Jalen Brunson walks past Knicks coaches without a second thought to shake Mitch Johnson’s hand after the final buzzer
I know these things don’t matter to people in the legacy conversations but it’s always just a huge plus to have the guys who won also be class acts
I try not to tear people entire character down on not wanting to be vulnerable out there in front of 20k people dapping the other team up, because it’s a tough spot and they’re people too.
But I do have infinitely more respect for the people who do.
Brunson is flawless. Makes it tougher to hate watch.
He really is. The ultimate underdog, underestimated at every step, sacrificed for his team, experienced, uncrackable under pressure, doesn’t complain, gracious in victory and defeat. A well deserved championship.
The funniest thing is that he’s an underdog despite what hes accomplished at every level
FIBA under 19 world cup mvp (2015)
USA basketball athlete of the year (2015)
All freshman team (2016)
First team all conference (2017, 2018)
Conference player of the year (2018)
First team all American (2018)
Collegiate player of the year (2018)
2x NCAA champion (2016, 2018)
Collegiate player of the decade (2010s)
3x nba all star (24-26)
3x nba 2nd team (24-26)
nba champ, finals mvp (26)
All the guy does is win.
Yo you forgot he got NBA Cup champ, and NBa Cup finals mvp, and ECF finals champion and ECF MVP and shooting stars challenge champion 2026
Not enough. Still too small to win again. And not better than the top 10 in the league. Plenty of other top players to build a franchise around before him.
/s
For those that keep disrespecting him - please continue to do so. It truly helps.
dude hasn’t done shit in my rec league
Because they say when it gets to the next level, ‘he’s not enough to be the best’.
Well he’s the best. What a player, what a run. I can’t be happier for any player in the league.
I’ll admit I’m not into NBA like I once was, I watch the big games and I have certain people I watch but Brunson is one I slept on. I was amazed at his gameplay and last night he killed it, it was really something to watch him score almost half the points for his team. He deserves this, I really wanted it for him too.
When he picked up a foul in the 4th quarter I was like, damn, that’s his first foul? Damn he’s clean. In a game that’s hard to argue wasn’t called in favour of the Spurs, he basically stayed clean the entire time and racked up 43 points.
He really was doubted at every step.
Now there are no more steps. But I bet someone will still find something to say about him. Like, he is too small to repeat. And then he probably will. lol.
Btw, I am a spurs fan. Just here to tip my hat and appreciate his greatness.
Now there are no more steps. But I bet someone will still find something to say about him.
“He never won regular season MVP, so he’s not really a top guy!”
Give Brunson face of the league, next Curry. Screw wemby ant luka all dem other guys, Brunson has time n time proven to be genuine and he’s all heart, I didn’t really think he was gonna carry NY to a chip but I always thought he had that dog in him
As a Sixers fan I just can’t hate these Knicks, sue me Philly. Like why cause they beat our sorry ass all the time? Thats loser shit. And it’s not like they’re the fucking Celtics.
Also a bit of “let them celebrate”. Is Wemby supposed to wait for them to stop crying and hugging their kids?
That’s what Kornet and Barnes did. They lurked a bit behind to let the Knicks celebrate and then caught a couple of the players as they peeled away from the mob.
To be fair Kornet and Barnes have been there before (on both sides of it)
They’re also vets. The young guys aren’t. Maybe it’s a youth thing, or this generation thing. Hopefully the former.
I remember KD and Kawhi would congratulate the winning team when they lost, ik KD did on the Thunder, it doesn’t mean that much but it’s still shows sportsmanship
I think Draymond was the only Warrior to congratulate the Cavs after 2016.
At least they had an excuse, now that the Last Dance has been out every player should know the dangers of not shaking.
People weren’t also looking at Kornet and Barnes to lead their team to a championship as they ascend to the highest level of nba stardom.
