Something truly rare has happened in the NBA.
The New York Knicks announced in an official statement on Monday that they have named Jaylen Brunson as their official captain for the upcoming season. Brunson becomes the 36th captain in the franchise’s history. The Knicks will honor Brunson with a special ceremony.
New York reserved a seat at Madison Square Garden, the team’s home arena, and invited fans and Brunson 토토 to attend the ceremony.
That wasn’t all. Some of New York’s biggest sports stars congratulated Brunson via video letter. Derek Jeter (former New York Yankees), Aaron Judge (current New York Yankees), David Wright (former New York Mets), Aaron Rodgers (current New York Jets), and other New York sports stars congratulated Brunson.
In addition, New York legends Walt Frazier, Alan Houston, and Patrick Ewing sent video congratulations to Brunson.
“I loved the event,” Brunson said of the captaincy ceremony. It made me feel happy, and I’m grateful to the New York club for giving me this honor,” he said.
Brunson also said, “I will give everything for New York. The priority is the NBA championship. I will do whatever it takes to win a championship for New York next season. I think we’ve done a great job this offseason adding depth. I think we’re very capable of challenging for a championship,” he added, expressing his excitement for next season.
In the NBA, teams don’t have official captains. Of course, every team has an unspoken leader who guides the locker room, but they don’t have an overt captain. Sometimes, like in the case of New York and Brunson, the team appoints one, but it’s a rare occurrence.
This shows how much faith and love the Knicks have for Brunson. Brunson is one of the best guards in the NBA today. He averaged 28.7 points and 6.7 assists per game in the 2023-2024 season, leading New York to the playoffs and being an ace in the playoffs.
Brunson’s talent isn’t the only reason New York fans love him. This offseason, Brunson signed a four-year, $156.5 million extension with New York. Even $156.6 million is a lot of money, about $215 billion in today’s dollars. But after just one year, Brunson had the right to opt-in to a five-year, $270 million deal, meaning he took a $115 million hit.
It was all for the good of New York’s finances. New York re-signed OG Anunoby and also acquired Mikal Bridges in a trade. Bridges was also approaching free agency, so offering Brunson a big contract would have made it difficult to re-sign him. Brunson’s generosity made it more likely that Bridges would stay.
He’s a solid player, and he’s made a financial sacrifice for the team. That”s why New York fans love Brunson.
In fact, Brunson has become New York’s favorite sports star. The New York Post, a local New York newspaper, conducted a poll of New Yorkers asking them who they thought represented the city. Brunson received the most votes, along with Yankees superstar Jeter.
Judge is one of the best players in the MLB right now, and an overwhelming favorite. Jersey is a franchise star who has played exclusively for the Yankees and is a favorite of Yankees fans. To be associated with him is a testament to Brunson’s popularity.
Now, Brunson and New York have their sights set on a championship. New York hasn”t won a championship since 1973. If Brunson leads New York to the NBA Finals, a statue of him will be built in Madison Square Garden.