NBA Legend Reveals Jalen Brunson's No. 1 Characteristic
Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks snapped the franchise's 53-year championship drought when they beat the San Antonio Spurs 4-1 in the NBA Finals on June 13.
Brunson was named Finals MVP after leading the Knicks to the championship, as the Knicks' captain showed up when it mattered most and helped the Knicks capture glory.
It caught the attention of everyone around the league, including a former two-time NBA MVP who never got the chance to win a title of his own as a player.
Steve Nash Explains Why Jalen Brunson is Elite
Speaking on the "Mind the Game" podcast alongside co-host LeBron James, former two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash explained what makes Brunson so great.
For Nash -- one of the best basketball players of all time who never won an NBA Championship as a player -- what truly separates Brunson from the rest of the league is his will to win.
His will to win."
"Jalen, the No. 1 overall characteristic for me, and last year he was the Clutch Player of the Year, is his will to win," Nash said.
To that end, Nash highlighted how the smaller Brunson can attack bigger opponents and have success, just because he wants it more than them.
"One of the things that I love about him, beyond the shotmaking, is that he's so smart at using his body. We know that he plays off of two feet. We know that he's got incredible touch on those drives where he's able to just float the ball in the basket. It's almost not a floater, not a layup, not a runner, but it's just like a shot on the move with a guy tattooed to him," Nash said.
Related: Mike Brown Explains What Makes Jalen Brunson So Special
At just 6'2" in a league full of seven-footers, Brunson is not the tallest man, and he is not as athletic as many of the players he goes up against on a nightly basis.
But his basketball IQ is next to none, his heart is as big as any, and, as Nash said, his will to win is what sets him apart in a league with so much talent.
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Jalen Brunson Looking to Repeat as NBA Champion
Next season, the Knicks will look to run things back with a similar team and try to repeat as NBA Champions.
No NBA franchise has repeated as champs since the Golden State Warriors did so in 2017-18, but New York has a good chance to do so because they are coming back with the same starting five that won them the chip this year, plus several of their key bench pieces are under contract.
Usually, NBA champions lose a few key cogs in the offseason after winning the title, which makes it difficult to repeat as champs. But for the Knicks, they have almost the same team coming back next year, so they are going to have as good a chance as any team has had since Golden State to win back-to-back titles.
It all starts with Brunson at the top. He is one of the NBA's truly elite players, and he has proven that over the eight seasons he has been in the league.
While Brunson was great for the Dallas Mavericks before he joined the Knicks four years ago, there is no doubt he has turned into a truly elite basketball player in "The Big Apple." He has proven beyond a doubt that he knows what it takes to win in this league, and anytime you have legends like Nash and James singing your praises on a podcast, you know that you are doing something right.
The Knicks got a real one in Brunson, and with the captain leading the squad, New York is in good hands right now and into the future with him as their leader on and off the court.
Related: Kendrick Perkins Drops Bold Jalen Brunson Claim After NBA Finals Victory
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This story was originally published June 16, 2026 at 10:17 AM.