Rick Brunson's Greatest Knicks Player Isn't His Son Jalen Brunson
The New York Knicks' championship celebration brought out an unexpected debate about the franchise's greatest player, and it came from none other than their assistant coach. Rick Brunson, the father of Knicks star Jalen Brunson, made it clear that even after watching his son deliver a historic title-winning performance, he still had another player in mind.
While appearing on ESPN's Inside the NBA, Rick was discussing the greatest free-agent signings of all time. Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal put Jalen among the names after he signed with the Knicks back in 2022. However, Jalen's father believed Shaq was the greatest free-agent signing after joining the Los Angeles Lakers and winning two championships with them.
But then Rick shared admiration for his son before revealing the greatest player to wear the Knicks jersey. "I'm gonna stop the argument too, no disrespect, I love my son. Patrick Ewing is the greatest Knick I've ever witnessed", he said. The comment instantly caught everyone's attention on the panel, including Jalen, who shook his head after his father's statement.
However, Kenny Smith then jumped in and claimed that Rick's statement can now be debated. The ESPN analyst claimed that apart from winning the NBA Championship, Jalen "has ignited a culture that was not lit." Smith believes that the 29-year-old Knicks star's addition to the roster is what helped spark their championship run.
There is no doubt that Jalen's impact has been a key element in New York's first championship since 1973. In the Knicks' 94-90 win over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5, Brunson scored 45 points. He averaged 32.2 points per game, scoring 163 total points in the series, which was the most. Brunson also became the highest-scoring point guard in NBA Finals history.
Despite the Knicks star's historic performance, his father chose his former teammate over Jalen. Rick was part of the Knicks roster during the 1999-2000 NBA season and was teammates with Ewing, giving him a closer view of what the Hall of Famer meant to the franchise. Ewing was an 11-time NBA All-Star who carried New York to two NBA Finals appearances in 1994 and 1999.
Although he missed the 1999 Finals against the Spurs because of a torn Achilles tendon, his impact on the franchise remains unmatched. Ewing still owns several franchise records, including most games played (1,039), most points scored (23,665), most blocks (2,758), most steals (1,061), and several other accolades in Knicks history.
Meanwhile, Jalen has not cracked the top 10 in Knicks scoring history. However, after rewriting the record books and delivering New York its long-awaited championship, Brunson has entered the conversation.
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This story was originally published June 14, 2026 at 7:05 AM.