2025-26 was the season of accolades and historic honors for New York Knicks living legend Jalen Brunson.
While most may be fixated on him recently earning the Bill Russell Trophy as a result of winning NBA Finals MVP, throughout the many months leading up to the club's epic championship run, the superstar also came across several other pieces of hardware, ranging from NBA Cup MVP and Eastern Conference Finals MVP to winning the Shooting Stars Trophy at All-Star weekend.
Now, though we may be a month removed from the conclusion of the season, it seems Brunson's hardware collection could still wind up growing even more, as ESPN's Vince Goodwill just made the case for why the 29-year-old also deserves to win the ESPY for Best Athlete - Men's Sports ahead of Wednesday's award show.
"[Ending] that 53-year drought, winning MVP in the Finals with a 45-point finish [in Game 5], also [winning] Eastern Conference MVP... He won every trophy that there was to win with the exception of Most Valuable Player in the regular season," Goodwill said. "I think the enormity of what he did in New York, the way that the Knicks went on this historic run before getting to the NBA Finals... that to me may put him over the top."
Brunson is one of four nominees in the running for the illustrious label, having him pitted against Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, Inter Miami CF forward Lionel Messi, and the 2022 recipient of the moniker in Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani.
Jalen Brunson truly had a legendary season with champion Knicks
Regardless of whether he comes away from the year branded as the best male athlete, it doesn't take away from the fact that the Knicks superstar truly just had a season for the ages.
From his 45-point conclusion to the 2026 NBA Finals, grouping him with Michael Jordan for the most points scored in a title-clinching road game, to joining only three other players in league history, including Dwyane Wade and Allen Iverson, to average 32.6 points or more throughout their first trip to the title round, Brunson is now in exclusively rare company when it comes to his in-season accomplishments.
In fact, he's also officially become the only player in NBA history to score 39 or more points while shooting above 45.0 percent from the floor in five straight playoff games and to earn NBA Cup MVP, Conference Finals MVP, and NBA Finals MVP all in the same season.
With or without adding the ESPY to his collection of assets, considering what he was able to do this past year and, frankly, throughout his entire tenure with the club, Brunson is undoubtedly in the conversation for the prestigious title of G.O.A.T Knicks player as well as the best athlete in the biggest market in the world.
It's safe to say that this probably means more to him than adding another trophy to his collection come Wednesday night.
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