No offense, they’re both pros and had a role to play but the situation they are in isn’t the same as Wembys
yea, your emotion is more in check when you’re a role player trying to fulfill your role compared to someone who’s carrying all the weight and expectation
Kornet was a Knick
Plumlee walking out without shaking hands surprised me because of this.
Almost every finals loser in almost every sport stays to congratulate the winning team. It’s drilled in you from a young age as a part of sportsmanship.
I remember very well that Steph and Draymond both stayed back and congratulated Lowry, Kawhi and other Raptors players.
Iggy too
In the NHL, it’s literally something they use for marketing: The Cup’s not yours until you shake on it. I’m very much hoping I can watch my ‘Canes shake on it tonight with Vegas before we hoist the Cup! Gonna be tough though…
Habs fan here. You guys have a great team. Totally shut us down. Best of luck
Don’t think they do in baseball, at least not that I can remember.
It’s mostly a NFL/NHL thing. NBA sometimes.
They dont at the pro level, but baseball is notorious for cheating and poor sportsmanship.
And also for people being such stuff shirts crying about unwritten rules and playing “the right way”
You’d think congratulating the winner would be part of the unwritten rules of playing the game the right way.
In a vacuum sure. I’m biased as a Knicks fan but Wemby has disappointed both on and off the court this series. A lot of bratty behavior.
I think it looks worse in comparison to how Brunson and the Knicks have carried themselves throughout the playoffs. OKC was so hated that the Spurs became the lesser of 2 evils in that series.
Wemby walked passed Brunson who was actively shaking hands and hugging Spurs players, so I get not wanting to wait for everyone, but 10-15 seconds after time expired he ignored the captain of the other team who was trying to shake his hand.
This is why I don’t hold it too hard against Wemby and the other Spurs players. The Knicks were always going to be more interested in celebrating than shaking hands with their opponents at the end of this one.
Cool of Kornet and Barnes to wait around to congratulate them, but I think the others not doing so was a lack of maturity rather than anything deplorable. Hopefully they’ll learn and be better next time.
There’s a great video of Luka hugging and congratulating Brown after the Celtics won. Somehow every other finals loser finds a graceful way to do it.
Brunson was walking towards wemby thinking they were gonna dap up but wenby ran away like a bitch
That’s pretty standard protocol yeah
Steph and Draymond did in 2016 after they blew a 3-1 lead. So yeah
Jalen is such a role model. He’s a role model for role models. It’s not fake, either. Dude is genuine as hell and he’s honest. I typically do not put athletes on pedestals anymore because it has burned me in the past, but Jalen is about as legit as they come. He can finally let his hair down in front of everyone now.
For real, as a pacers fan I still have a lot of respect for him. I hate to play against him but there’s no doubt he’s an upstanding guy who balls out of his mind. Knowing it’s him getting it instead of shai makes me sleep well at night lol
Brunson really won me over the last few years. Seems like a top bloke, and had me rooting for the Knicks this postseason despite being a Miami fan.
I think a lot of people are starting to factor it in somewhat. A lot of the people that view Kobe highly, like top 5 think Mamba mentality is a positive. A lot of the people who are lower on him view mamba mentality as a thing that may have held kobe back in the post-shaq era because he was so overbearing on teammates.
One can only imagine how great the Dwight/Kobea/Pau trio could be if they had just gotten along. Or how long shaq would’ve stayed if he and kobe never got into it.
Mentality isn’t the end all be all, let’s be real most all time greats are truly just ass holes. But on some level, it matters.
I get the winner mentality, but you don’t necessarily have to be an asshole to be an all time great. Case in point - Tim Duncan.
That’s obviously true, and my comment is not meant to disagree with you. I think the reality is that assholes and sociopaths have an easier path to greatness when they have the talent. That’s why we see more of them. I’m willing to expand on this point if anyone wants to engage.
I get what you’re saying, but that Lakers team didn’t work because Dwight’s back was messed up that season and Steve Nash was washed. Kobe had to carry them all season until his achilles gave out.
