Barack Obama praises Knicks’ ‘king of New York’ Jalen Brunson

Barack Obama approves of Jalen Brunson’s new title.

The former president is impressed by the New York Knicks captain who led the team to its first NBA championship in 53 years. During a conversation with the All The Smoke podcast, Obama shared his thoughts on the NBA Finals and the “King of New York.”

“It’s the toughness and endurance and mental fortitude of that guy,” Obama said of Brunson. “You just felt like, ‘I’m going to keep coming and I’m not going to doubt myself and not going to let my team doubt myself.’ And for a second-round draft pick, who was a champion, who was a winner, you didn’t see it coming.”

Obama compared Brunson’s two-championship-winning collegiate run to his NBA takeover of the Golden State Warriors’ Steph Curry. He then added what Brunson and Curry have in common when it comes to securing the win.

“A cliche, but that dude has the heart of a champion,” Obama said. “You can see, just watching him with his dad [Rick Brunson] at the end of the game and kind of what that meant, all the work they must’ve put in. All those years, all that commitment — real proud of him. And I know he’ll never have to pay for a meal again in New York. … He’s the king of New York right now.”

Obama also shared how he felt of OG Anunoby who not only had an epic play during Game 4 when he tipped in the ball which resulted in the Knicks’ 106-107 win and 3-1 series lead, but was a pivotal player during the playoffs.

“I’m trying to think of a better series from somebody who’s never been an All-Star, and it’s hard to think of one, right?” Obama said of Anunoby. “Where, through the whole playoffs, he was just a rock.”

In Game 5 Brunson scored 45 points putting him amid NBA greats Michael Jordan and Bob Pettit who also scored similar feats during an NBA Finals-clinching victory. During the Knicks parade last week, Brunson shared how it felt to prove naysayers wrong.

“There’s a lot of people that have a lot of negative stuff to say,” Brunson said during the Knicks celebration at New York’s City Hall. “There’s a lot of people who have a lot of opinions. But when you prove them wrong, you really don’t have to say s— to them. They don’t deserve it.”

“D–n, New York, we really did it,” Brunson said. “Somehow, someway I knew we were going to find a way to get this done.”

The post Barack Obama praises Knicks’ ‘king of New York’ Jalen Brunson appeared first on ClutchPoints.