This summer belongs to Jalen Brunson.
The star guard for the Knicks claimed both the NBA Player of the Year Award and the ESPY Award for Best Championship Performance on Tuesday.
Earlier on Wednesday, it was revealed that Brunson had won the NBA-centered honor, marking his second award at the event held at Lincoln Center in New York.
To secure the ESPY, he surpassed U.S. Hockey gold medalists Aerin Frankel and Connor Hellebuyck, as well as Teagan Caban from Texas Softball.
On stage at the David H. Koch Theater, Brunson, alongside his wife Ali Marks Brunson, donned tuxedos to accept his accolades.
“First and foremost, I want to thank my family for sacrificing everything every day,” Brunson expressed. “And thank you to Jim Dolan and the Knicks organization, to Leon Rose and the front office, Mike Brown, my teammates—without them, none of this would have been possible. They allow me to be myself, and I’m forever grateful.”
Brunson not only won the NBA Finals MVP but also helped the Knicks end a 53-year title drought with a five-game series victory over the Spurs.
In that series, he scored over 30 points in four games, notably contributing 36 points during a surprising win in Game 4 and hitting 45 points in Game 5 in San Antonio.
Even more remarkable was him managing pain in his left hand and wrist, an issue he discussed on ESPN Radio earlier on Wednesday, revealing it had been bothering him in the playoff rounds leading up to the finals.
Reports indicated that he had surgery for the issue on July 7.
“I just remember standing at the free throw line in the third or fourth quarter of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals,” Brunson recalled. “Suddenly, my wrists started losing strength. I thought to myself, ‘Where is this coming from?’ From that moment, I was trying to figure out what was going on and how I could push through it. I wasn’t planning on letting anything stop me.”
