Jalen Brunson Jokingly Calls Josh Hart a Bully Amid Tearful Confession

Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart have known each other since their college days at Villanova University, where they played for the Wildcats. Before making the jump to the NBA, the duo won an NCAA championship in 2016 alongside Mikal Bridges. Their shared journey has helped forge a close bond, and the trio's friendship remains as strong as ever today.

One recent example of their close friendship came when Brunson playfully teased Hart following an emotional confession. During an interview with ESPN, Hart admitted how emotional he felt knowing he had won the championship alongside his fellow Wildcats.

"If you ask (Mikal Bridges) and (Jalen Brunson), I was known as like the bully in college," Hart noted.

"He's still the bully, but continue," Brunson hilariously responded.

"I'm not very emotional," Hart continued. "I think it was two days after I sent them a text, and I told them I had to text them because I couldn't say what I had to say in person, because I was kind of starting to tear up a little bit when I was texting them. Basically, just kind of what they meant to me, and I'm so happy and proud we were able to share this moment. That one hit home."

Truly, what the trio of Brunson, Bridges, and Hart has achieved is special. The 'Nove Knicks' made history after becoming the first trio of teammates to win both an NCAA and NBA title together on the same roster.

To continue from your college journey with the same group of guys and pick up where you left off is something special.

Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart Share the Mindset They Had Heading to the NBA Finals

While we've seen many teams in the past celebrate their achievement of making it to the NBA Finals, there are those few who choose to remain calm until they realize a championship victory.

The New York Knicks chose to stay focused on the task at hand instead of getting too excited about potentially winning a ring. Both Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart recently shared on a live podcast episode of Roommates Show what the team's mentality was like after getting past the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 1999.

"Everyone was talking to (the Spurs) about, 'Yo! They gotta beat OKC. OKC is going to repeat," Hart shared on the Roomates Show. "Then, they beat OKC. That was the mountaintop for them. I look at (Jalen Brunson), I was like, 'You see that reaction because they think they're gonna win it. They think it's over.'"

"Then you look at our reaction after we beat Cleveland, and it was tough to celebrate," Hart continued. "We were like, 'We got four more.' Obviously, winning the Eastern Conference was an amazing accomplishment. But we all looked at that like, 'This is all just a step. This isn't the destination.'"

Brunson then highlighted the negativity and criticism the team effectively blocked out so they wouldn't be distracted as they faced the San Antonio Spurs.

"I honestly don't think we talked about it or heard it," Brunson said. "The moment you start talking about that stuff, that stuff creeps into your mind. So, the one thing that we always did was, whenever we walked into the media room, we always had ESPN on. I usually turned it off because we don't need to listen to anything right now.

"We don’t need to listen to TV; we need to focus on each other. ... Needless to say, I think it worked," Brunson added.

For the first time in 53 years, the Knicks are once again NBA champions. They defied all odds and beat the fan-favorite Spurs. New York also set the record for the biggest comeback in finals history, climbing their way back to a Game 4 victory from a 29-point deficit. It wasn't just a simple win for the Knicks; it was earned.