One uncomfortable moment involving Rick and Jalen Brunson and a Texas deputy sheriff after Game 5 of the NBA Finals in San Antonio has begun making the rounds on social media as the Knicks celebrate their historic championship.
In the video, Jalen greets and poses for a photo with a man as a Bexar County deputy sheriff approaches the scene behind them.
The deputy sheriff then appears to push Jalen, seemingly indicating to him that he must get out of the way.
Jalen turned to the deputy sheriff, appearing annoyed and responding before his father Rick — an assistant coach with the Knicks — came in and said, “Don’t push him.”
In the background of the video, viewers can see a woman respond to the deputy sheriff, seemingly saying “He’s the Finals MVP.”
The moment came amidst in-arena celebrations of the Knicks’ first championship in 53 years.
They clinched their third title in franchise history — and first in 53 years — on Saturday with a 94-90 win over the Spurs at Frost Bank Center.
Brunson received the Bill Russell Trophy for Finals MVP shortly after putting up 45 points in a heroic closeout game performance.
The win sent New York into a celebratory frenzy as the city watched the Knicks celebrate over a thousand miles away in Texas before flying back home late that night.
Rick Brunson, now an assistant coach with the Knicks, is a former player himself, having spent parts of three seasons in New York from 1999-2001.
The elder Brunson was a part of the last Knicks team to make the Finals in 1999. That year, coincidentally, the Spurs defeated the Knicks in five games for their first title in franchise history.
