Even before winning last season’s NBA title, the New York Knicks long ago established themselves as one of the Association’s flagship franchises. Knickerbockers have been All-Stars going back to 1951, when Vince Boryla, Harry Gallatin and Dick McGuire were all selected. 15 different Knicks have been named to All-NBA teams, beginning way back in 1947-48 with Carl Braun making Second Team. No Knicks made it the season before, the Year One of American professional men’s hoops. In that first season a Bones
McKinney made First Team, and is in rare company as a two-time All-NBAer who shot below 30% from the field for his career. There’ve been Olympians, starting with Jerry Lucas in 1960 and including Bill Bradley, Charles Smith, Patrick Ewing and Carmelo Anthony. Stephon Marbury was there when the Dream Team suffered the worse loss in U.S. men’s hoops history against a certain magical island from the Caribbean.
New York has won 60-plus games twice and lost 60-plus twice (interestingly, in 80 seasons they’ve only finished .500 once), made the playoffs 47 times, been coached by a Dick, a Red and a Herb, and run by a Gordon, a Glenn and Steve Mills. Twice. They’ve played 6,269 games. They went 24 years without a title, then three, then 53. Knicks fans have seen it all. Except one thing: the best player alive wearing blue and orange.
Willis Reed is the only Knick ever to win regular-season MVP. I’ve always argued Ewing was better than people think, even compared to contemporaries of his held in higher esteem. I wrote a very wordy slider piece for FanSided early in my career ranking the ‘92 Dream Teamers and had the audacity to rank Ewing fourth, behind the three you can guess and David Robinson. Reader, Ewing was better than the Admiral. But that’s another argument for another day.
The Knicks winning the title this year cast a lot of my prior facts and feelings in new light. The ‘90s Knicks, for example, are already mutating a bit in terms of their meaning to me, because for most of my life they represented an apex. But now that I’ve seen the mountaintop, the surrounding landscape hits different.
The best player on Earth today is Jalen Brunson. Full stop. Don’t believe me? Let’s go for a ride among the other leading candidates and see how and why JB is the GOAT.
STEPH CURRY
Not gonna lie: being the only NBA player ever with your own exhibit in the Hall of Fame while you’re still active is a pretty sick flex. Steph isn’t merely a first-ballot HOFer; his ballots should arrive in the mail with his name already circled. And for most of the time his career has overlapped with Brunson’s, Curry’s been ahead of him and virtually everyone else.
But I’m writing this in 2026, not 2020. Golden State hasn’t won 50 games since Kemba Walker was a Knick. That’s not Curry’s fault, but he’s missed 85 games in that span. They’ve won as many playoff series since (2) as they’ve missed the playoffs. He’s nearly a decade older than Brunson, yet in all that time only won two championships as his team’s best player. Brunson’s already halfway there, nipping on his heels with one.
LEBRON JAMES
LeBron is fortysomething; on any title contender he would be — at best — their third-best player, maybe fourth. Brunson, still twentysomething, is the most valuable player on the defending champions, something James hasn’t been since 2020. Plus James has grown more and more annoying as a public figure over time, while Brunson is easier to love than puppies. Also, James is built like a Sherman tank while Brunson is closer to a fire hydrant. Clearly the Knick star is doing far more with less. And we aren’t constantly bombarded with who-gives-a-**** updates from Brunson’s agent. Advantage JB.
CADE CUNNINGHAM
Call back when he gets a legit second banana and beats a two-way team in the playoffs.
LUKA DONČIĆ
I love Luka. A few years ago, he was the one player in the league I’d have moved heaven and earth and whatever else it took to bring him to the Knicks. But he hasn’t played for a team that’s won a playoff round since he was still a Dallas Maverick. And he was traded for garbage. So he’s clearly got some work to do. Also, I bet you he misses having Brunson alongside him. You think at any point last year Brunson thought “Wish Luka were here?” Fat chance.
NIKOLA JOKIĆ
Back in 2020, Jokić averaged 9.7 rebounds per game. Had he added another three tenths, he’d currently be on nine consecutive seasons averaging a double-double; last year was his second straight averaging a triple-double. Russell Westbrook did the latter three years in a row and four outta five, but doing so while shooting below 45% from the field and 30% from deep dings a little of that luster. By contrast, 2020 is the last time Jokić shot below 57% from the field, while his 36% career mark from deep is more accurate than any single season of Westbrook’s.
It isn’t Jokić‘s fault that he plays for such cheapskate owners in Denver. It also isn’t his fault that he’s about a foot taller than Brunson. If he were a foot shorter, you think he’d be nearly as good? HA! Now, take Brunson’s postgame and footwork and added 11 inches to his height, and whaddya got? An even GOATier GOAT.
SHAI GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER
SGA couldn’t handle the same Spurs team Brunson put in a blender during the Finals. And for all the deserved heat Wembanyama took for his “ethical basketball” tripe before assaulting multiple playoff opponents, the truth is the biggest difference between the Thunder and the Knicks (besides Jalen Williams being injured and OG Anunoby not) is that Gilgeous-Alexander used his skills to try and draw fouls, while Brunson used his to try and make shots.
Or maybe the biggest difference was SGA shooting 29% from deep while Brunson canned 39%. I dunno. All I know is the Thunder are always at the top of power rankings, they have the deepest roster in human history and 39,737 draft picks this decade, and even with homecourt advantage they couldn’t beat the same team the Knicks beat without it. So how good could SGA be, really?
VICTOR WEMBANYAMA
LOLOLOLOL! Is this your king?
