nba finals NBA New York Knicks Jalen Brunson breaks down in ESPN interview after carrying Knicks to NBA championship with epic fourth quarter By Justin Terranova Published June 13, 2026, 11:59 p.m. ET See more of our coverage in your search results.
Add The New York Post on Google Jalen Brunson carried the Knicks in the fourth quarter — just as he has since he’s arrived in New York.
Brunson made shot after shot as the Knicks clawed their way back from another deficit against the Spurs to claim Game 5 of the NBA Finals, 94-90.
Brunson, who finished with 45 points and was unanimously named NBA Finals MVP, was emotional in his postgame interview on ESPN.
Jalen Brunson drives to the basket for a layup in the fourth quarter of the Knicks’ Game 5 win over the Spurs to claim the NBA championship. NBAE via Getty Images “I don’t know what I am feeling. I’m in awe. Whenever people counted us out, we came back and did something about it,” Brunson said.
The Spurs, once again, had the Knicks down double digits in Game 5 but New York pushed past them with a 29-18 fourth quarter to claim the franchise’s first championship in 53 years.
“My confidence comes from my work ethic,” the 29-year-old Brunson said. “All I can think of is all the hours in the summer, every summer since I ever can remember making this a reality. I’d just be alone in the gym.”
Brunson did not have an answer for what it meant to accomplish this goal with his father, Knicks assistant coach Rick Brunson.
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Bonkers feels like the only appropriate word to describe this season.
ESPN’s Lisa Salters said the answer was obvious as tears streamed down Brunson’s face as a picture-in-picture showed Rick joyously celebrating.
“You can see it,” Brunson said, repeating Salters’ line.
