Jalen Brunson's Dad Opens Up on De'Aaron Fox Confrontation: "Gonna be a Father First"

The stakes are high, and so is the tension. Both the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs are chasing a Championship they so desperately crave, and emotions were running high on the court, leading to an altercation between De'Aaron Fox and Jalen Brunson. Now, the latter's dad, Rick, (who was also involved in the incident) has opened up about it ahead of Game 3.

"I'm always going to be a father first," Rick said on Good Morning America, sitting next to his son. "But, at the end of the day, if it were any other player, I'd do the same."

Early in the fourth quarter, Fox was guarding Brunson on the right wing in front of the Spurs' bench one-on-one. As the Knicks' superstar tried to drive past, Fox committed a foul that looked a bit like a shove. This sent Brunson staggering out toward the sideline, with the two staring each other down.

Their teammates had to come and separate them. And in came Rick, to defend his son and the Knicks' best player.

He jogged up the sideline and appeared to exchange words with Fox from around the half-court area. After returning to his team's bench, he wasn't done. From there, he could be seen mouthing, "You ain't tough," in Fox's direction.

Rick is no stranger to facing the Spurs in the Finals. In 1999, he was on the Knicks roster as a player when they lost to San Antonio in five games. However, he played just 10 seconds in that series, all of them coming in Game 3, the only game the Knicks won in their 4-1 defeat.

This time, he's an assistant coach, helping his son Jalen and the Knicks' game plan to win the franchise's first title since 1973.

Rick Brunson's message for his son Jalen

Later in the same interview, host Will Reeve asked Rick and Jalen Brunson if there was anything they wanted to say to each other. After all, they share a unique relationship as a father-son coaching duo in the league.

Reeves, with that in mind, asked Rick if he wanted to tell Jalen how proud he is of him.

"Sometimes it's hard to tell him because the journey's not finished," Rick said. "But I'm super proud of him."

"I never envisioned to this level. I just envisioned, like anyone who has children, you want success for them, but I get so much pride watching them…," he added.

Jalen, with a smile, said that he's heard his father say this before.

At that point, Rick decided to inject some humor into the conversation by saying, "I need some money."

This caused laughter among everyone, while Jalen admitted that this was something he'd heard before, too.

Rick certainly has a lot to be proud of. His son, Jalen, entered the NBA as the 33rd overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft, and he's certainly exceeded the expectations of a second-round pick.

In the 2022 playoffs, his final season with the Dallas Mavericks, he had a breakout performance. In 18 appearances as a starter, he averaged 21.6 points per game. A major leap from his 2021-22 regular season average of 16.3.

Since then, he's become one of the league's premier scorers and playmakers. In 2022-23, his first season with the New York Knicks, he averaged 24.0 points and 6.2 assists, both career highs at the time.

Since then, his per-season average has climbed steadily. He's also made three All-Star teams and three All-NBA Second Teams so far. In 2025, he was also awarded the Clutch Player of the Year Award.

On top of all that, he has been the unequivocal on-court leader of a Knicks team that's won 13 straight playoff games, and is only 2 wins away from a championship.