Max Kellerman Picks Jalen Brunson Over Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in Thunder Comparison

It seems that Jalen Brunson has caught the attention of many after winning the 2026 NBA Finals. Heading into the Finals, the San Antonio Spurs were favored to win the series over the New York Knicks. However, Brunson rose to the occasion and proved his doubters wrong. The Knicks ultimately overwhelmed the Spurs, defeating them 4-1 in the series.

After proving to be one of the biggest stars in the league today, sports host Max Kellerman believes that Brunson is a better player than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

"If you take Shai off the Thunder and replace him with Jalen Brunson, the Thunder beat the Spurs (in the Western Conference Finals)," Kellerman said on Game Over. "Same guys defended Shai that tried to defend Brunson. ... Brunson is one of those players, the Knicks are a great team, but he's really the number one reason why."

While others still doubt Brunson, there's no more questioning his status as one of the brightest stars in the league today. Brunson made history this year after becoming the first player in history to win the NBA Cup MVP, the Eastern Conference Finals MVP, and the NBA Finals MVP awards in the same season.

To add the cherry on top, he brought home his first title in his career while bringing New York their first championship in 53 years.

And while Max Kellerman has compared Jalen Brunson to current NBA star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, former NBA player Patrick Beverley weighed in on the comparisons, but this time comparing the New York Knicks star to NBA legend Allen Iverson.

Former NBA star picks Jalen Brunson over NBA legend

From the late 90s to early 2000s, Iverson was undoubtedly a trendsetter in the NBA. He arguably brought the hip-hop culture to the league, making him one of the most influential players during his era. He also popularized the use of the crossover in basketball games, inspiring the stars of today to bring out their handles in-game.

While AI has never won a championship in his career, he's still one of the best to ever do it. He's a basketball Hall of Famer, a one-time MVP, an 11-time All-Star, a two-time All-Star MVP, and a four-time scoring champion.

Despite his credentials, Beverley believes that Brunson is a better player compared to Iverson after winning the 2026 NBA championship. Beverley argues that the fact that Brunson, a small guard like Iverson, overcame the towering presence of Victor Wembanyama and won a championship puts the Knicks star ahead of the basketball legend.

"In my opinion, Allen Iverson, Jalen Brunson, I think you need to go Jalen Brunson," Beverley said on SiriusXM NBA Radio. "I'm being honest. Again, it's no discredit to anything Allen Iverson has done. But, like, you talk about small guards getting it done, (Brunson) got it done. He had his team, he led his team, he made plays against arguably one of the best defenders to ever play the game in Wemby."

The only thing lacking in Brunson's career is a regular-season NBA MVP award. He's also yet to be selected for the All-NBA First Team. However, with momentum by his side, we wouldn't be surprised if Brunson exploded for a jaw-dropping season next year.