Jalen Brunson's Trophy Spree Is Still Going Even After Knicks' Season

Jalen Brunson has hoisted a slew of trophies after a memorable season for the New York Knicks this year, and his trophy case is getting full.

New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) celebrates while holding the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy during the Knicks ticker-tape parade and celebration on Broadway in downtown Manhattan. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Jalen Brunson keeps beating Victor Wembanyama. He did it a month ago in the NBA Finals to seal the New York Knicks' first championship in 53 years. Brunson spent an entire fourth quarter crossing up the superstar center en route to hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy over his head.

Now, Brunson did it again, this time winning the 2026 ESPY Award for Best NBA Player and besting Wemby in the process. Brunson also beat out the likes of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokić.

The Knicks, as a whole, picked up a few more ESPYs earlier this week. OG Anunoby won Best Play for his incredible tip-in in the Knicks' incredible Game 4 comeback. Meanwhile, the team also received an ESPY for Best Team. Brunson also won Best Athlete - Men's Sports.

Jalen Brunson wins the 2026 ESPY Award for Best NBA Player 🏀

Watch The @ESPYS tonight at 8 PM ET on ABC & the ESPN App 🏆 pic.twitter.com/XvXx6xXfGV

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) July 15, 2026

Since signing with the Knicks back in July 2022, the guard has built a legacy of overcoming the odds, making takes like the one Becky Hammon made about him being "too small" to win a championship seem silly. All Brunson does is win, and he has lived up to the moniker "Everybody is better than Jalen Brunson unless it's time to be better than Jalen Brunson."

As the world kept counting Jalen Brunson out on numerous occasions, he has built an illustrious trophy case. The Larry and the ESPY are just two.

Jalen Brunson's extensive trophy case

Back in December, the Knicks outlasted the field to earn the 2025 Emirates NBA Cup. It was a foreshadowing of sorts for the star, because Brunson was its MVP. He bested Wemby there, too.

New York Knicks center/forward Karl-Anthony Towns (32) and guard Jalen Brunson (11) hold the the Emirates NBA Cup trophy after victory over the San Antonio Spurs at T-Mobile Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In the playoffs, Brunson's Knicks went on to win the Bob Cousy Trophy for becoming Eastern Conference Champions, vanquishing the Cleveland Cavaliers. Brunson won the Larry Bird Trophy, which goes to the MVP of that series.

Maybe his best MVP award, though, was what came next. Brunson was awarded the Bill Russell Trophy for winning the NBA Finals MVP.

Despite 2024-2025 ending disappointingly, Brunson won the Clutch Player of the Year award last season. Brunson led the NBA by averaging 5.6 points in clutch situations a year ago. That is counted during the final five minutes of the fourth quarter and overtime. In those final minutes of games, Brunson shot 51.5% from the field and 85% from the free-throw line.

Another award that Brunson took home this year happened during the NBA All-Star weekend. Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, and the legend Allan Houston comprised Team Knicks, and they won the Shooting Stars competition. They beat out Team All-Star, Team Cameron, and Team Harper. They scored 31 points in round one and 47 in round two.

Team Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) and center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) of the New York Knicks and NBA legend Allan Houston and passer Rick Brunson celebrate after winning the shooting stars competition during the 2026 NBA All Star Saturday Night at Intuit Dome. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

During Brunson's tenure with the Knicks, he has won nine Player of the Week Awards. He has also had three different Player of the Month awards. Those took place in February 2023, March 2024, and December 2025.

One of the best Knicks to do it

While Brunson has never won the Michael Jordan Trophy for league MVP, he has received shares every year he has been with the Knicks. He came in 12th in 2022-2023. He was fifth in 2023-2024. Then, this season, he was tied for tenth with James Harden and Evan Mobley.

All of that can go alongside his National College Player of the Year award from 2018. While at Villanova University, he and Mikal Bridges won two NCAA National Championships. Josh Hart won one in 2016.

It's hard to really grasp just how many awards Brunson won until you list them all out. Even the most ardent Brunson defenders, when he signed with the Knicks, could not have predicted what was in store for the alleged undersized guard who would eventually become captain and end a championship drought.