The New York Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs in the 2026 NBA Finals to win their first NBA championship in 53 years, and the celebration has been one for the ages.
Unfortunately, the honeymoon period might be coming to an end. After an offseason that already saw them lose a key piece in center Mitchell Robinson, the Knicks just got some bad news about their best player, Jalen Brunson, who underwent surgery.
What Is Jalen Brunson’s Injury?
The Knicks’ change in fortunes can be directly tied back to Brunson, who was the NBA Finals MVP. The 6-foot-2 point guard has silenced all of his doubters and proven himself as a superstar since joining New York in 2022-23.
Now, he is a three-time All-Star, a Finals MVP, and Clutch Player of the Year who has developed a repuation as one of the best players when the game is on the line. Since his arrival, the team has continued to show improvement each year, taking it a step further in the postseason.
That culminated in a 45-point explosion in Game 5 that sealed the Knicks’ championship. What makes his postseason heroics even more impressive is the fact that he was battling a wrist injury that required surgery today.
According to Ian Begley of SNY TV, “Jalen Brunson will be recovering/rehabbing for at least two months following his surgery to repair an injury in his left forearm/wrist area. @KnicksFanTv reports that the procedure will happen on Tuesday… Brunson played through discomfort in his left wrist/forearm area during playoffs and NBA Finals. Injury will be surgically repaired.”
Jalen Brunson played through pain in his shooting wrist during Knicks’ Finals run. Another remarkable detail in the story of New York’s championship: pic.twitter.com/jQ3s8ehfSQ
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) July 7, 2026
The fact that he said at least two months is a bit concerning and leaves Brunson’s status for the start of next season up in the air. With the 2026-27 NBA season set to tip off in October, there’s a chance that Brunson could be good to go for the start of next season, but that’s assuming everything goes according to plan in his recovery process. At the very least, this procedure will limit Brunson’s offseason training.
Begley noted that the Knicks “did not provide a timetable” for his return, but he did seem hopeful that Brunson would be back in time for next season.
“If there’s going to be a time to get surgery, the best time to do it for the Knicks, and for Brunson, would be now,” Begley said. “I don’t want to put a timetable on his recovery outside of at least two months, but I’m sure he had the surgery now in order to be ready for the season.”
It remains to be seen if the injury will have any lingering effects on the superstar guard, but it just makes his outstanding play in the postseason even more impressive. The Knicks will need Brunson looking like himself as they begin their title defense in October.
