Jose Alvarado Celebrates Knicks Championship With Bacardi in Brooklyn

Q: How did Jalen Brunson’s $113 million sacrifice finally end the Knicks' 53-year championship drought?

Jalen Brunson’s $113 million sacrifice helped end the Knicks’ 53-year title drought by giving New York the financial room to build a championship roster around him—and then Brunson finished the job as the team’s best player. In 2024, Brunson chose a four-year extension worth about $156.5 million instead of waiting for a possible five-year deal projected near $269 million. That decision left roughly $113 million on the table and, crucially, kept the Knicks from being trapped by the NBA’s second-apron restrictions, which sharply limit trades, signings and roster flexibility. That cap relief allowed the Knicks to keep and add the players who made the title run possible. The front office could fit Karl-Anthony Towns’ contract, retain OG Anunoby, extend Mikal Bridges and preserve enough flexibility to round out the roster, including Jose Alvarado. In practical terms, Brunson’s lower number let New York assemble an expensive, balanced starting group without losing the ability to maneuver. The sacrifice mattered because it was paired with elite production. Brunson remained the offensive engine all season, then elevated further in the playoffs. In the Finals, he averaged 32.6 points and delivered a 45-point Game 5 to clinch the championship, earning Finals MVP. So the drought ended through a rare combination: a superstar accepting less money to improve team-building, a front office using that opening effectively, and Brunson leading the Knicks on the floor when it mattered most.

3 articles · Updated · Hollywood Reporter · Jun 19

Jose Alvarado marked New York’s championship victory on Thursday with a Bacardi Rum celebration at Toñita’s Caribbean Social Club in Brooklyn.
The appearance extended the Knicks’ post-title festivities, shifting the celebration from Manhattan into Brooklyn later in the week.
Karl-Anthony Towns and fiancée Jordyn Woods had already joined a Hennessy-backed Knicks dinner in New York on Wednesday after a Raising Cane’s stop in Times Square on Tuesday.
Jalen Brunson, named NBA Finals MVP, celebrated at LDV Hospitality’s The Seville in Flatiron on Monday, underscoring how the title run has fueled a multi-day citywide party.