29 season. Had he waited until 2025 to sign an extension, he would have been eligible for a five-year deal worth $269 million.
The expectation is that Brunson will more than make up for the difference in his next contract, which could exceed $300 million — perhaps by a significant margin. But by accepting the smaller deal when he did, he freed up the money the Knicks needed to make additional moves. Following his June 2024 decision, New York added starters Mikal Bridges — a former Villanova teammate — and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Whether those additions could have happened without Brunson’s sacrifice is debatable, but most would say it was unlikely.
Knicks forward Josh Hart — part of what fans have dubbed the ‘Nova Knicks, the nickname for the trio of Hart, Brunson, and Bridges, all of whom won NCAA championships at Villanova and have now won an NBA title in New York — reflected on what Brunson means to the team.
“I think he’s still underrated in the league, and he keeps proving people wrong, game by game, series by series, playoff appearance by playoff appearance,” Hart said. “As a friend, as a teammate, it’s funny because you know he’s one of the best players in the league, and you’re happy that he’s starting to get some recognition.”
Recognition doesn’t quite cover it anymore. Now, he has a ring.
