Knicks' Jalen Brunson Trolls KAT After Controversial WBC Game

When Team USA beat the Dominican Republic 2-1 in the 2026 World Baseball Classic semifinal in Miami, the final out came wrapped in controversy. For New York Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns, it hit close to home, and he made sure everyone knew it.

Home plate umpire Cory Blaser called a full-count slider from closer Mason Miller a strike three on Geraldo Perdomo to end the game, despite pitch tracking showing the ball clearly below the zone. The Dominican Republic had Fernando Tatis Jr. waiting on deck, with the tying run on third. The game just ended before he ever got a chance.

After the New York Knicks beat the Golden State Warriors that night, Towns was asked about the call in the locker room. SNY's Knicks Videos posted the clip on X, and KAT had no interest in filtering himself.

"Hell yeah, that was a ball, man. Some bull----. We had Fernando Tatis Jr. coming up, bro. Come on, man. That was a ball, man," he said.

When a reporter pushed back and called it a strike, Towns fired right back. "No, hell no. You say that as an American."

Karl-Anthony Towns says the final call in tonight's WBC game against his Dominican Republic team was "some bulls--t" pic.twitter.com/iuDTV9ypP5
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) March 16, 2026

The room laughed, KAT included, but he meant every word of it.

Jalen Brunson Had the Perfect Response on Instagram

At some point after the result, Jalen Brunson posted a post of the New York Knicks on his Instagram story wearing a Team USA Aaron Judge baseball jersey. He tagged Karl-Anthony Towns directly with "LMAO @karltowns."

Jalen Brunson on IG as the US beats the Dominican Republic 2-1 in the WBC semis 🇺🇸⚾️🇩🇴 pic.twitter.com/p0M7wpNDsQ
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) March 16, 2026

The Dominican Republic had been knocked out, and Brunson was not going to let that moment pass quietly.

It was a harmless dig between teammates, but it landed in an awkward spot. The Knicks had just escaped with a 110-107 win over a Warriors team missing Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green, after somehow falling behind by 21 points. Brunson finished with 30 points and nine assists, Towns added 17 and 12, but nobody was walking out of MSG feeling great about how that one went.

The Knicks trailed 46-25 at one point and looked completely flat. What followed was one of the better second-half performances New York has put together this season, grinding the Warriors down to escape 110-107. Both guys showed up when it mattered.

The Dominican Republic had a legitimate shot to win this WBC. They broke the tournament record for home runs, had a loaded roster, and played good baseball all week. The ending stung, and KAT's frustration made complete sense. Brunson just could not help himself.

Team USA is in the WBC final, the Knicks are third in the East, and somewhere in that locker room, KAT is not quite about this.

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