Knicks Superfan Brings Luck with Stuffed Doll
Just when it seemed like the Knicks needed a boost, superfan Rachel Kim stepped in at the last moment.
Kim, well-known for her lucky rituals involving a Jalen Brunson doll, brought her beloved stuffed animal home for the playoffs, believing it would help the team. Since returning to social media, the Knicks have won three consecutive games and moved forward to the semifinals.
“It’s hard not to wonder, ‘Is it really me?'” Kim reflected a day after the Knicks trounced the Hawks 140-89 and progressed to Game 1 of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Before experiencing a tough loss in Game 6, Kim shared a video where she pampered “Lil Jalen,” icing his “ankle” and using a calming mist on herself.
This doll even sports a hot dog barrette, a fresh good luck charm gifted to him by an artist and fellow Knicks fans.
After the Knicks’ historic victory, the largest margin recorded in a playoff game, Kim’s comment section filled up with grateful fans. One wrote, “This is the only logical explanation for tonight’s game.”
Kim, a nurse from Manhattan and a Villanova alum, decided to bring “Lil Jalen” back during Game 4 against the Hawks, following her husband’s request. They had faced setbacks in Games 2 and 3, prompting him to plead with her for a little help.
“I wasn’t sure if I could handle the pressure again,” Kim admitted, recalling her nervousness about the extensive preparations that had worked in the past.
But she ultimately made a decision during the match.
In the second quarter of Game 4, she put cucumbers over the doll’s eyes to soothe and ice his “ankles,” recalling the earlier challenges.
“Jalen wasn’t off to a great start, but after I posted, he dropped 39 points,” she noted, reflecting on the coincidences. Her husband remarked, “You posted it at just the right time. Let’s go, Jalen!”
For Game 5, Kim took it a step further by giving “Lil Jalen” a mini ice bath, and the Knicks won yet again.
Following the disappointing Game 6 loss, she humorously suggested on social media that perhaps her rituals were akin to voodoo, also joking, “Can the Knicks pay me?” Fans chimed in, urging the team to compensate her for her luck-bringing efforts.
Brunson has definitely noticed the doll. Kim mentioned that his sister even reached out to her on social media, finding the whole thing amusing enough to share with him.
As the second round of playoffs approaches, Kim is already planning her next moves. “I didn’t start posting until they needed me, and it feels like that’s my role now,” she concluded.
