The New York Knicks are heading to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999, and Jalen Brunson’s impact on the franchise is now drawing comparisons far beyond basketball.
Following New York’s dominant sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals, ESPN senior NFL insider Adam Schefter compared Brunson’s departure from the Dallas Mavericks to Drew Brees leaving the San Diego Chargers for the New Orleans Saints in 2006.
Brunson has transformed the Knicks since arriving in free agency in 2022. The point guard led New York to an 11-game playoff winning streak and earned Eastern Conference Finals MVP honors after averaging 26.6 points and 6.7 assists during the run.
Schefter said Brunson’s move to New York reminded him of another star player leaving one franchise before helping completely reshape another.
Adam Schefter Compares Jalen Brunson to Drew Brees
In “The Adam Schefter Podcast”, Schefter made the comparison while discussing athletes who changed the direction of their former organizations after leaving.
Cc: @tyschmit
“The one that’s most closest to Jalen Brunson leaving Dallas, going to the Knicks, and turning around,” Schefter said. “Drew Brees leaving the Chargers. Going to New Orleans and turning around that city.”
Schefter explained that the Chargers chose to move forward with Philip Rivers despite still valuing Brees, just as Dallas already had Luka Doncic when Brunson departed.
“And the Chargers, they liked Drew Brees. They liked him, but they had Phillip Rivers,” Schefter said. “And I think it’s the Mavericks. They liked Jalen Brunson, but they had Luka Doncic, so they let him go.”
Schefter added that Brees and former Saints coach Sean Payton completely changed perceptions around New Orleans during that era.
“Between Drew Brees and Sean Payton, they went in there and they turned it around,” Schefter said. “The Saints were a laughingstock. Nobody wanted to go there at that time.”
He also connected the discussion to Nick Saban’s short NFL tenure with the Miami Dolphins before becoming head coach at Alabama.
“If Drew Brees had gone to Miami over New Orleans, I maintain Nick Saban might still be coaching in the NFL,” Schefter said.
Brunson’s rise in New York has similarly altered the direction of the Knicks franchise after two decades of inconsistency.
Jalen Brunson Leads Knicks Back to NBA Finals
GettyJalen Brunson guard Jalen Brunson
The Knicks completed a four-game sweep of Cleveland with a 130-93 win in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
New York has now won 11 consecutive playoff games, all by double digits. According to the information provided, the Knicks own a plus-262 point differential during that span, the largest in NBA history across an 11-game stretch in either the regular season or playoffs.
Brunson’s production has placed him alongside some of the biggest names in NBA history. The only other players to average at least 26 points and six assists during an 11-game postseason winning streak are Stephen Curry in 2017 and Kobe Bryant in 2001.
Former Knicks players also reflected on Brunson’s connection to the organization after the Finals berth.
Brunson’s father, Rick Brunson, was part of New York’s 1999 Finals team, and Jalen spent time around the franchise as a child.
“I’ve been knowing Jalen since he was a baby,” Patrick Ewing told NBC News. “He would always be in the locker room, always bouncing the ball, following me all over.”
Chris Dudley, who played alongside Rick Brunson on the 1999 Knicks team, called the moment “surreal.”
“It was a little bit surreal to have Rick’s son be the star of the Knicks,” Dudley said.
The current Knicks roster has also been built around chemistry and continuity. Brunson, Josh Hart, and Mikal Bridges all played together at Villanova before reuniting in New York.
Hart said the experience of reaching the Finals together remains difficult to fully process.
“It’s something that is surreal,” Hart said. “We already share a bond and brotherhood for life, and this is just another step.”
The Knicks are now four wins away from their first NBA championship since 1973 and will face either the Oklahoma City Thunder or the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals.
Jalen Brunson Compared to NFL Legend by Adam Schefter After Knicks Reach NBA Finals