Yeah but I think his point is if Kobe wasn’t such a dick to Howard he might have resigned in LA instead of going to Houston and then a healthy Howard/Gasol/Kobe could have been intersting.
Dwight hated the coach, the PG and the PF. And Dwight has had a negative locker room story on most teams after Lakers. Dwight also left Orlando on horrible terms. Acting like those problems would go away if Kobe was nice to him is hilarious
All of Kobe’s teammates post Shaq pre Gasol were a bunch of role players or worse, as soon as gasol went to LA Kobe went to 3 straight finals. Kobe, Dwight, and Pau not working had nothing to do with them not getting along Dwight had a serious back injury that never got addressed and Mike Dantoni tried to turn Pau gasol into a catch and shoot 3pt shooter. You clearly weren’t watching the NBA when these things actually happened.
facts. and the way he went straight to mitch johnson specifically — that’s a guy who knows who really put in the work with him
Tom Brady doesn’t get nearly enough shit for the way he acts after losing
I’d say this definitely has an impact on legacy because people remember the little things too. Being a class act has only helped legends.
Look at David Robinson vs Karl Malone. Both great players and very good careers with similar-ish lifetime states. I don’t know about other people but the first thing that pops into my mind is David was always classy and showed up for the community it and players but Karl…
Plus it just helps to root for nice people.
Wembanyama might end up better than Duncan or Robinson in GOAT rankings, but he took a turn in the last month down a path neither of them ever dared to darken, and that’s not what this city has built into its identity as the man we want to lead this team. He has a long way to go before he replaces the Admiral or the Big Fundamental in our hearts, no matter how many titles he brings to this city.
Dude. I hate the Knicks. Boston till I die. Fuck New York.
That being said, I am an incredibly huge fan of Jalen Brunson. What an absolute beast and a good man.
Everyone has better manners than Jalen Brunson until it’s time to have better manners than Jalen Brunson.
Did you see the Jalen and Rick’s post game interview with the Inside crew? They asked Rick where Jalen gets his character from and Jalen was like “that’s 100% from my mom.”
Yea, you probably don’t want to learn manners from the man who’s been accused of sexual misconduct multiple times.
faaaaaaaaawwwwk i didn’t know that :(
Wait what??
Do a search for “rick brunson lifetime fitness”.
Jfc I had no idea
his dad saying that chuck was wrong about him being the best free agent signing ever and that ewing was the greatest knick ever right after jalen won the finals MVP actually made me mad.
That was really out of pocket. Like your son is already the most humble superstar there can be, don’t try to put him in his place during his greatest moment.
Yeah that’s fucked up. Hate to say it but that type of shit is prolly why Jalen is such a dawg. Always had something to prove, even to his own father.
Honestly he’s lucky. It very very could have easily had the opposite effect. If anything I feel like it usually does. His mama must have really been able to ground him.
why was he even up there with Jalen??
because Rick is less likely to catch new allegations in front of a camera
I mean he is a coach on the team it’s not crazy he went up there with his son.
do you actually think he was being serious? its a light ribbing between father and son and dudes on reddit need to feel some type of way about it.
Thing is he said that and that Jalen wasn’t the best free agent signing like Chuck always says. It felt really awkward live.
I watched live and it was definitely a bit awkward, but what I think he may have been trying to do is project humility on Jalen’s behalf. It didn’t quite land but I really do not think it was intended to diminish JB at all.
And more than just manners, the instinct and discipline to lead by example.
Class
Shai last year went to the Pacers locker room to hug Haliburton and apologize for how it went down. There’s some things that are bigger than the game and the respect between competition is one of them.
I also cant think of a losing team in the finals from recent years that didnt stay on the court to congratulate the winners. Warriors did it for the Raptors, Mavs did for the Celtics (even Kyrie), Miami did for Denver
Shai didnt even start celebrating until he dapped up all the Pacers
People shouldnt downplay how classless San Antonio’s walk off was.
