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Knicks Star To Appear in WWE Video Game

One New York Knicks star is stepping into the (digital) ring this summer.
Geoff Magliocchetti|
May 23, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) reacts in the first quarter against the Indiana Pacers during game two of the eastern conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
May 23, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) reacts in the first quarter against the Indiana Pacers during game two of the eastern conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

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New York Knicks

New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson isn't letting a loss in the Eastern Conference Finals deny him a ring this summer.

Brunson and several other NBA stars, or at least their digital doppelgängers, are stepping into the pixelated ring as part of WWE 2K25's "Dunk & Destruction" pack of downloadable content. Brunson's involvement was revealed on Wednesday on WWE gaming's social channels, depicting a digitized Brunson entering the ring while brandishing his trademark hand-to-mouth three-point celebration.

The Knicks captain's likeness will appear alongside that of postseason foe Tyrese Haliburton and retired NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal. The "Dunk & Destruction" pack will be available for players to download on June 25.

Having Brunson appear in a professional wrestling game is hardly a surprise, as the captain has often professed his love of WWE events.

He and Haliburton, in fact, engaged in a WWE cold war of sorts shortly after the 2024 postseason matchup between their Knicks and Pacers at the scene of a Game 7 crime, Madison Square Garden.

Playing up to a local crowd in a June edition of "WWE Smackdown," Brunson assisted fan favorite LA Knight in a match where heel Logan Paul was accompanied by Haliburton. Fox commentators Wade Barrett and Corey Graves referred to the showdown as a "Game 8" of sorts after the Pacers took down a depleted Knicks group in the conference semifinals.

Knicks fans will likely be tempted to take out postseason frustration on Haliburton's digital likeness after the Knicks' past two playoff trips were ended by the Pacers.

This time around, Haliburton's dramatic game-tying shot at MSG spoiled the Knicks' first Eastern Conference Finals showing in a quarter-century and set the tone for a six-game Pacers win. Indiana is currently competing against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals, trailing 3-2 after Haliburton endured a calf injury during the fifth games of the series on Monday night.

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Geoff Magliocchetti
GEOFF MAGLIOCCHETTI

Geoff Magliocchetti is a veteran sportswriter who contributes to a variety of sites on the "On SI" network. In addition to the Yankees/Mets, Geoff also covers the New York Knicks, New York Liberty, and New York Giants and has previously written about the New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Staten Island Yankees, and NASCAR.

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