Jalen Brunson spoke after leading the New York Knicks to the NBA championship with a historic performance in Game 5 against the San Antonio Spurs. The point guard, the emotional and competitive MVP of an unforgettable night, discussed tears after the final buzzer, the organization's faith in him, his pain tolerance, the meaning of winning alongside Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart, and a mentality that has defined his entire life: working without fear of failure.
Q. For years you've said you only worry about the next day, what's next, that you take it game by game, however you want to say it. Right now you can't say that. What does it feel like to have had that mentality your whole life and now have this bubble burst like this?
JALEN BRUNSON: Words can't describe it, but I'll say I've put a lot of time and effort into trying to be the best player I can be to try to help a team win. I'm really grateful to have the organization, the coaching staff, and my teammates backing me every day. I think that's what means the most to me. And my family.
Q. Between the final buzzer and now, have you cried at any point?
JALEN BRUNSON: Yes.
Q. What emotion caught you?
JALEN BRUNSON: It was beautiful. The final buzzer sounded, I walked straight to center court, shook hands with Mitch Johnson, and then I turned around and there was my father, and from that moment on I got emotional. After that I just remember Josh talking in my ear and telling me something like: "We did it! We did it!"
And I was emotional for a good five or ten minutes, and then the joy started to set in.
Q. Second round of the draft, doubts about you, and now you're the best player on one of the greatest playoff teams in NBA history. What does that mean to you individually?
JALEN BRUNSON: I still haven't processed it, but honestly, I... honestly, right now I don't know. I don't know.
I'm just grateful for the opportunity and grateful that this opportunity presented itself, and that we were able to achieve it.
Q. Sorry if they already asked you this, but you could say you made a $113 million bet that this would happen. When you made that decision and gave this franchise that kind of flexibility, how possible did you see a night like this?
JALEN BRUNSON: Very possible. With hard work and effort, I knew it was achievable.
But that was just a small part. I think all of us coming together, uniting, having the mentality of believing in each other, of never giving up, no matter what the situation was, made all of this possible.
But yes, it might seem like that had something to do with it, but the credit belongs to my teammates.
Q. You won in college. Obviously you're winning here. What do you think this group had to break through that barrier?
JALEN BRUNSON: Honestly, tonight we played like we wanted to go home as champions. To finish the game, not to start the game, but to finish it.
Yes. It means the world to me to step on that court with those guys, in whatever environment we're in, home or away, it doesn't matter to us.
Q. The team as a whole struggled offensively early in the game, and then it seemed like you just decided to grab the game by the throat and carry it to the finish. Eleven players in NBA history have a 45-point game in the NBA Finals and you're one of them. What did it take to get there tonight?
JALEN BRUNSON: Everything. I was just trying to get out there and push us toward victory. I wasn't focused on anything other than trying to win the game. Getting stops. Getting out and running. Just finding ways to cut into the lead or extend it when we got it.
A really exciting moment, knowing that we're not going to give up.
Q. Congratulations on becoming an NBA champion. You took that shot over Wemby, fell on his foot, it could have been anything. It seemed to hurt you in that moment, but nobody doubted you'd come back into the game, just like all the other times you take hits and come right back. Where does that pain tolerance come from and how much does it mean to you to play through it?
JALEN BRUNSON: It hurts right now, I'm not going to lie to you. It hurts right now.
But like I said before, the opportunity presented itself. You do what you have to do.
Q. Obviously Leon put a lot of faith in you to be the number one guy. What did that faith mean to you and was there pressure that came with it? Can you describe that dynamic a bit?
JALEN BRUNSON: No pressure. No pressure at all. I've described pressure in the past. My father being on eight or nine non-guaranteed contracts during his career and not knowing when they're going to cut you, when a team is going to move on from you, while your family is on the East Coast and you're wherever you are in the country. That's pressure.
Training three times a day in the summer and watching him push himself just to get a training camp contract, that's pressure.
I'm very fortunate to be in the position I'm in, and I definitely believe I've worked hard, so when the opportunity presented itself like it did today, I just trusted my work. And if we win, we win. If not, we learn and move forward. But I simply never have fear of failure.
Q. Tell us how hard this was. It took everything, man. I mean, they came at you in waves. Four of those guys switching on you all game long. Talk about how that wore you down mentally and physically and how you dragged it to the finish line.
JALEN BRUNSON: I don't think it wore me down mentally, maybe a little bit physically, obviously, just from the game and what they were trying to do.
Mentally I feel fresh. I feel like that's where I thrive. But you have to give them credit. They're a tremendous group. They're a well-coached team. The culture they have is clearly evident. They have it. So a lot of respect to them and what they put on the floor.
I'm just happy we were able to find ways to win four games.
Q. All the championships you've won you've won in Texas. The first with Villanova in Houston, the second in San Antonio, and now this one here in San Antonio. What do you have against Texas and how special is it for you to be able to win this title with Mikal and Josh?
JALEN BRUNSON: I have nothing against Texas. I love Texas. I miss Texas taxes.
Being able to win with Mikal and Josh is a great feeling. It's truly a great feeling knowing that I met them at a young age and that we were able to grow as friends, as teammates in college, and be able to accomplish something in college, and then be able to do this at this level is equally special, maybe a little more special.
But yes, it's an incredible feeling.
Q. Now that you're an NBA champion, what's your message to the people who said you weren't a 1A player?
JALEN BRUNSON: I didn't respond to them then and I'm certainly not going to respond to them now.