The New York Knicks capped off its exciting playoff run with yet another come-from-behind victory on Saturday night to capture its first NBA championship in 53 years.
WWE wasted little time in highlighting the various appearances NBA Finals MVP Jalen Brunson has made for the company. The Knicks’ point guard is a massive wrestling fan, and he even went so far as to get (somewhat) physical during a spot on Smackdown a couple of years ago.
Soon after the Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5
of the NBA Finals, WWE began posting about the Knicks and Brunson — who scored 45 points in the championship-clinching game — on its social media accounts.
One clip shared on X (Twitter) was Brunson’s June 2024 appearance on SmackDown, during which he sided with LA Knight after Tyrese Halliburton of the Indiana Pacers came to the aid of Logan Paul. This face-off took place in Brunson’s home arena of Madison Square Garden, where tried to give Paul brass knuckles to use in his Money in the Bank qualifying match against LA Knight and Santos Escobar. Brunson emerged from his front row seat and exchanged words with the fellow NBA star before referees stepped in between them.
After Knight scored the victory with a roll-up pin on Paul, Haliburton got into the ring, leading to Brunson following him with a steel chair to back up Knight. Paul and the Pacers player soon retreated to leave the New York fans happy.
Of course, WWE’s social media accounts also showcased the company’s new WWE x New York Knicks Collection. This new merchandise includes a “Champhausen” t-shirt and a Knicks championship belt. Elsewhere on the site, Danhausen’s links to the Knicks are celebrated with “Brunsonhausen” and “Uncursed” Knicks shirts.
Stephanie McMahon used the occasion to post a clip of Brunson’s appearance on her What’s Your Story? podcast earlier this year.
She captioned her X post: “MVP! YOU DID IT! Congratulations to @jalenbrunson1 and the @nyknicks on their historic victory last night! Hear more from the new King of New York on #whatsyourstory.“
Various WWE superstars also praised the Knicks on their big win. One of Brunson’s favorite wrestlers, Roman Reigns, wrote on X: “Acknowledge The Champs” with a graphic of the New York team as champions. Damien Priest and Matt Cardona, both New York natives, celebrated the championship with their own posts as well.
What do you think, Cagesiders? Will you be looking forward to Jalen Brunson’s inevitable return to WWE programming? Let us know in the comments.
