Jalen Brunson, one of the biggest names in this year’s round of free agency, was officially introduced as a member of the Knicks on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.
Rather than holding a traditional press conference, Brunson was introduced on Tuesday to some fans and front office members on hand via a one-on-one with MSG Networks.
Fresh off of signing a four-year, $104 million contract with the Knicks, the 25-year-old explained what emotions he’s felt since deciding to come to New York.
“I’m very excited. It’s like a whirlwind of emotions for me,” he said to MSG's Bill Pidto. “It’s a lot. This building is very special and I’m just happy to hopefully create some new memories here.”
Heading into this year’s free agency period, it was no secret that the Knicks had their eyes on the Villanova product, who’s improved in each of his four NBA seasons.
In 2021-22, Brunson averaged 16.3 points and 4.8 assists per game, starting 61 games for the Dallas Mavericks and stepping up his game even further when Luca Doncic missed the first three games of their opening playoff series against Utah. In those three games, Brunson averaged 32.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 5.3 assists, shooting 41.2 percent from beyond the arc.
Leaving Dallas was no easy decision, Brunson said Tuesday, but the “family” atmosphere of the Knicks – with his dad Rick hired as an assistant coach, among other connections to the front office -- was just too much for Brunson to turn down.
“I’ve known them for a long time. It’s family,” he explained. “It’s a comfort level to this and something that I just couldn’t turn a blind eye to. I know that these guys have my best interests at heart, and I think Leon [Rose] probably saw me before my dad did, so it’s just one big family for me and I’m just super excited.
“For the longest time, I thought I’d never leave Dallas. I thought Dallas was my home for my entire career. It’s great place, a place that I really wanted to be and I’m so thankful that they took a chance on me. It was definitely tough. I’m going to miss my teammates. That organization’s special. The relationships that I made that, it was really special, so I’m definitely going to miss it.”
Brunson brings a winning pedigree with him to New York, having won two National Championships at Villanova before helping Dallas reach the Western Conference Finals this past season.
And while his stats speak for themselves, Brunson wants Knicks fans to know that for him, it’s about “the little things” that he brings to the table to help win games.
“[I’m a] person who’s never going to quit. I’ve never quit, that’s never been in my DNA,” he said. “Something about me is that it’s about the little things for me. People see the stats and all that stuff, but the things that matter to me most [are] the little things like putting my body on the line for my teammates, diving on the ground, being that person that everyone can turn to saying, ‘That guy is going to do everything he can to help this team win a game,’ and that’s just how I’ve been my entire life.”