Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart are great friends who love taking some lighthearted shots at each other. Brunson recently sat down for an interview with Ashley Nevel and during it, called Hart to ask him how he would guard him. As you might imagine, it led to a hilarious exchange between them.
Josh Hart: “What do you want?”
Jalen Brunson: “I’m at home, I’m doing an interview. I need you to be on your best behavior but I have a question for you.”
Hart: “Okay.”
Brunson: If you were guarding me, how would you stop me?”
Hart: “… That’s tough. Try to be physical… You’re gonna go through like 14 pivots and shot fakes before you actually shoot the ball and then I might have to somewhat show my hands and jump somewhat back because you jump into people and get fouls.”
Brunson: “So basically you can’t.”
Hart: “With you being able to play so well off 2 feet it’s tough… At some point, I’m gonna jump. On the third shot fake, I’m jumping.”
Brunson: “I’m letting you know this is really professional of you. I’m really happy that you’re maturing.”
Hart: “You didn’t hear my first answer it cut off…”
Brunson: “What was your immature answer we didn’t hear?”
Hart: “I said smack the s*** out of your fata** head…”
Brunson (hears Josh’s wife laughing in the background): “Yo Shannon, it can’t be that funny…”
(Jalen Brunson calls Josh Hart)
Josh: "What do you want?"
Jalen: "…I'm doing an interview…If you were guarding me how would you stop me?"
Josh: "…You're gonna do 14 pivots & shot fakes before you shoot…jump into people…get fouls."
Jalen: "So basically you can't."
Josh:… pic.twitter.com/RBWvDyl157
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) February 1, 2024
Brunson should have known the moment he praised Hart for being professional that he was going to get that kind of an answer from him. The camaraderie between these two is unlike any other, and it was forged all the way back when they were teammates at Villanova.
They won an NCAA title together in 2016 and are now hoping to win one with the New York Knicks. The one leading that title charge is Brunson, who is averaging 27.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 6.4 assists, and 0.9 steals per game this season. The question of how exactly you guard Brunson is not one that too many found the answer to, as he had been tearing apart defenses all season.
Jalen Brunson Is Finally An All-Star
With Brunson leading the Knicks to a 32-17 record, it was inevitable that he would become an All-Star this season, and he was announced as a reserve for the 2024 All-Star Game. It was richly deserved, and Brunson teared up after the selection while getting MVP chants from Knicks fans.
When the guard came out of Villanova, not many expected he would amount to much in the NBA, and no one would have seen this coming. The Dallas Mavericks had selected him with the 33rd pick of the 2018 NBA Draft, and he was a bit part player for his first three seasons in the league.
He would finally get the chance to be a full-time starter in 2021-22, and while Brunson did impress, he still didn’t exactly seem like a star in the making. It was only after he headed to New York in 2022 that Brunson was able to show the basketball world what he was truly capable of.
He led the Knicks to the playoffs in his first season and was rather unfortunate I felt to miss out on a spot in the All-Star team in 2023. There was no chance of Brunson being snubbed this time around, and it’s wonderful to see someone like him be rewarded for all the hard work he has put in since coming into the NBA.
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