"I thought I had a Chance": Knicks Star Reacts to Jalen Brunson Winning Major Honor

On June 13, 2026, the 2025-26 season officially came to a close. The New York Knicks emerged as the 2026 NBA champions, beating the San Antonio Spurs in five games. Meanwhile, the Oklahoma City Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won his second consecutive regular-season MVP award. Then there's Victor Wembanyama, who won the Defensive Player of the Year award.

On paper, Gilgeous-Alexander should be considered the best NBA player. He's the league's reigning most valuable player, putting him on top of every other player. However, when pitted against Wembanyama, Nikola Jokic, and Jalen Brunson during the ESPYS, he wasn't crowned the top dog. Instead, Jalen Brunson received the major honor. Brunson's teammate in the Knicks, Josh Hart, hilariously reacted to the Finals MVP's ESPY Award.

"Damn, I thought I had a chance," Hart humorously wrote on X. "Was I at least runner-up?"

The ESPYS is an annual award show produced by ESPN. Its purpose is to recognize the excellence an athlete displays in their respective sports. In the case of the NBA, Brunson came out on top as the league's best player.

While it might be shocking to others that SGA didn't win the award, it's worth noting that the ESPY awards are a result of fan voting. Meaning to say, it's clear that the basketball fanbase favors Brunson over Gilgeous-Alexander, Wembanyama, and Jokic.

Honestly, it's well-deserved. Brunson has proven himself to be an effective leader for the Knicks. For instance, instead of taking a supermax contract, he took a $113 million pay cut to allow his team more wiggle room to acquire the necessary pieces to win a title. Lo and behold, the Knicks won the 2026 title.

To add the cherry on top, Brunson was awarded the 2026 Eastern Conference Finals MVP and the 2026 NBA Finals MVP, making him the first player in history to win both awards, alongside the 2025 NBA Cup MVP, in one season. Despite not winning the regular-season MVP award, fans clearly saw how much more meaningful his value was this season versus the other ESPY candidates.

WWE Star Invites Jalen Brunson to Saturday Night's Main Event

Fresh off winning an NBA title and the Best NBA Player ESPY award, it appears that the celebration doesn't stop for Jalen Brunson. WWE star and World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns invited Brunson to make an appearance on Saturday's special wrestling program, Saturday Night's Main Event.

"The OTC, the King of New York (Jalen Brunson), the Mecca ... MSG," Reigns wrote on his X account.

Brunson appears to be looking forward to his appearance on Saturday, as he responded to Reigns:

"See you there ☝🏽," Brunson wrote on X.

Saturday night's main event is set to take place in Madison Square Garden. It's only fitting for the New York Knicks' NBA Finals MVP to make an appearance. According to wrestling insiders, the collaboration between the two stars is to acknowledge both Brunson and Reigns as the top dogs of their respective industries.

Knowing WWE, Paul 'Triple H' Levesque, the company's Chief Content Officer and Head of Creative, might have some drama scripted on Saturday. We can only assume that either fellow WWE fan and Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton will make an appearance, or we might see the likes of the San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama to stir up more heated reactions from the MSG crowd. But that remains to be seen.