After Lady Liberty, this would probably be NYC’s most popular statue.
The King of New York Jalen Brunson has a shot at getting a 6′ 2” replica in bronze just blocks from Madison Square Garden.
Benjamin Cohen, founder of the popular @newyorkers social media channels, is on a mission to make the baller move happen — after he asked Mayor Zohran Mamdani to do it and he dropped the ball.
A diehard Knicks fan who grew up in Rockway, Queens, Cohen explained why Brunson deserves to be immortalized in the Big Apple.
“This guy came to New York four years ago and the fan base had nothing to hold on to. We were the laughingstock of the NBA. People didn’t believe Jalen Brunson would do anything and they thought he was overpaid. He came here, he put his head down, he put in the work, and he brought us a championship for the first time since 1973,” Cohen, 32, told The Post this week.
“I don’t think there’s anyone more influential and more deserving of a statue.”
Cohen has already found an artist in Brooklyn to sculpt it and claims a landlord is offering a spot to display the finished creation. He declined to cite the project’s price tag.
“We’re at a stage where we have an artist and we have a private property in walking distance from Madison Square Garden,” he said.
“We have the funds to execute on it, and we have the strong desire from the community. We’ve also started communication with the Department of Buildings to make sure that we’re able to do it.”
Due to the popularity of @newyorkers, Cohen was invited to interview Mamdani at Gracie Mansion last Saturday night, immediately following the Knicks’ NBA Finals win.
During the interview, he was sure to ask Mamdani a burning question: “Everyone wants a Jalen Brunson statue. Can you make it happen?”
Mamdani laughed off the request. “I can’t make that promise.”
Once Cohen posted the video of Mamdani’s reluctance to his more than 2 million followers on @newyorkers, it quickly racked up over 8 million views — and comments of overwhelming support — including one from former Knick Stephon Marbury, who wrote, “Build the statue!”
It also caught the attention of an unidentified owner of a commercial building in walking distance from MSG, who said he’d gladly host the All-Star statue, according to Cohen.
That gave Cohen the impetus he needed to get the ball rolling — on his own, for now.
“I hope that the city and Madison Square Garden will step up. If they don’t, we’re gonna make it happen,” he said.
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