Warriors did it for the Cavs too after blowing the 3-1 lead.
And they had to wait for the Cavs to finish celebrating too. Must have been gut wrenching. They swallowed their pride and showed respect tho
Except for Klay
That tracks for Klay tbh
He must have just got his feelings hurt
True! But Steph and Dray were.
Yup, and it was painful to watch. Like, in a good way since the Warriors did the right thing after losing, but it was still painful to watch.
No Klay and a couple other guys
This whole series has unironically made me hate Shai a little less. The Thunder are a bunch of flopping fools but Shai seems like a chill dude.
I don’t think there’s a single thing to criticize about Shai off court. His off court behaviour is just impeccable.
He has no relationship or legal antics, he engages with fans (I remember him signing like 400+ autographs before a finals game last year), his media interactions are always very respectful, I don’t think he has any personal beef with other players, he’s remained involved with his hometown community.
Shai is one of the best people in the game bar none. He’s a genuine person and a class act
he signs like 400 autographs before every game. it’s unreal
It’s so stupid because Shai and the Thunder are a great team. Stop all the dumb shit and just play. They can win without it.
I hate shai and the thunder on the court. Off the court they all seem like great people
God his shot making and footwork is really insane. Can’t hate on it. Missed watching him play in the finals even though I was so happy they lost the WCF.
Wemby would never.
E - Truth hurts, I guess.
Jalen shook hands, dapped up, hugged a bunch of spurs players right after Mitch. Most reciprocated but Wemby didn’t look like he even acknowledged. Might have been the angle, but it looked like Jalen instead patted him on the chest because Wemby didn’t try to shake his hand.
Wemby ran to the back. Didn’t acknowledge a single player. Didn’t give the Knicks a shred of credit all series or after Game 5. He sucks. Poor sportsmanship in addition to proving that he’s a dirty player.
This is one of the things the NHL has right. The handshake line after every series is a must watch for the emotion and respect showed on each side.
NHL absolutely nails the emotion of the playoffs. The “because it’s the cup” commercials are some of the best sports marketing I’ve ever seen.
Not only that, they also give the cup to the team captain and have the players raise it, instead of the fucking owners, who the fuck cares about them? Not mention fucking Dolan, must’ve soured the moment a bit for fans ( just a bit though, first chip in 50+ years, damn, and against the team you lost your last finals to almost 30 years ago, it’s so poetic)
he literally gave a huge compliment to JB in his post game
i dont like how wembanyama handled himself but this was a miserable way to lose a series and im sure he was beyond upset with himself, he said as much himself. i think he needs better emotional regulation skills in these hard moments but the way people are acting here is ridiculous
Nah, he deserves the criticism. He handled himself extremely poorly throughout the series, and then capped it off with another pathetic move.
He’s young and can get better in this regard, but not if people give him a pass. Every other player and team I’ve ever seen do this has rightfully been taken to task.
They are hammering him for having no emotional regulation which he keeps proving.
That’s why he needs to do the monk shit. Bro needs to keep on the offseason grind in Nepal.
Wemby walked right off without even looking. 0 grace.
Wemby = asshole
Duh he’s French. Have you been to France before? They are all assholes there. 🤷♀️
Much easier to do this when youve won
His teammates like Castle and Harper were able to muster a handshake and a hug, seems pretty normal. I never played at the professional level or anything, but from the time I was a kid through college we always at least shoot hands even if it was a heart breaking loss. Hell I wrestled and that’s about the most demoralizing losses you can take since it’s all on you. I still shook hands.
link ? castle was in the locker room with wemby as soon as the game ended lol
Eh, there’s a lot of difference mentally and emotionally between the ages of 22 and 29, probably more so in athletes when one is naturally gifted and the other has to work their ass off.
I personally don’t look down on Wemby for being upset and running back.
But I definitely agree Brunson is all class, and the Knicks players seem like a good group of people.
