Jalen Brunson Admitted Kyrie Irving Makes Him Look “Foolish” On Defense, Refused To Pick LeBron James Over Michael Jordan

Jalen Brunson ran into some young fans in a park and answered some of their questions, including a diplomatic response to the GOAT debate.

5 Min Read

Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

In a resurfaced video that originally came out two years ago, Jalen Brunson ran into some young fans at a park in New York. They asked him to answer a few questions, and he agreed to do so. 

They had several questions for him that prompted some very noteworthy responses. In this video, their first question was about the hardest player he ever had to guard. 

“I can’t say either because they’re still in the NBA… It’s not Steph Curry.”

“Steph’s gonna make his shots regardless of whether you’re in front of him or not. Kyrie is going to make you look foolish regardless.”

While Brunson categorically refused, Stephen Curry was not the hardest to guard; the silence when he was asked about Kyrie Irving spoke a lot more words than he did. Irving’s ball-handling skills tend to make a defender look foolish.

The fans then moved on to asking him who he picks between Michael Jordan and LeBron James (presumably in the GOAT debate). 

“Personally, just because I’m competing against LeBron, I can’t say LeBron right now. I’ll wait until he retires.”

A very diplomatic choice by Brunson not to directly say what he feels about that debate. If he picked Jordan over James, James may have a bone to pick with him when they face off next on the court, and that may trigger an explosion from James in the game.

And if he had said James is his pick, that would be an unnecessary confidence booster for his opponent, whom he wants to beat in the coming season. Therefore, between the devil and the deep sea, Brunson learned how to swim and chose silence for the time being to save himself. 

The young fans then asked him if he wanted a signature sneaker for himself, to which he had a humble response. 

“Of course, who wouldn’t? But honestly, I would rather have an unlimited supply of Kobe’s versus my own shoe.”

Brunson is a major Kobe Bryant fan since he started watching basketball. His mother and Bryant’s sister were teammates in college, apparently, and he was once gifted a pair of sneakers from Kobe Bryant himself, and he cherishes that moment to this day. 

In their last question, the fans asked him who his favorite player of all time is. 

“It’s Steve Nash. I watched Steve and how he played because he’s ‘undersized’ and not the most athletic, not fast. And the dude won two MVPs.”

The 6’3″ former MVP, Steve Nash, must’ve felt a bit more relatable to Jalen Brunson, who is himself a bit undersized for an average NBA player. The 6’2″ point guard is, however, just about the average height for his position. 

Therefore, earlier in his childhood, Brunson may have wanted to replicate what Nash did as an undersized player in his era. NBA fans saw this video pop back up on social media and made their feelings known on Jalen Brunson. 

“He’s cool, but I still don’t f*** with him.”

“I just passed out from the aura for 12 minutes.”

“Basically, Bron the GOAT, but he’s a competitor, and I respect that.”

“Love the humble players out in the community, helping fuel our dreams.”

“Such a weird-looking dude.”

“STEVE NASH WAS A MENACE.”

“These diplomatic answers. JB definitely was media trained.”

“His media training is excellent.”

The responses were a mixture of people appreciating his humble attitude and honest responses, but some fans also trolled Brunson simply because they don’t like the Knicks. 

Now, nearly two years after this video was originally shot, LeBron James could be heading into the final season of his career. Will we finally get an answer from Brunson on his pick between Jordan and James? We will have to wait and see. 

Newsletter

Stay up to date with our newsletter on the latest news, trends, ranking lists, and evergreen articles

Follow on Google News

Thank you for being a valued reader of Fadeaway World. If you liked this article, please consider following us on Google News. We appreciate your support.

Share This Article
Chaitanya Dadhwal is an NBA Analyst and Columnist at Fadeaway World from New Delhi, India. He fell in love with basketball in 2018 after seeing James Harden in his prime. He joined the sports journalism world in 2021, one year before finishing his law school in 2022. He attended Jindal Global Law School in Sonipat, India, where his favorite subject was also Sports Law.He transitioned from law to journalism after realizing his true passion for sports and basketball in particular. Even though his journalism is driven by his desire to understand both sides of an argument and give a neutral perspective, he openly admits he is biased towards the Houston Rockets and Arsenal. But that intersection of in-depth analysis and passion helps him simplify the fine print and complex language for his readers.His goal in life is to open his own sports management agency one day and represent athletes. He wants to ensure he can help bridge the gap in equal opportunity for athletes across various sports and different genders playing the same sport.
Leave a Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *