Jalen Brunson Named Finals MVP as Knicks End 53-Year Title Drought

Jalen Brunson was named the 2026 NBA Finals MVP on Sunday after leading the New York Knicks to their first championship since 1973. He powered New York to a 94-90 win over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5, finishing the series 4-1 and delivering a memorable 45-point performance in the clincher.

Brunson averaged 32.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists in the Finals. In Game 5, he scored 13 straight points in the fourth quarter and helped the Knicks close the game with an 18-29 final period after again falling behind by double digits. New York won every game in the series after erasing double-digit deficits, and Brunson said, through tears, “We’re going to find a way. Every single time we step on this court.”

The 29-year-old guard said, “I don’t know what I’m feeling. I’m just in disbelief. Every time people counted us out, we came back and did something about it.” He added, “My confidence comes from my work ethic. All I can think about right now is all the hours of training in the summer, every summer since I can remember, to make this a reality. I was just alone in the gym.”

Brunson became only the second player in history to score 45 points in an away championship game, matching Michael Jordan, who did it in Utah in 1988. After the final buzzer, he embraced his new wife and his father, Rick Brunson, who is an assistant coach for the Knicks and watched from the bench. The title capped four years since Brunson signed with New York in 2022 on a four-year, $104 million contract after leaving the Dallas Mavericks, a move that is now seen as one of the best free-agent signings in NBA history.