The New York Knicks won the 2026 NBA championship- the franchise’s first title since 1973. New York lost just three times all postseason, completing one of the most dominant championship runs in NBA history.
The Knicks put in all the hard work behind the scenes to give New York the opportunity of a lifetime, and Jalen Brunson knows how important it is to grind when nobody watches.
Jalen Brunson Explains the Difficult Journey to Win an NBA Championship
Dexter Henry of the New York Post sat down with Brunson and his mother, Sandra Brunson. The sports anchor asked the Knicks’ star guard about the “unglamorous” preparation and training that goes into winning the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy.
“It’s most of your life. Everyone sees the championship and sees when you’re on top, but no one sees the majority of your journey, which is the work you put in … It’s day after day after day. It’s every uphill battle you’re going through, every mental hurdle you’re going through. There are so many things that go into [getting] you to that point … The journey is beautiful,” said the three-time All-Star.
Jalen Brunson on the journey and the hard work it takes to win a NBA championship:
“It’s most of your life. Everyone sees like the championship and sees when you’re on top, but like no one sees the majority of your journey, which is the work you put in. And so it just doesn’t… pic.twitter.com/MjO0T15cMl
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) August 11, 2026
Brunson certainly put in the work to get to this point. He started as an underdog in 2018 when the Dallas Mavericks took him with the No. 33 pick in the draft.
The now-29-year-old slowly improved each season before exploding in the 2022 playoffs, averaging 21.6 points per game for Dallas. Brunson signed with the Knicks before the 2022-23 campaign and cemented himself as an NBA star and face of a historic franchise.
When he got to New York, he still faced many doubters. For example, Becky Hammon infamously said the Knicks would not win a championship with Brunson as their best player because he was simply too small.
The 6-foot-2 guard and the Knicks proved her wrong. He dominated the 2026 postseason, averaging 28.4 points and 6.1 assists and taking home Finals MVP.
All of Brunson’s hard work on the court, trainer’s table, and in the weight room paid off. Brunson urges everyone, whether in basketball or elsewhere in life, to appreciate the journey because it makes reaching the top that much sweeter.
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“Everyone should cherish it, understanding [that] when you do get to the point where you do win, you do achieve your long-term goal, it makes it that much better,” Brunson commented.
New York is bringing back its entire starting five of Brunson, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Karl-Anthony Towns for the 2026-27 campaign.
Several teams in the Eastern Conference, such as the Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat, and Toronto Raptors, made big trades to take down the Knicks, but they will be ready for any challenge that comes their way.
