Roman Reigns Acknowledges Jalen Brunson For Acknowledging Roman Reigns
The WWE and professional sports have shared a rapidly growing relationship over the past decade or so, to the point where ESPN reached an exclusive rights deal for premium live events like WrestleMania with the sports-entertainment company that began in 2026.
Take one look at the WWE Shop under the "Title Belts" tab and you will quickly see there's an army of team-specific "Legacy Belts" for the NBA, the NFL, the NHL, and MLB, which are often seen over a player's shoulder in various locker rooms and sometimes in a team's dugout.
But for New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson to have been asked by a reporter about Roman Reigns defeating CM Punk at WrestleMania 42 for the World Heavyweight Championship belt feels like uncharted, albeit amazing territory.
Not only was Brunson delighted to "acknowledge" the question on Thursday night, Reigns aka the Original Tribal Chief swiftly followed through to complete the circle on Friday afternoon.
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Keep in mind, Brunson was coming off a series-clinching, Game 6 blowout win on the road against the Atlanta Hawks, a ridiculous basketball game that made all sorts of history given the patently absurd final score of 140-89.
Alas, any discussion of advancing to the NBA Conference Semifinals against either the rival Celtics or 76ers apparently takes a healthy backseat to Reigns and his return to glory at WrestleMania, WWE's version of the Super Bowl.
It's important to know here that Reigns carries a signature catchphrase of "Acknowledge Me!" and is something that routinely draws a massive pop from the crowd every single time he shouts it at another wrestler, or directly to those in attendance.
Jalen Brunson was asked how he felt about Roman Reigns winning in the main event of Wrestlemania after advancing in the playoffs
— FADE (@FadeAwayMedia) May 1, 2026
"WE ACKNOWLEDGE HIM BEFORE EVERY GAME" pic.twitter.com/fifV8d7DeQ
After the reporter of note briefly offered a quick congratulations to Brunson for bringing success to the Knicks, he abruptly switched gears to all things wrestling, including Reigns' title victory and the emotional re-alliance with his faction, "The Bloodline."
"See, these are the questions I want asked," Brunson hilariously replied. "Very excited [about Reigns]. Very excited, I have a handshake with one of our trainers and we acknowledge him [Reigns] before every game."
Brunson and his obvious, intentional play off of Reigns' signature catchphrase could not have landed any more smoothly than it did right there.
But even better, Reigns proceeded to quote-reply to footage of the Knicks point guard discussing his excitement over the wrestler's greatness by simply posting an index-finger-pointing-up emoji (something he frequently does in the ring) to convey his approval and, fittingly, acknowledge Brunson.
— Roman Reigns (@WWERomanReigns) May 1, 2026
Brunson is a known wrestling fan and even made a memorable appearance on WWE's Friday Night SmackDown back on June 28, 2025 at Madison Square Garden in a segment involving a steel chair and fierce Knicks rival, Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton.
Can't believe it's the 1-year anniversary of Tyrese Haliburton & Jalen Brunson making an appearance on WWE Smackdown
— DraftKings (@DraftKings) June 29, 2025
Incredible playoff foreshadowing pic.twitter.com/thlbt8os7H
So the question from the reporter was hardly out of left field, but still served as a hilarious, welcome changeup to the usual cookie-cutter queries heard during NBA press conferences, as Brunson basically stated in his initial reaction.
One underrated element of this whole thing is that Reigns (real name Leati Joseph Anoaʻi) played college football at Georgia Tech, even earning first-team All-ACC honors back in 2006.
So while those Midtown Atlanta roots are absolutely there for the WWE champ, it's unclear whether or not Reigns is a fan of the Hawks.
Regardless, watching the WWE superstar enjoying a playful online exchange with Brunson's praise probably didn't do Hawks fans any favors, and if anything probably just added more gasoline to an already blazing inferno.
Because, really, witnessing your favorite NBA team get completely pancaked in a 51-point loss at home in a must-win game feels like the type of peak, painfully embarrassing viewing experience that should not require any further punishment.
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This story was originally published May 1, 2026 at 10:19 AM.