Jalen Brunson Honored by Nike After Knicks' Championship Win

On Thursday, the New York Knicks received their official championship parade, so the team could celebrate with fans in the streets of New York City and show off that shiny Larry O’Brien trophy.

Jalen Brunson was a big reason for the team’s success, propelling them to comeback wins, and coming in with clutch shots and plays when needed.

With the Spurs on the ropes in a must-win Game 5 at home, Brunson had his best scoring performance of the Finals, tallying 45 points to lead his squad to the 94-90 win. Overall, he averaged 28.4 points, 6.1 assists, and 3.2 rebounds per game through the championship series.

Those stats ultimately earned Brunson, a former second-round pick, the NBA Finals MVP award, joining a list that includes Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, LeBron James, and Kobe Bryant, among other greats.

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Several hours before the team’s championship parade began, Nike honored Brunson, unveiling a video clip, celebrating the Knicks’ All-Star for becoming a champion.

“Meet the author behind the Knicks' storybook season - and torchbearer of the Mamba Mentality @jalenbrunson1. The next chapter is already being written,” Nike Basketball wrote in a message along with an 18-second video.

It features the Knicks’ Brunson in cartoon form, with the hip-hop classic “The Choice Is Yours” by Black Sheep as the video’s soundtrack. The clip begins with Brunson, hands together, praying or finding inner peace before attacking the game on the court.

Black Sheep’s well-known “This or that?” hook repeats as the cartoon Brunson takes shots on a basketball court, and his Nikes change to different colorways. Before the ad ends, Brunson makes a hand gesture, and the ad reveals his cartoon hand wearing a gold championship ring.

It closes with the Nike Kobe logo, a fitting way to pay tribute to Brunson for his storybook championship season, as Kobe won five with the Los Angeles Lakers during his legendary career.

Brunson famously does not have his own exclusive shoe for Nike, despite fans wishing he did. However, he decided to become the exclusive face of Nike’s Kobe Bryant line, honoring the late, great Lakers star and his “Mamba Mentality.”

With his draft position and seasons playing for the Dallas Mavericks, the 6-foot-2 Brunson was definitely overlooked, and many felt there were bigger stars more capable of winning a championship, but they were wrong.

He’s now shown that with the right mindset, hard work, and dedication to one’s craft, dreams can become a reality.

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This story was originally published June 18, 2026 at 1:34 PM.