Brunson Burner! Knicks' Star Roasts Ex-Rival, Teammate
Former Villanova Wildcat Jalen Brunson brandished his digital claws on Twitter on Saturday.
The New York Knicks' star point guard became the subject of social media mockery when photos of his draft night aesthetic upon his NBA entry in 2018 resurfaced over the course of the latest selection on Thursday night. Unlike the flashy duds often seen on draft night (i.e. newly-minted Toronto Raptor Gradey Dick's bedazzled tribute to "The Wizard of Oz"), Brunson wore a standard men's suit.
In that suit, Brunson heard the Dallas Mavericks call his name as the 33rd pick of the 2018 draft. Its reserved nature, however, drew jokes from amateur and professional hardwood sports comedians alike.
Brunson brought his own brand of comedy to the occasion, first expressing mock sadness it had brought him.
Beyond those two tweets, Brunson seemed content to let things slide ... at least until Theo Pinson got involved.
Pinson, a fellow 2018 NBA arrival (albeit undrafted) has worked both along and against Brunson in their respective hardwood journeys. Before each spent parts of the 2020-21 season in Dallas (and after Pinson played 17 games with the Knicks in the prior campaign), Brunson and Pinson did battle in the championship finale of the 2016 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, respectively repping Villanova and the North Carolina Tar Heels. The game (which also featured fellow current Knick Josh Hart) is best known for its finale, which saw Villanova's Kris Jenkins sink a game-winning three-pointer as time expired.
Still stationed in Dallas, Pinson chimed in on Brunson's suit, remarking that it "was a**." Brunson partly agreed ... if only because he harkened back to the championship showdown to refer to the Tar Heels' defense on that final possession and allowed him to unleash one of harshest, if not most accurate, basketball-based barbs ever broadcast in 280 characters or less.
That led the pros to embark upon a playful comparison of collegiate careers: Pinson was more than happy to remind Brunson that he got to hoist the national title trophy in the following season. A fan was kind enough to remind Pinson that Brunson also partook in Villanova's next national championship run over Michigan before Dallas came calling.
Brunson thanked the fan via quote tweet and jokingly took credit for giving Pinson the necessary motivation to beat Gonzaga in the following year.
When another fan tried to claim that the then-freshman Brunson had a muted role on the 2016 group that beat Pinson and the Tar Heels (erroneously labeling Brunson a bench prescience when he was a starter from the relative get-go), he once again took it in stride.
In the end, Brunson assured fans that his war of words with Pinson was not meant to be taken seriously, referring to the former Knick and Tar Heel as his "guy."
Digital roasting appears to be the latest skill that Brunson developed during a breakout season with the Knicks: in the first year of a four-year, $104 million contract, Brunson averaged a career-best 24 points and 6.2 assists, guiding the Knicks to 47 victories and their first postseason advancement since 2013.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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