Patrick Ewing might want to send a thank-you card to Rick Brunson. Moments after the New York Knicks clinched the NBA championship with a five-game series win over the San Antonio Spurs, Jalen Brunson and his father, Rick, sat down with Inside the NBA. The conversation took an unexpected turn when Rick was asked who he considered the greatest Knick he had ever seen play.
“I’m gonna stop the argument too… No disrespect, I love my son… Patrick Ewing is the greatest Knick I’ve ever witnessed,” Rick said, as Jalen — the newly minted Finals MVP — sat beside him, laughing.
It was a rare moment of lighthearted honesty in a sea of celebration. But for the Brunson family, it made perfect sense. Rick Brunson played for the Knicks himself back in the late 1990s, part of those rugged, Ewing-led teams that went to the Finals twice. So his answer wasn’t just nostalgia — it was a nod to the franchise’s DNA.
A Father-Son Title Run Unlike Any Other
Jalen Brunson has been the engine of this Knicks resurgence since he signed with the team in 2022. After years of roster rebuilds and coaching changes, the Knicks broke through this June. And Rick Brunson — who served as a Knicks assistant coach during this title run — was there for every step.
When the final buzzer sounded, the two embraced in a hug that quickly went viral. The video, posted by ESPN, showed a raw moment between father and son that few people in sports history get to experience.
“At some point, I knew I was going to win,” Jalen said during the postgame interview, cradling the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
The Press Conference Crasher
Later, during Jalen’s official press conference with the media, Rick decided he wasn’t done celebrating. He walked up behind the podium and — in full view of cameras — scooped up both the championship trophy and the Finals MVP award that his son had just set down. The room cracked up.
It was a fitting cap to a night that felt less like a coronation and more like a family reunion. Fans online noted that Rick’s playful theft was exactly the kind of energy the franchise has been missing for decades.
For the Knicks, this title ends a long drought. For the Brunsons, it cements a legacy that goes beyond one season. Jalen Brunson didn’t just win a ring — he did it with his dad in the locker room, on the bench, and in every highlight clip.
As Rick might tell you: the best Knicks memory now has a new chapter. Even if Patrick Ewing is still the GOAT in his book.
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