Jalen Brunson Thankful for Knicks Captaincy

New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson is wearing the captain hat for the first time in his career, and it’s a title he doesn’t take lightly.

However, he hopes that being the captain will help lead to another promotion someday down the line.

“I didn’t get emotional, but I was really thankful and appreciative to see such champions pulling for me,” Brunson said h/t Posting and Toasting. “I just know that I’ve got to go out there and help my team win so that hopefully, I’ll have that champion title too one day.”

The Knicks respond well to Brunson, as evidenced by his first two seasons with the team. The experiences he had during those first two years, along with several before he joined the Knicks, have prepared him for this moment.

“My parents raised me to be a leader,” Brunson said. “I wasn’t doing the stuff I was doing to be named captain; I was doing it to try to help my team win games. I worked hard and led by example.”

Not every team in the NBA gives away an official “captain” title. It’s only reserved for special players who know how to lead a group of men, and Brunson is certainly deserving of that title.

Even though he has the new captain role, not much will change with Brunson and the Knicks. It will be business as usual, and he is going to keep doing what he has been doing.

“You’ve got to know how to talk to certain people, because everyone has a different reaction to different leadership styles,” Brunson said. “It’s my job to understand different temperaments, and with my teammates, especially in the heat of battle, emotions can be high, so you have to understand what’s going on and how to manage those different temperaments. I’m not that person who’s going to go out there and yell and scream and have everyone think, ‘He just wants to be in control.’ That’s not me. I just want everyone to be on the same page, and now, I know my audience.”

Brunson and the Knicks are back in action tonight as they play against the Cleveland Cavaliers at 7:30 p.m. ET at Madison Square Garden.

Make sure you bookmark New York Knicks On SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!