Jalen Brunson Wins Finals MVP After Averaging 32.6 Points in Knicks' 1st Title in 53 Years
Updated
Updated · Sports Illustrated · Jun 30
Jalen Brunson Wins Finals MVP After Averaging 32.6 Points in Knicks' 1st Title in 53 Years
3 articles · Updated · Sports Illustrated · Jun 30
Summary
Brunson capped New York’s championship run with 32.6 points a game over the five-game Finals, then dropped 45 of the Knicks’ 94 points in the Game 5 clincher.
Fourth-quarter shotmaking defined the series: Brunson averaged 11.2 points on 51.4% shooting late in games after posting 14.2 points on 39.7% shooting across first halves.
Brunson said years of offseason detail work prepared him for those moments, while teammate Mikal Bridges said Becky Hammon’s 2023 doubts about a guard his size helped fuel him.
The title ended the Knicks’ 53-year drought and turned Brunson into a citywide phenomenon, with a Manhattan mural updated, a lookalike contest drawing crowds and filmmaker Ben Stiller planning a season documentary.
Brunson’s rise from second-round pick to champion also sharpened the contrast with Dallas, which passed on a four-year, $55 million extension before he became New York’s franchise centerpiece.