We live in an era of sports fandom where championships are among the most important pieces of the puzzle that is a player’s legacy. Regardless of the sport, players have been torn down or elevated above others, sometimes unreasonably or unfairly, because of a championship. In individual sports such as tennis, track and field, gymnastics, or swimming, there’s an argument to be made that it should be that way. Even in team sports, championships do matter. But depending on the individual, the weight
of a championship can differ greatly.
If winning is the only thing that matters, then ranking all-time greats becomes as simple as looking up the list of athletes with the most championships in their respective sports. Bill Russell would be the best NBA player of all time, while Yogi Berra would hold that honor in MLB. Tom Brady, given his record of seven Super Bowl victories, is the only case where that argument actually holds. Russell is an all-time great, as is the beloved former Yankee Berra, but neither has a legitimate argument for being the greatest player in his sport. Greatest career? Sure. But you get the point. Championships in team sports are a very important factor when evaluating an athlete’s legacy and should be weighed heavily. Given two players with similar stats and accomplishments, the athlete with more championships should get the nod. As always, context matters, though.
Is Aaron Judge’s legacy worse than Johnny Damon’s or Jim Edmonds’s because the latter two have a combined three championships? No. Do Chris Paul, James Harden, or Charles Barkley have worse legacies than Ray Allen because he won two championships? Obviously not. Yet the ring conversation will remain prevalent for as long as we’re around.
For a lot of Knicks players, a championship would do a lot for their legacies. They’d finally capture that elusive feeling of nirvana while bringing home the Larry O’Brien Trophy to a championship-starved fan base for the first time in 53 years, and it would very likely lead to more endorsements and a nice bump in the aforementioned conversation about legacy. For stars, though, a ring can boost the way a career is viewed much more than it would for role players or even just really good players. Karl-Anthony Towns, for example, would likely get a lot more of the respect he deserves if he were to win a ring after the incredible playoff run he’s had. The same can be said for OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges, albeit to a slightly lesser degree. For one Knicks player, though, it would mean significantly more.
Were Jalen Brunson to win a championship, not only would his legacy receive a boost, but he would also enter some very intriguing conversations. He may not have the total counting stats that some other all-time greats accumulated because he became a franchise player relatively late in his career. But given the myriad accolades and historic statistics he has amassed during his short but highly successful stint as a Knick, he could easily make a case as the greatest Knick of all time. He’d still be one championship shy of legends Willis Reed and Walt “Clyde” Frazier, but it would be very difficult to keep him off the top of that list when considering both the historic numbers and the sentimental aspect of being the savior of the franchise.
Being 6’2″ and defeating the 7’5″ Victor Wembanyama would also instantly silence many of the nonsensical critics who have harped on players of his height being unable to lead a team to the promised land. Lastly, being the best player and captain on a championship team in New York, along with a few more years of producing at the level he has reached, could even propel him toward a Hall of Fame case—something that neither he nor the fans probably considered just a couple of years ago.
Now, if he does not win, many of those things could end up not happening. His place among the Knicks legends may be secured, but questions about his height would remain, the Hall of Fame would become a long shot again, and conversations about whether it was worth it for the Knicks to sign his friends would persist. Some of that is unfair. What if he plays out of his mind but still can’t pull it off? The Spurs are currently favored on FanDuel, with favorable odds at -188. Does losing as an underdog make him any lesser as a player, or make his legacy any less impressive? Maybe, maybe not. Will fans and pundits care when it’s time to settle his place among his peers? Unlikely.
In a team sport where so much can happen, it’s unfortunate that so much of a legacy can be tied to the outcome of what is now a best-of-seven series. But that’s just how it is. With so much to lose, but also so much to gain, Brunson, given his age and all the conversations surrounding him, has the most pressure to win it all. Can he pull it off? Knicks fans believe he can.
