DENVER — As Seinfeld might say, it’s a celebration of nothing.
Jalen Brunson’s hand-over-the-mouth gesture has become synonymous with the Knicks’ greatest point guard since Clyde Frazier, copied by others as a symbol of a well-timed 3-point conversion, and become a meme on social media. was made into
It’s also a mystery that Brunson refused to say what he meant last season, fielding questions about it on an ESPN broadcast and later telling reporters, “It’s between me and my teammates.” ing.
In an interview with the Post on Thursday, Branson explained the origins of the gesture and its anti-climatic significance.
“It really came out of nowhere and really meant nothing to us other than the three points,” he said. “I stuck with it because it was unique and no one was doing it.”
There was an evolution to Branson’s hand-under-the-nose celebration.
The 27-year-old point guard said he first used the shoes as a Dallas Maverick player during the 2022 playoffs. Although he only partially covered his mouth, he scored a corner tree and his celebration was replayed in slow motion on the broadcast after the match was stopped. In the play.
Brunson picked it up after signing with the Knicks, only to notice an unsightly photo of his lips protruding between his fingers.
“It’s used in advertising all the time. I forget which game it was used in, but it was early last season, my first year here,” Brunson said. “My mom looked at me and said, ‘Well, you don’t look very good.’
“So, I decided to change it up a bit.”
This variation, which Knicks fans have come to love and appreciate for its meaning to the scoreboard, covers Brunson’s lips and appears as if you’re smelling his hands.
It was reminiscent of Argentine soccer star Paolo Dybala’s goal celebration.
Dybala said the gesture was meant to symbolize a gladiator mask, a nod to his obsession with the 2000 Academy Award-winning film “Gladiator,” starring Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phonics.
“I saw those comparisons, I saw him do it, I actually played with him (Dybala) in FIFA (video game). But I tried to emulate that. That never happened,” Branson said.
Branson isn’t even a fan of the movie Gladiator.
“Let me tell you, it’s just a strange coincidence how this case started to unravel,” he said.
In high school in the Chicago suburb of Stevenson, Brunson used the familiar “three in the holster” gesture to chase down a tray. But celebrations were prohibited at Villanova, where coach Jay Wright set old-fashioned guidelines.
“Coach Wright would have killed us,” Brunson said.
Donte DiVincenzo, Brunson’s roommate at Villanova University, vouched for that.
“He told us to turn around and get back on defense. If you look at us in college, there was no celebration after we made a dunk or a three,” DiVincenzo said. Told. “As soon as you dunk the ball, as soon as your feet hit the ground, you turn and sprint back.
“Because it’ll be in the movie the next day. And he’ll point it out.”
Brunson made up for it in the NBA. His celebration, which has no name or special meaning, has become as widespread as Carmelo Anthony’s Triple Dome craze about 10 years ago.
Giannis Antetokounmpo took advantage of Brunson’s celebration this season. A member of Team USA flashed this during his FIBA World Cup. More recently, college players have gotten it.
Considering this started from scratch, Branson is “very surprised” by its popularity.
“Once I got the wind I thought it was really cool and I just kept doing it and that’s how it started,” Branson said.
