Brunson opened up about the captain title while sitting next to Aaron Judge at Fanatics Fest NYC.
New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson spent Thursday in front of the fans he just helped deliver a championship to.
Brunson and teammate Josh Hart hosted a panel at Fanatics Fest NYC, where they talked through the title run and welcomed New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge to the stage.
Judge has held the captain title in the Bronx since 2022, and with two captains sitting side by side, Brunson was asked what it means to carry that same role for the Knicks.
His answer showed just how natural the job has become for him after four seasons in New York.
Comfortable Wearing the Title
"It's interesting," Brunson said. "It's something that I've always felt comfortable with. I've always felt like a leader in some way. It's fun because you get to really see what type of teammates you have and how you can push them further every day."
The Knicks named Brunson the 36th captain in franchise history in August 2024, the first player to wear the title since Lance Thomas in 2019.
The honor came days after he signed a four-year, $156.5 million extension that left roughly $113 million on the table so the front office could keep building the roster around him.
That choice looked generous at the time, and it looks like the foundation of a championship now.
From Doubted Signing to Champion
Brunson arrived in 2022 on a four-year, $104 million deal that plenty of people around the league questioned, and four seasons later those doubts have been erased completely.
He averaged 26.0 points and 6.8 assists across 74 games during a 53-29 regular season, then led all playoff scorers at 28.4 points per game while New York went 16-3 in the postseason.
He finished the job with 45 points in the Game 5 clincher over the San Antonio Spurs, earning Finals MVP as the Knicks won their first title since 1973.
He did all of it on a left wrist that needed surgery once the celebrations ended.
Hart has watched that growth from the closest possible seat over the years.
The two won a pair of national championships together at Villanova before reuniting in New York, and Hart averaged 12.0 points and 7.4 rebounds this season as one of the players Brunson leans on most inside that locker room.
Where He Stands in Knicks History
The championship changed how Brunson gets talked about within franchise history.
Some now call him a top-five player in the league, and the debate over the greatest Knick ever now includes his name next to Patrick Ewing and Walt Frazier.
His own father, Knicks assistant Rick Brunson, still gives Ewing the edge, but another run like this one could end the argument for good.
Judging by how comfortable the captain sounded on Thursday, that is exactly what he plans to chase.
