By now, you've likely already seen the viral media day quote from Victor Wembanyama about how last year's New York Knicks title run is still "haunting" him heading into the 2026-27 season.
Considering it was his Spurs that ultimately fell to them in historic fashion during the NBA Finals, this shouldn't be all that surprising.
However, what's worth noting is that he was far from the only star to express fears stemming from and admiration for New York's recent championship.
Examples of this were found all throughout Monday's media day, ranging from Giannis Antetokounmpo's admission that the Knicks are the best team in the NBA, a claim new Heat teammate Bam Adebayo vocally attested to, to LeBron James suggesting that fear of media backlash for joining the reigning NBA Champions prevented him from pursuing the Knicks in free agency.
Needless to say, the Knicks' championship struck a chord.
After 53 years of painfully and patiently waiting, it's no surprise that fans of the franchise are still not over New York's recent title win. Clearly, opposing stars strewn across the league are still festering over it as well.
Jalen Brunson appreciative of praise his Knicks have received from stars
While other, non-Knicks stars may be fearing New York's recent successes, team cornerstone Jalen Brunson is fully reaping the rewards of it.
The recent praise he and his Knicks have been receiving, particularly during media day, is something that Brunson says "I really do appreciate," and he noted that it shows the growth that he's made in his game since entering the league as a second-round pick back in 2018.
In his eyes, winning in New York is "no joke," and he admitted that his experience doing so has exceeded his wildest expectations.
Of course, though he's certainly welcoming all the admiration, it by no means is making him believe he's a finished product.
While talking to the media on Tuesday, Brunson said that he still believes he has "a lot of work to do" to reach the levels he wants to get to.
We're talking about a three-time All-Star and All-NBA selection who just paved the way toward an all-time championship run for the Knicks while earning Finals MVP honors in the process saying this.
If this truly isn't the best version of Brunson, and there's an even higher level to his game that he can tap into, then the rest of the league should be fearful of him and his Knicks.
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