Jalen Brunson continues thrilling Knicks summer with pair of ESPY Awards



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It’s the summer of Jalen Brunson.

The superstar Knicks guard took home the Best NBA Player and Best Championship Performance ESPY Awards on Tuesday.

Brunson was announced the winner of the NBA-focused award earlier on Wednesday and earned his second honor at the award show at Lincoln Center in New York.

He beat out United States hockey gold medalists Aerin Frankel and Connor Hellebuyck and Texas softball’s Teagan Kavan for the championship ESPY.

Jalen Brunson accepts the Best Championship Performance award onstage during the 2026 ESPY Awards at David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center on July 15, 2026 in New York City. Getty Images
Jalen Brunson and Ali Marks Brunson. Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock

Brunson, on hand with his wife, Ali Marks Brunson, accepted his award on the David H. Koch Theater stage while dressed to the nines in a tuxedo.

“First and foremost, I want to thank my family for sacrificing everything day in and day out,” Brunson said. “Thank you to [owner] Jim Dolan and the Knicks organization, [president] Leon [Rose], the front office, Mike Brown, my teammates — without them, none of this would be possible; they allow me to be me. I’m forever indebted to them.”

Brunson won the NBA Finals MVP, ending the Knicks’ 53-year title drought in a five-game series over the Spurs.

He scored over 30 points in four of the five contests, with 36 in the Knicks’ historic Game 4 comeback before dropping 45 in the Game 5 clincher on the road in San Antonio.

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Making it all the more impressive was that Brunson dealt with pain in his left hand and wrist, something that bothered him during the final two rounds of the playoffs, he revealed earlier Wednesday on ESPN radio.

New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson with the Championship trophy riding on a float. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post

The Post previously reported he underwent surgery for the issue on July 7.

“I just remember being at the free-throw line in the third or fourth quarter of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals,” Brunson said. My wrist was starting to feel weak. I was like, ‘Where is this coming from?’ From that point on, I was trying to figure out what was going on, and how I can push through, because I wasn’t going to get anything done during that time.”



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