CHARLESTON, S.C. — Josh Hart has established himself off the court. You need to know this.
“I'm the Duke of Manhattan,” Hart declared Wednesday, minutes after the Knicks suspended practice at McAllister Fieldhouse on the campus of The Citadel. “O.G. [Anunoby]he can become a queen duke. Mikal is the Duke of the Bronx. ”
That would likely leave both Brooklyn and Staten Island with Karl-Anthony Towns on the Royals' stretch five waiting list, but the team was finally able to officially announce his acquisition on Wednesday afternoon.
“You can’t be Mikal in Brooklyn,” Hart laughed. “We stole him from there.”
There is one undisputed ruler in the room, and the rest of his court happily serve his tastes. His name is Jalen Brunson.
“He's the king of New York,” Hart said.
That's true in the basketball world, where the gulf between Brunson and No. 2 could be as wide as Southampton on the South Fork and Southampton south of London. But just three years later, his star is already so bright that when it comes to all pro athletes in Greater New York, he's either 1 or 1A.
It was on full display when he stepped onto the field at Yankee Stadium on the night of July 24th. It was a perfect spot for the stars to gather in the field late that afternoon.
There was Jalen Milroe, the University of Alabama track quarterback who would establish himself as the most energetic college football player in less than two months, when he hugged Brunson during batting practice. He looked like a wide-eyed child.
Francisco Lindor was there just as he was making his case for the National League MVP, and the two also hugged and posed for a picture arm in arm. Anthony Volpe was waiting, wearing his No. 11 jersey, and as he handed it to Brunson, Brunson handed Volpe his own orange-and-blue No. 11.
Brunson threw out the ceremonial first pitch with a thunderous roar, throwing from the rubber rather than in front (of course) and throwing a letter-high strike to Yankees pitcher Marcus Stroman (of course).
But the best thing was the few minutes he spent with Aaron Judge. He's the Lennon to Branson's McCartney, the Rodgers to Hammerstein, and he can be the jury on who deserves to be on the left and who deserves to be on the right. An ampersand between Brunson and Judge or Judge and Brunson.
For example, the judge apparently voted with a signature scrawled on the baseball cleats he gave Brunson.
“To Jalen: Keep the city running! From the 22nd AL MVP.”
Branson accepted.
That was probably the highlight of Brunson's summer, unless you count the day he voluntarily left about $100 million on the table to give the Knicks a little more flexibility in their future salary cap constraints. Unless you count the day he was named team captain; I've counted almost every day since Game 7 in May that Knicks fans have started talking about this season, and every single one of those conversations has mentioned Brunson in the first sentence or two.
“Seriously, the way he carries himself and the way he lives his life is amazing,” said Hart, a friend of 10 years and teammate for three years (the last two with the Knicks). “He doesn't let those things get to his head. He's hungrier than ever. It's great that a captain can get so much love and notoriety and still be the same person.” Yo.”
Good thing Branson has friends willing to talk about this. Because when Brunson is asked about himself, he still grimaces and turns the topic back to his team and teammates. You might cynically think that's just a conceit, unless you consider that he's acted exactly the same way 7,391 times so far in the 26 months he's spent as a Knick.
“I'm not surprised at all with the mental part and his makeup,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “That's how he's handled everything his whole life. That's what drives him. His high school career was very similar, his college career and his professional career are the same way. He's always getting better and that's what makes him special. He's never satisfied.”
Talk to Aaron Boone about Judge, and see how Judge always deflects his praise elsewhere, and you'll understand why he and Brunson hit it off so famously. They are now New York's 1A and 1A, the sovereigns of their respective sports kingdoms, and each seeking the right to that final, elusive state.
Canyon of Heroes.
