Fresh from leading the New York Knicks to their first NBA championship since 1973, Finals MVP Jalen Brunson is coming off one of the most talked about moments of the series against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs.
Brunson was asked by host Whoopi Goldberg how he was able to hold his own after being hounded by Black during Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
Brunson admitted that the thought of responding crossed his mind, but he knew that doing so would hurt his team at a critical time.
“I think it starts, honestly, with my parents, how they raised me,” Brunson said on ABC’s The View. “I will start there, I wanted to [retaliate] but at the same time, I knew that to be a leader, to understand the time, to understand the situation, you have to keep calm. Whether it’s too high or too low, you have to stay strong. That was something I had for a long time.”
The game quickly became one of the biggest talking points of the final. No foul was called in court, and Wembanyama avoided a foul.
That was important because the Spurs star had already accumulated two demerit points earlier after an incident involving Minnesota’s Naz Reid.
Brunson’s ability to stay calm was put to the test throughout the series, especially in Game 1 when he appeared frustrated with possession. Brunson had a heated exchange with veteran umpire Scott Foster after he missed multiple calls during New York’s win.
The Knicks star credits much of his composure to his father, Rick Brunson, who serves as an assistant coach on Tom Thibodeau’s staff. The father-son duo shared an emotional moment after New York clinched the title in Game 5.
For Brunson, keeping his cool may have been one of the biggest games of the Finals, and ultimately helped bring the championship back to New York.
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