Jalen Brunson led the New York Knicks to a 94-90 road win over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Saturday, ending the Knicks’ 53-year championship drought.
Brunson played a pivotal role in New York’s dominant 4-1 series win, earning the Finals MVP award and defeating Victor Wembanyama’s squad.
LeSean McCoy Throws Shade at Lakers Star Luka Dončić While Hyping Up Knicks Star Jalen Brunson
During Sunday’s segment of the “Speakeasy” podcast, two-time Super Bowl champion LeSean McCoy threw a sly stray at Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Dončić while hyping up Brunson for dragging the Knicks to the championship.
“The 6-foot-2 point guard from Villanova that went in the second round made sure everybody and their mama knew who the best player was in this series,” McCoy said. “Earlier in this series, they said, ‘They’re winning, but he’s shooting bad.’ So, cool. On a close-out game, I’m gonna be efficient and score 45 points and I’m gonna get this win.
“Shout out to the New York Knicks and Jalen Brunson because people don’t wanna give guys their credit. Second-round pick and I go up to Dallas and I play with Luka. We all love Luka, he’s this and that. Well, he don’t get it done! I go to New York to take my own team to the championship and we win, and I still don’t get the credit?”
Dončić joined the Dallas Mavericks after being selected No. 3 overall by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2018 NBA Draft and sent to Dallas in a draft-night trade for Trae Young and a protected first-round pick. Brunson, who was much less hyped, was selected No. 33 overall in the second round of the same draft.
Brunson played second fiddle to Dončić in Dallas for four seasons before joining the Knicks as an unrestricted free agent in 2022. Brunson has said that he wanted to stay in Dallas, but the team low-balled him in extension talks. Dončić was controversially traded to the Lakers by polarizing general manager Nico Harrison in 2025, ending the duo’s association with the Mavs.
In Game 5, Brunson tallied 45 points on 51.9% shooting from the floor and 57.1% shooting from beyond the arc, while also contributing 3 rebounds and 3 assists in another thrilling comeback win to immortalize himself in Knicks’ history.
During the Knicks’ spectacular postseason run, Brunson averaged 28.4 points, 6.1 assists, and 3.2 rebounds on 46.5% shooting from the floor and 36.3% shooting from beyond the arc to earn the Finals MVP award. He joined Michael Jordan as the only players to drop 45 or more points in a title-clinching win on the road.