I hate this excuse that because people are young they’re excused for their poor behavior. I didn’t need to be told to shake my opponent’s hand at 22. I didn’t need to be told at 12. It’s not an age thing, it’s just a character thing. Let’s call it what it is.
Is it irredeemable? No. But he did what he did and that reveals his character and is something he should work on.
There are plenty of 20 to 23 yr olds in the league who show good sportsmanship and emotional maturity. Wemby acts like a freshman in high school.
Even on the Spurs Dylan Harper is incredibly mature for a rookie
Tired of giving multi billion dollar athletes who’ve been coddled since age 12 a pass. This was the big stage and he blew it. There are no more second chances.
Honestly, won’t matter as long as he wins a bunch of titles.
Will look weak af if he never wins.
That’s all there is to it. Mamba mentality is just how every other every other player thinks rebranded, but it rings true because it comes from a perennial winner. Cam Thomas would be the short mamba right now if he was averaging 35 on 70ts% by shooting every shot
“Hey thx for keeping Fox in all series coach”
“Fox being subbed in” announced on the broadcast and I knew in that moment we were going to comeback
True. LMAO
Everytime Fox makes a shot I knew for sure it was a miss. He stopped turning the ball over like in game 4 but he kept missing his shots at the 4th
Thanks for not playing Harper in the 4th
Classy guy that Brunson
Real coach’s son
You love to see it, very classy response from both of them. Brunson really just seems like an all around classy dude. Can’t wait to see what hoops this sub jumps through to villefy him if the Knicks continue winning.
Type of shit mfs were saying about wemby 2 weeks ago on this sub
I mean if people were saying it that’d be stupid.
Brunson has been this way all the way back to college before wemby was even a prospect, far more proven track record in that department
to our conference/division rivals, they already do, they hate he flops and flings his head back. to hate-watchers he’s right there with SGA. and honestly, i’m totally okay with it. that’s all they can say about brunson lmao.
Same with Shai. Fair enough not to like the play style but they both seem like solid guys.
If Brunson did that on par with SGA, I’d be the first to say so, and I am nonetheless in stony silence on the notion
Why did the ref grab towels and bounce? What’s so special about the towels?
eBay probably. Gotta recoup the money he lost on the Spurs.
Scott Foster needs new angry jerk rags, he almost gave the Spurs two games and they fumbled both.
The Extender had ONE JOB
He did his best, just didn’t realize he was playing 7v6 instead of 8v5 after Fox and Mitch started playing for Knicks.
keeping them away from kim kaedashian
I believe those were actually the special white NBA finals ref warm up jackets. Probably took all 3 of them for the whole crew.
Sell those shits on ebay
Lol that was actually hilarious how he just immediately grabbed for a big stack of towels and then ran off like he stole em
We have to get to the bottom of this
lol damn people turned on Wemby this fast?
He did it to himself.
Poor sportsmanship and dirty player combine with a choke even bdsm stars would find distasteful.
I honestly don’t really give a shit about sportsmanship but yeah the flagrant fouls were not a good look
The flagrants are a part of the sportsmanship issue.
big guys tend to be more insecure. just look at shaq’s weird-o personality
My theory is it’s because they know most of the reason they are in the NBA is not from something they can even control.
That’s why somebody like Wemby hates Brunson so much. Brunson is the exact opposite of wemby. Brunson is only in the NBA based off his pure skill alone, something that he had to earn for himself.
Nothing about the flagrants called or uncalled were safe, sane, or consensual
That’s the NBA for you
NBA sub*
They never really watched him. He’s been a cocky player and flopper since he joined the league. Now he’s adding dirty plays to it too
His actions turned people
It was the multiple dirty plays for me
People were forced to watch the games. Most people are on a very, very low information diet so they know absolutely nothing about the guy. Now that he’s shown people that he’s arrogant, cocky and a sore loser they don’t know anything else.
When you’re a dirty player and make plays intent to injure but the refs don’t call it bc they don’t want to discipline the new face of the league that will happen.
