NBA Fans Outraged Over Jalen Brunson, Kobe Bryant Comparison

New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson has received plenty of praise over the past 48 hours, and understandably so.

Brunson snapped the Knicks' 53-year championship drought on Saturday night by dropping 45 points in Game 5 against the San Antonio Spurs. There were moments in the fourth quarter were he legitimately couldn't be stopped regardless if it was Victor Wembanyama or Dylan Harper guarding him.

"This man has become the greatest Knick of all time," ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins declared Monday. "Yes, I said it. He will never spend another dime on another meal, another drink, I don't know if he's even gonna have to pay his mortgage in the city of New York. This is Mr. New York. He is the new Derek Jeter of this generation."

ESPN analyst Alan Hahn was willing to go one step further with his praise for Brunson, calling him the "closest thing" to Kobe Bryant that NBA fans have seen.

Unsurprisingly, there was a large portion of the NBA community that hated this remark from Hahn.

"Not even in the slightest," one fan wrote. "Disrespectful to Kobe."

"Can we stop comparing everyone to Kobe please," a second fan asked.

"Not a soul is yelling 'Brunson' when they shoot a piece of paper into the trash can," another fan pointed out.

"Let's just ban NBA discourse for a few weeks," an NBA fan said. "This championship got people out of their minds."

Not fazed by all the noise.

Brunson might not be the next coming of Kobe Bryant, nor does he need to be. He's building a legacy in New York that few athletes can match. And besides, all he cares about is commanding the respect of his teammates.

"Words can't describe it, but I'll say I put a lot of time and effort into trying to be the best player I can be to try and help a team win," Brunson said. "Just really thankful to have the organization, the coaching staff, my teammates, to have my back every single day. I think that means the most to me. And my family."

Congratulations to Brunson on a truly magical season.

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This story was originally published June 15, 2026 at 6:56 AM.