It’s not all that surprising that a former Villanova player hasn’t won NBA Finals MVP.
Main Line legends have plenty of championship hardware — from Herman “Red” Klotz in 1948 to the historic 1956 run with Paul “Pitchin’ Paul” Arizin and Larry Hennessy, and the 1967 squad featuring Wali Jones and Bill Melchionni.
More recently, Chris Ford (1981), John Celestand (2000), Kyle Lowry (2019), and Donte DiVincenzo (2021) have all come away with championship rings.
But historically, these Wildcats were more
culture-setters and complementary pieces. The only real “what ifs” are are Arizin’s 1956 run (Finals MVP hadn’t been invented yet) and Lowry in 2019 — but let’s be real, Kawhi Leonard was an absolute unit for the Toronto Raptors and rightfully claimed the honor.
That is what makes Jalen Brunson’s current trajectory with the New York Knicks so unprecedented for a Wildcat.
As the 2026 NBA Finals head to Madison Square Garden with New York holding a 2-0 lead over the San Antonio Spurs, Brunson is the betting favorite to win the Bill Russell Trophy.
The recently crowned Eastern Conference Finals MVP is actively rewriting the script on what a Villanova guard can be. Alongside fellow Wildcats Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges, Brunson is leading a charge few saw coming. Not even Brunson’s former coach Jay Wright thought the 29-year-old would be this good.
History is waiting at MSG, and Brunson is ready to claim a crown no Wildcat ever before him could.
