Knicks’ Jalen Brunson Talks Celtics, Pacers Rivalries, WWE and More in B/R Interview

But now it’s time for Brunson to get back to doing what he does best, as the Knicks open the season in a big way with a marquee matchup against the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics on Tuesday on TNT. However, the 28-year-old isn’t getting ahead of himself and making the season opener bigger than what it is.

“We’re excited to get the season started. I don’t think there’s any extra motivation going into Game 1, it’s the first game of the season,” Brunson told B/R in an interview. “For us, we’re gonna see where we are after Game 1, and we’re gonna have to get better regardless. So let’s just go out and see where we are, and move from there. But we’re excited for the opportunity to play against the team that everyone’s chasing, and we’ll be ready to go.”

Even the Knicks’ second game of the season on Friday against Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers, who eliminated them from last year’s playoffs in the conference semifinals, isn’t enough to get Brunson focused on seeking revenge.

“We’re excited for every challenge, we don’t have circled dates, we don’t have teams that we’re looking for,” he said. “The most important game is our next game, so as long as we continue to focus on one day at a time like we have been, I think we’re gonna continue to make great strides going forward. We just can’t lose sight of that, we can’t look ahead or look past anyone, and I know that having Thibs, he’s not gonna allow us to do that.”

Brunson and Haliburton brought their rivalry to an episode of WWE SmackDown at Madison Square Garden in June. Coincidentally, WWE is coming back to New York for a show at the Barclays Center on the same night as the Knicks-Pacers game. Is there any could we see the two All-Star point guards settle their differences in the ring once again?

“I’m never gonna say never, but we’ll see,” Brunson said before adding with a laugh, “I gotta start focusing on putting the ball in the hoop now.”

Indeed, head coach Tom Thibodeau runs a tight ship in New York. The hard-nosed veteran demands a lot from his star players, often playing them heavy minutes throughout the season, but Brunson doesn’t mind the workload.

“Honestly, as long as he’s putting us in a position to win, I couldn’t care less what we do,” Brunson said. “But I have the utmost trust and faith in him. He knows what he’s doing, he’s been in this for a long time. A lot of people give him a lot of criticism when it comes to that, but as a team, we stick together and we stand behind him.”

To help him withstand the grind of the NBA season, Brunson partnered with BODYARMOR Sports Drink as the latest addition to a roster that includes Donovan Mitchell, Trae Young and Sabrina Ionescu.

“It’s been very important for me to work with them because it’s important what I put in my body, and I think with BODYARMOR, they understand that for me, and that’s what they do with their products,” he said. “The real hydration, real flavors, real ingredients… it’s genuine, it’s authentic and I think we have very similar values.”

Brunson will be leading a Knicks team that looks a lot different from last year’s squad that finished second in the East with a 50-32 record. New York had a banner offseason that included the acquisition of star center Karl-Anthony Towns, the re-signing of swingman OG Anunoby and the acquisition of star wing Mikal Bridges, who won two NCAA national championships while playing alongside Brunson at Villanova.

“It’s gonna be fun, obviously we have a lot of chemistry, we’ve known each other for about 10 years now,” Brunson said of Bridges’ arrival to the team. “It’s gonna be fun, I’m really excited, I can’t lie, it’s gonna be a lot of fun.”

The addition of so much talent around him is exactly what Brunson envisioned when he signed a four-year, $156.5 million contract extension this offseason, $113 million less than the five-year, $269.1 million deal he would’ve received had he waited until next summer. He said in addition to achieving security for his family, it was also important for him to put the Knicks in a position where they could still build a roster that could contend for a championship.

“Yes, it’s very team-friendly, I want the team to do so well and I want us to make sure that we’re gonna be contending as long as we can,” Brunson said of his new contract. “It was most important that I did that because you never know what can happen within a year. You can wait a year, a lot can happen, and then there are question marks, you just never know. So for me, it was just important to secure that for myself, my mind and everything and just play stress-free.”

That type of attitude is what has helped endear Brunson to New York. It’s not often that a New Jersey native gets adopted as the City’s prodigal son, but Brunson is close to royalty in the Big Apple. Fans on social media went as far as to dub him New York City’s next mayor.

Knicks fans had Madison Square Garden rocking throughout the 2023-24 season, with “Go New York, Go New York, Go!” blaring from the loudspeakers during the team’s impressive campaign. Brunson hopes to help the Knicks reach even greater heights this year, and he’s looking forward to the incredible atmosphere that comes when the team is successful.

“I can’t wait for the energy at the Garden, I can’t wait for that again,” he said. “The energy that was felt last year was unbelievable and I can’t wait for it this year.”