Knicks Star Denies Comment on Father’s Investigation

New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson will let his father’s resume do the talking.

As the team prepared for a Wednesday night tilt with the Phoenix Suns (10 p.m. ET, MSG/ESPN) the Knicks captain was mostly mum when speaking about the reported investigation into his father Rick’s promotion on the New York bench but implied that the elder Brunson’s expansive coaching experience should be enough to ward probers off.

“He’s more than qualified for that position,” Brunson said as the Knicks prepped for Phoenix, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post.

Rick Brunson is head coach Tom Thibodeau’s second-in-command on the Knicks’ bench, replacing the Cleveland-bound Johnnie Bryant. The league is said to have taken issue with Rick’s promotion due to the possibility of cap circumvention, with the money that Jalen turned down upon signing an instant contract extension this summer accused of remaining in the family.

As his son implied, the Knicks had reasons far beyond familial connections to promote Rick: Thibodeau has included Rick on his staffs in Chicago and Minnesota before welcoming him to New York in 2022 and that accounts for only a portion of his NBA experience. Rick previously partook in nine NBA seasons as a player, including three with the Knicks, and has also held assistant roles in Denver and Charlotte.

Jalen’s brief comments partly echo a previous statement from MSG Sports, which ripped the probe as “offensive” and as a quantum of revenge for the Knicks’ disagreement in other league affairs, such as James Dolan’s criticism of the league’s new television deal.

“In response to the rumored NBA investigation into Rick Brunson’s promotion, Brunson took Johnnie Bryant’s place and assumed the same salary as Bryant,” the statement delcared. “It’s offensive that anyone would claim Rick didn’t deserve the promotion, Rick has done a tremendous job and will continue to do so. We see this as more harassment of the Knicks due to our opposition to certain NBA matters.”

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