Knicks Name Jalen Brunson Captain

Jalen Brunson is officially the captain of the New York Knicks.

Jeremy Brener | Aug 6, 2024

May 19, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) brings the ball up court against the Indiana Pacers during the third quarter of game seven of the second round of the 2024 NBA playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

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New York Knicks

New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson has acted like the captain of the ship for his first two years with the team, but now he has the official title.

The Knicks announced in a press release on Tuesday that Brunson has been named the 36th team captain in franchise history.

"The New York Knicks have a deep and storied history and today we are immensely proud to add to that lineage by naming Jalen Brunson as our captain," Knicks president Leon Rose said in a press release. "Jalen is a natural born leader, and I am confident he will continue to represent our organization, fans, city and his teammates with the same heart, grit and class that he has displayed each and every day since he came to New York."

This past season, Brunson averaged 28.7 points, 6.7 assists and 3.6 rebounds in 77 appearances for the Knicks. His efforts earned him the fifth-most votes in the Most Valuable Player race.

During the offseason, Brunson showed his biggest commitment to winning yet, forgoing $113 million by signing his extension this summer instead of next year. That displayed Brunson's willingness to sacrifice to win, which makes him an excellent fit to be the official captain of the Knicks.

Brunson is now expected to lead the Knicks with their expectations the highest it has been since the beginning of the 21st century. After finishing with the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference this past season and making it all the way to Game 7 in the second round of the playoffs, the Knicks are ready to take that next step towards becoming one of the NBA's top contenders.

And now, they will do it with Brunson as the official captain of the Knicks.

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Published Aug 6, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.