Knicks' Star Addresses Heated Exchange Between Father, Ex-Teammate

New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson has said his piece on the exchange between his father and Minnesota Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo.

New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson attempts to shoot over Minnesota Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The New York Knicks faced the Minnesota Timberwolves for a preseason matchup on Oct. 13, which was certainly an interesting meeting considering the Knicks and Timberwolves just completed a blockbuster trade.

In the deal, New York acquired Karl-Anthony Towns while sending Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo and other pieces to Minnesota.

Well, in the first meeting between old friends, drama ensued.

After the game concluded, DiVincenzo was involved in a verbal altercation with Knicks assistant coach Rick Brunson, the father of DiVincenzo's former teammate and friend, Jalen Brunson.

Jalen addressed the exchange during a recent appearance on the Roommates Show podcast.

"I just wanted to address that families fight," Brunson said. "Things were said. (Expletive) should've been handled better on both sides but here we are. Everyone thinks the world's crumbling ... It is what it is at this point. But I just feel like it should've been handled way better."

The good news is that things appear to be alright now.

It seems this was probably much ado about nothing. With all of the adrenaline flowing in such a competitive environment, unnecessary things get said. But then, after the dust settles, everyone typically mends fences and moves forward.

Plus, for DiVincenzo, the guard was surely frustrated about his Knicks exit, as he embraced New York and was an integral part of the team's 50-win campaign and subsequent playoff run last year.

This very well could have been a case of frustrations merely boiling over, although Brunson is right: things absolutely could have been handled better.

DiVincenzo spent one season with the Knicks and averaged 15.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals over 29.1 minutes per game on 44.3/40.1/75.4 shooting splits.

It represented what was, by far, the best campaign of the 27-year-old's career.

The Knicks and Timberwolves will have their first regular-season meeting in Minnesota on Dec. 19.

Hopefully, no more sparks fly.

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