Gumby exposed himself this series
Absolute class. Btw where did Wemby go after walking past? We all see him in the video.
Wemby went right to the locker room, based on video from the game.
“See you never.” - Wemby
Pulled a Klay Thompson
Such a Classless act, what a shame
As soon as his last second shot missed he started to walk off and went right to the locker room
Some mfs just hard to hate on lol
Like Steph, you really can’t hate that guy at all. He really is amazing and this series solidified that for me
And I have to add,like so many other peeps up in here, a true Class Act
How come none of the Spurs didn’t stay to shake hands with the Knicks?
Kornet did, reportedly Barnes did, and there’s video of Fox meeting Mike Brown in the locker room after getting dressed. Haven’t heard anything about the young guys though.
Fox had to do it backstage to avoid suspicion 😂
i need to know what Mike did to him in that locker room👀
They didn’t. Wemby left and they all followed him it looked like. They also didn’t shake the Thunders hands after winning FWIW
Shoutout to Kornet. Was a rookie with Mitch. Thats love
I guess its not surprising that it’s two guys who’ve won before
Kornet was also Robinson’s teammate as a rookie and Barnes played for Brown for a bit.
Soft.
Kornet did he knows he’s a vet
Former Knick as well
NY Knick and Celtics legend Luke Kornet.
To put it in perspective only 10% of NBA players are ever gonna win a championship. 1 out of 10 and a lot of these spurs guys may never make it back again. Some may but it could take years they are likely distraught and too angry to care about shaking hands with the guys that just kicked their asses on the big stage where it mattered most.
Its gotta be way lower than 10% tho right?
Idk the answer, but 3.33% of players win a ring every year, so over career timelines, that might lead to 10% ever getting one.
I think nature of the game
When Celtics won a couple years ago by like 18 points so the writing was in the wall
This was basically off a missed shot
The nature of losing a finals as clock expires vs having time to mentally prepare is important
Seems like some veterans and bench guys were more situationally aware and did go over to Knicks
If you didn’t respect JB’s character before, all you really need to know if the nba asked him to do a promo shoot for the finals with the Larry O’Brien trophy and he refused to go in room with it. Wemby has a lot to learn from him.
gotta show props, get it done early so he can get lit for hours celebrating
Wemby really is the face of the league posts about brunson or their championship and the comments still filled with him lmao
I get what you’re saying but he won lol
I couldn’t remember so I went back to check - Brunson dapped up the Pacers after the ECF loss last year. So he does this win or lose.. class dude!
Also, Wemby won the WCF and didn’t shake hands with any of the OKC players. Lmao. This isn’t a gotcha
Honestly hockey has it right. They should line up and shake hands after a playoff series.
That doesn’t mean it’s instant there’s still this kind of celebration for a cup winner but then when the dust settles everyone lines up and shakes hands.
Yeah when did we stop doing the “two four six eight, who do we appreciate?” we did as kids
Respect to Mitch, Barnes and Kornet for being classy. The rest of the Spurs are bitches for real
He’s a good egg
it’s way easier to be a good sport when you come out on top.
i don’t fault anyone for not sticking around to gladhand when their dreams just got crushed. but it is a big bonus when they do.
“Coach, helluva job keeping Fox in. We couldn’t have done it without you.”
RESPECT
Wants to thank the person most responsible for the Knicks winning the series
I fucking love this guy man. So proud and happy for him
Clutch and classy. The anti-Wemby.
Character counts. It’s never stopped counting.
Dude is true class act. I hope Wemby can learn a bit from him and from this run
I use to be anti Brunson but this run made me a fan of his. He seems like a good dude off the court.
jokic with the heat, SGA with the pacers, now brunson with the spurs. class act!
Easily one of the most likable players of all time
Brunson new favourite player not on my team, and I go for the Spurs.
Just feel like Brunson is classy for NY. Love that dude
Hopefully the nba moves back to bringing in ballers no matter what their height is