Jalen Brunson and Miles McBride have a lot in common. It may not seem that way at first glance. Brunson is the toast of the town in New York City, fresh off a Finals MVP and being the superstar player that the fanbase has pined for since the Carmelo Anthony era didn't go quite as well as most of them had hoped.
Meanwhile, McBride is beloved by the fanbase, but he's still more of a role player. He can go on a heater from deep at any time, and the Knicks always seem to do better with McBride on the floor.
Still, Brunson is the best player on the team while McBride is a reserve.
Despite this, the two guards have a lot of similarities.
Knicks guard have uncanny similarities to one another
Brunson and McBride have now been teammates on the Knicks for four seasons. McBride is now actually the longest-tenured Knicks player, with Mitchell Robinson signing with the Celtics, as he is preparing for his sixth year with the team.
Brunson has played four years with the club since signing as a free agent in 2022.
Let's get the obvious reasons out of the way as to why these two Knicks teammates are similar. They play on the same team. Both are guards and are listed at 6-foot-2.
They are also now both referred to as NBA Champions.
Both players have also been doubted during their careers. Neither player was selected in the first round (Brunson 33rd overall in 2018, McBride 36th overall in 2021).
McBride didn't see much time on the floor during his first two seasons and shot the ball poorly. There were questions as to whether he could ever find himself in an important role for the Knicks.
Brunson has heard it all.
Too small. Not athletic enough. Overpaid when he joined New York in free agency.
Those doubts have dissipated for both of them. Just go to a game at Madison Square Garden, or even sometimes a road game, and two players on the team are going to hear loud chants from the crowd as long as they are playing.
Brunson often hears "MVP' chants at the foul line while McBride is serenaded with "Deucccceeeeee" chants when rising up for a three-point shot.
Overcoming those doubts they faced earlier in their career makes their stories inspirational. Both are also trying to inspire the youth as they are authors of a children's book.
McBride's book, Deuce: The Champion of Friendship, became available for purchase in June of 2025. Brunson's book, Jalen Plays It All, is now available for preorder on Amazon and will be released on November 24.
Oh yeah, they are both fathers to a young daughter.
It's been exciting for Knicks fans to watch the two of them become such integral parts of the team for the last four years. Both Brunson and McBride will forever be known as two players on the team that ended the Knicks' 53-year title drought.
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