Turns out Jalen Brunson wasn't just carrying the New York Knicks to a championship—he was doing it with an injured wrist.
After delivering the franchise's first NBA title in 53 years, it was revealed that Brunson had undergone surgery on his left wrist and had played through the injury for the entirety of New York's championship run. ESPN's Shams Charania reported that the procedure was successful, with the Finals MVP expected to return to basketball activities later this summer.
The revelation casts Brunson's postseason in an even more remarkable light. The Knicks star averaged 32.6 points, 4.6 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.0 steals over five games in the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs, then closed the series with one of the greatest performances in franchise history.
Brunson erupted for a Knicks-record 45 points in the Game 5 clincher, scoring 15 in the fourth quarter and accounting for nearly half of New York's offense in the 94-90 victory that finally ended the organization's five-decade championship drought.
It also makes his response to years of criticism look even louder. Brunson entered the league as a second-round pick, was repeatedly labeled too small to lead a contender, and even faced public skepticism from Hall of Famer Becky Hammon, who famously questioned whether a team led by a guard his size could win an NBA title.
Brunson never answered those comments directly. Instead, he answered them with a Larry O'Brien Trophy and a Finals MVP trophy.
That approach has defined Brunson throughout his career.
"When I'm in the gym by myself in the summertime, those are the moments I'm thinking about," Brunson told Sports Illustrated in its recent cover story about his historic run. "Where everything, every detail has to matter."
His confidence, he explained, comes from preparation—not circumstance.
"I'm not afraid to fail," Brunson said. "I'm not afraid to lose in those situations. So it allows me just to be the best I can be."
The numbers back him up. Brunson averaged 28.4 points throughout New York's 16-3 playoff run, becoming just the 13th player in the modern postseason era to average at least 28 points for a championship team.
He also produced 38 clutch points during the playoffs—more than the rest of the Knicks roster combined.
