Jalen Brunson Claps Back at His Haters in the Knicks Championship Parade

In the summer of 2022, Jalen Brunson signed with the New York Knicks, a move that he didn't know at the time would change the course of his career. Brunson was considered a role player alongside Luka Doncic during his time with the Dallas Mavericks. However, after moving to New York, Brunson quickly became one of the league's brightest stars.

While Brunson has proven to be an effective leader for the Knicks, many doubted his ability to win a championship. Many analysts argued that he was more of a 1B star and needed a 1A counterpart to fulfill his championship aspirations. There were also concerns about his size as a guard. However, after winning the 2026 NBA Finals, Brunson finally got the last laugh. The Knicks star recently called out his doubters during New York's championship parade..

"There's a lot of people that have a lot of negative stuff to say," Brunson said in his championship parade speech. "There's a lot of people that have a lot of opinions. But when you prove them wrong, you don't have to say s**t to them."

While the championship victory may be enough to prove his doubters wrong, apparently, JB went beyond what was expected of him. After winning his first ring, Brunson is now the only player in history to win the NBA Cup MVP, Eastern Conference Finals MVP, and NBA Finals MVP awards in the same season.

Even if you take his individual awards away, Brunson would still arguably be a commendable player. In 2024, back when JB signed an extension with the Knicks, he took approximately $113 million less from the initial offer so the team would have enough budget to build a championship roster. It's rare to see stars these days turn down money for the team's benefit. And Knicks fans are sure glad that he did.

Jalen Brunson thankful during his Championship parade speech

For the first time in 53 years, the New York Knicks are once again NBA champions. Jalen Brunson delivered on his promise last season that the Knicks would come back stronger than before.

During Brunson's championship parade speech, he not only celebrated with the fans in attendance but also took the opportunity to thank everyone for supporting him and the Knicks throughout the journey.

"First and foremost, I want to say thank you to Jim Dolan and the (Knicks) front office for believing in a kid no one else would," Brunson said. "Thank you to my teammates who gave me confidence every single day. ... Thank you to our coaching staff, our medical staff, everyone who pitches in every single day behind the scenes. Damn. We really did it, dawg."

"Somehow, some way, I knew we were going to find our way to get this done," Brunson continued. "Most importantly, thank you to the fans. Not gonna lie though, y'all some pretty hard critics. But we appreciate it, at least I do."

As of writing this, the Knicks will try their best to retain the core championship lineup. However, they can't keep the entire roster. Sources suggest that New York will prioritize keeping the starting five of Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, and Mikal Bridges. However, guys like Mitchell Robinson and Landry Shamet are expected to enter free agency and are likely to depart due to salary cap issues.

Hopefully, the change of bench players next season won't affect the Knicks' path to defending their title.