Jalen Brunson’s era in New York has become a symbol of hope after he guided the New York Knicks to their first NBA championship in 53 years last season.
Long before New York lifted the Larry O’Brien Trophy, former NBA superstar Shaquille O’Neal had already sensed something special in Brunson.
Shaquille O’Neal Predicted Jalen Brunson’s Historic Knicks Title Run With One Telling Sign
The Knicks gave their fans reason to dream after winning the NBA Cup. They followed the success with a 53-29 regular-season record under Jalen Brunson’s leadership.
However, with the rising San Antonio Spurs standing in their way, the Knicks faced a daunting path to the title. Nevertheless, New York completed a remarkable 2025-26 campaign by defeating the Spurs 4-1 in the 2026 NBA Finals, winning the franchise’s third NBA championship.
On The Old Man And The Three Podcast, Shaq recalled a conversation he and Kenny Smith had with Brunson before the playoffs began.
According to O’Neal, Brunson’s unwavering confidence immediately reminded him of his former Lakers teammate, Kobe Bryant, convincing him that the Knicks had what it took to win the title.
“Me and Kenny kind of cornered him,” Shaq said. “We had a show like right before playoffs started, and I like to mess with guys. I said, ‘Hey man, you’re gonna win a championship this year?’ He had that look in his eye, like when I used to ask Kobe. He really had a look in his eye, like I knew that, Hey, they was gonna do it.”
“He had that look in his eye like when I used to ask Kobe, he really had a look in his eye.” — Shaq on an interaction with Jalen Brunson before the playoffs started that let him know the Knicks were gonna win it all pic.twitter.com/jQRBznYlav
— TheOldManAndTheThree (@OldManAndThree) July 31, 2026
Shaq was referring to the intense confidence Bryant carried throughout his legendary career. Black Mamba was known for approaching every challenge with complete belief in himself and an unwavering focus on winning.
Brunson appeared to embrace that championship mentality throughout their championship season.
However, the Knicks’ title run did not begin smoothly. They stumbled against the Atlanta Hawks in the playoffs, dropping two consecutive games after winning Game 1.
That early adversity initially left Shaq worried, but the way the Knicks recovered ultimately strengthened his belief in the team.
“And then when they played Atlanta and lost those games, I got nervous,” he added. “But the way they step up, the way they came back, the way they was beating they actually did it the right way.”
New York later responded by winning the remaining games of the series and did not look back, going on to sweep the Philadelphia 76ers and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Brunson maintained that same intensity in the NBA Finals against Victor Wembanyama’s team. The Knicks thrilled fans with multiple comeback victories despite trailing by large margins.
The 2026 NBA Finals MVP averaged 32.6 points, 4.6 assists, and 4.2 rebounds per game while also setting a play-by-play era record: averaging 11.2 fourth-quarter points during the Finals.
The championship run is one Brunson will undoubtedly cherish for years to come. It also secured his place in NBA history, as he became the first player ever to win NBA Cup MVP, Eastern Conference Finals MVP, and NBA Finals MVP in the same season.
