Jalen Brunson publicly ignored his critics throughout the Knicks' historic championship run, focusing instead on achieving his goal of delivering an elusive title to New York.
But Thursday, surrounded by more than a million fans celebrating the Knicks' first championship in 53 years, Brunson finally hit back at those who doubted him.
"There's a lot of people that have a lot of negative stuff to say," Brunson said during a celebration at New York's City Hall. "There's a lot of people who have a lot of opinions. But when you prove them wrong, you really don't have to say s--- to them. They don't deserve it."
Brunson, the reigning NBA Finals MVP, has taken an unconventional path to stardom, leading many to question his standing among the league's best players.
Jalen Brunson carried the Larry O'Brien Trophy into a crowd of Knicks fans as he walked along Broadway during the team's ticker-tape victory parade Thursday in the Canyon of Heroes. Gary Hershorn/Getty Images One outspoken skeptic was former WNBA star and Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon, who famously said in December 2023 that Brunson was not a "1A" player and added that the Knicks couldn't win a championship with the 6-foot-2 guard as their best player.
"If your best player is small, you're not winning," Hammon said at the time.
Teammate Mikal Bridges acknowledged earlier this week on his Instagram livestream that Hammon's comments helped motivate Brunson, who was all smiles Thursday during the Knicks' victory parade through lower Manhattan's skyscraper-flanked "Canyon of Heroes."
"Damn, New York, we really did it," Brunson said. "Somehow, someway I knew we were going to find a way to get this done."
Moments later, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani presented keys to the city to the Knicks' players, coaches, owners and staff. Wearing a team jersey under his suit jacket, Mamdani said he and other fans "waited because we knew deep down in our sick, suffering hearts" that the Knicks would someday win.
Confetti in Knicks blue and orange swirled through the air during the parade. Massive cheers of "Let's go, Knicks!" and "Knicks in five!" kept erupting.
And OG Anunoby, who scored the go-ahead basket in Game 4 of the finals on a tip-in with 1.2 seconds left, left his parade float to interact with fans, holding the NBA Cup in-season championship trophy in one hand and a bottle of Patron tequila in the other.
The Knicks' championship ticker-tape parade Thursday ended at City Hall, where players and coaches celebrated with New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Angelina Katsanis/Getty Images Director Spike Lee, perhaps the team's most iconic fan, was on a float with Brunson, savoring the moment.