The new season is just about to start, and a few months back, Jalen Brunson stood inside Madison Square Garden lifting a championship trophy after the Knicks ended a 53-year title drought.
On September 12, Harry Styles spotted him in the crowd, and what followed turned into one of the more memorable non-basketball moments of Brunson’s championship summer.
Harry Styles Shouts Out Jalen Brunson
Styles paused his set to speak to the arena, setting up the moment before he got to Brunson directly. According to Hania Jamil of Daily Jang, he told the crowd, “Now, it’s special night here tonight. We’re in New York City, we’re in Madison Square Garden, the home of the world champions, the New York Knicks,” drawing applause from the crowd.
He then turned his attention to Brunson sitting in the audience. “And we have the KING of New York in the house tonight, Mr Jalen Brunson!” Styles said, sending the building into cheers.
Styles was not done there. He added, “He’s just trying to have a quiet night out! Not in here! Not tonight! It’s like Mickey Mouse going to Disneyland! Thank you for being here with us sir, please make some noise everybody.”
Why This Moment Matters for the Knicks
That nickname was already following Brunson around the city before Styles ever said it, even as Brunson himself has pushed back, saying he will never call himself that.
He closed out the championship run by winning Finals MVP, averaging 32.6 points, 4.6 assists and 4.2 rebounds across the series. His 45 point performance in the clinching game remains one of the best closeout showings in recent memory.
That kind of run is why a pop star can point him out in a crowd and the whole building already knows the name, whether Brunson wants the title or not. It is a nickname that now follows him everywhere, from City Hall to Madison Square Garden’s stage.
The spotlight keeps finding him either way. Brunson is set to host the season 52 premiere of Saturday Night Live on September 26, the first active NBA player to do so since LeBron James in 2007.
None of this changes what happens once the games start. But it captures where Brunson stands heading into the season: a champion, a Finals MVP, and a King of New York in everyone’s eyes but his own.
Jalen Brunson Gets Unexpected Attention From Harry Styles at Madison Square Garden