After Jalen Brunson led the New York Knicks to their first title in decades, he is now recognized as one of the clutchest players in history.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Chicago Sports Network, Brunson talked about his father [Rick Brunson], who experienced the edge of his career.
The floor general believed that fourth-quarter clutch moments are not pressure, but rather the uncertainty of having a contract in the league.
“Pressure, for me, is defined differently. Everyone thinks the fourth-quarter clutch moments are pressure,” Brunson said.
“Watching my dad work out the way he did for about eight or nine years on non-guaranteed contracts, not really knowing when he’s going to be picked up, when he’s going to get cut. If he was going to play at all. I didn’t know that at the time,” he added.
Brunson has viewed pressure from a different perspective, not during the game or taking the last shots, but what happens after.
“Knowing my dad’s journey in the league, I find that to be pressure. You don’t know what’s next. Your career is in another person’s hands. Not being guaranteed,” Brunson explained.
Rick went undrafted in the 1995 NBA draft and spent a highly successful season overseas, such as in the NBL, winning MVP for the Adelaide 36ers before a 9-year NBA career from 1997 to 2006.
Jalen’s father played for eight different teams, including the Knicks, the Portland Trail Blazers, and the Chicago Bulls.
He averaged 3.2 points and 2.6 assists in a total of 337 career regular-season games.
