{"id":1428,"date":"2026-06-09T12:34:56","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T12:34:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=1428"},"modified":"2026-06-09T12:34:56","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T12:34:56","slug":"knicks-star-jalen-brunson-dad-rick-brunson-talk-making-history-in-2026-nba-finals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=1428","title":{"rendered":"Knicks star Jalen Brunson, dad Rick Brunson talk making history in 2026 NBA Finals"},"content":{"rendered":"
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NEW YORK \u2014 The New York Knicks enter Game 3 of the 2026 NBA Finals Monday night with a homecourt advantage and a 2-0 lead over the San Antonio Spurs.<\/p>\n

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For Knicks guard Jalen Brunson — who scored 20 points for the Knicks in their 105-104 victory over the Spurs in Game 2 in San Antonio — this NBA Finals is especially personal.<\/p>\n

On the road to potentially winning his first-ever NBA championship and only the third for the Knicks in franchise history, Brunson is working under the tutelage of his own dad, Knicks assistant coach Rick Brunson.<\/p>\n

“It’s crazy to me,” Rick Brunson told ABC News’ Will Reeve in an exclusive interview alongside his son that aired Monday on “Good Morning America.” “I never envisioned to this level. I just envisioned, like anyone who has children, you want success for them, but I get so much pride watching them and hopefully we can get to the mountaintop and celebrate as a family.”<\/p>\n

Rick Brunson was on the Knicks’ 1999 NBA Finals team that lost to the Spurs in a 4-1 series. That 1999 matchup was the last time the Knicks reached the NBA Finals before this year.<\/p>\n

The father and son are making NBA history as the first father-son duo in NBA history to each play in the NBA Finals for the same franchise.<\/p>\n

“I remember like it was yesterday,” Rick Brunson said of the 1999 NBA Finals. “In ’99, it was a great run for us, but I would say now it’s more exciting for me as a father to see your son on the stage and performing.”<\/p>\n

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Rick Brunson played for eight teams in total during a nearly decade-long NBA career.<\/p>\n

Jalen Brunson, the dad of a nearly 2-year-old daughter, said he cherishes his on and off court bond with his dad and their shared NBA history.<\/p>\n

“Our relationship is unique and people may think just because he pushes me a certain way that we don’t say things to each other, but I wouldn’t trade anything for the world,” Jalen Brunson said. “We have the best relationship. Even when it looks like we’re fighting, that’s just a coach and player trying to get over to get to the promised land.”<\/p>\n

Rick Brunson added that he’s “super proud” of his son, and that as they navigate their father-son-coach relationship, Jalen Brunson gives him his own independence too, saying, “I would say he allows me to be me.”<\/p>\n

Describing his coaching philosophy for his son, he said he is always a father first.<\/p>\n

“For me, I don’t rate Jalen on if the ball goes in or not, and that’s what I talked to him about. It’s just taking the right shot, taking his shot, but I just try to keep him confident,” Rick Brunson said. “That’s when, you know, [I’m] more of a coach, and making sure he keeps doing what he’s doing to be successful.”<\/p>\n

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Game 3 between the Knicks and Spurs tips off at 5:30 p.m. ET Monday on ABC15.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The New York Knicks enter Game 3 of the 2026 NBA Finals Monday night with a homecourt advantage and a 2-0 lead over the San Antonio Spurs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1427,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1428","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\nKnicks star Jalen Brunson, dad Rick Brunson talk making history in 2026 NBA Finals - Arizona Moving Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=1428\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Knicks star Jalen Brunson, dad Rick Brunson talk making history in 2026 NBA Finals - 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