Eli Manning chimes in on him vs. Jalen Brunson debate after Knicks’ NBA Finals win

New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson had already established himself as one of the best players in the history of the franchise, but this spring he vaulted himself into a different stratosphere. Brunson led the Knicks on a dominant run to the NBA title, losing just one of their final 16 games to lift the Larry O’Brien.

Brunson capped that run off with one of the iconic performances in the history of New York sports. With the rest of his team struggling in Game 5 on the road in San Antonio, the All-NBA guard hung 45 points on the Spurs in a 94-90 win to end the series. That showing earned him Finals MVP honors despite a rough start to the series.

Now, amid all the celebrations in the Big Apple, Brunson has entered into a new debate. Is he the greatest athlete in the history of New York? Big names such as Derek Jeter, Eli Manning and many others occupy that space, and now Brunson is up there as well after his title run.

On Tuesday, Manning leaned into the debate. When an account asked who fans would trust to get the job done in the clutch between Brunson and Manning, the former New York Giants quarterback fired back a two-word quip.

“What sport?” Manning joked.

Of course, it’s going to be very tough for New York fans to put Brunson over Manning. Manning has a pair of championships and took down Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in both Super Bowls, including an iconic throw down the stretch of both games.

Still, the Knicks had gone 53 years without winning the title. That’s an incredibly long drought, so the star point guard brought what will be the first NBA championship that most Knicks fans have ever seen. That, combined with all of the clutch shots from him throughout this run, puts him high up on the list.

Regardless of which direction you go in, it will be very difficult to argue many New York athletes to go over either Manning or Brunson after the latter’s first title in 2026.

The post Eli Manning chimes in on him vs. Jalen Brunson debate after Knicks’ NBA Finals win appeared first on ClutchPoints.