Knicks’ Jalen Brunson responds, sorta, to critics who say he’s not a ‘1A’ player

What’s a “1A” player in the NBA?

There are plenty of knowledgeable people who believe they know what that means. Usually, it’s a sizeable non-guard like Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant, or a hulking big man like Shaquille O’Neal or Tim Duncan. But Knicks star guard Jalen Brunson is changing the definition after his NBA Finals MVP performance, leading New York to its first championship in 53 years.

For years, pundits, players and coaches — both current and former — debated whether a team can win a championship without this “1A” player. That conversation shifted toward Brunson, especially after he signed with the Knicks in free agency. The most notorious response to Brunson’s “1A” credentials came from Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon.

Hammon infamously said that the Knicks didn’t have that “1A” player on their team back in 2023. Even when Brunson’s name was brought up, she said he was too small and that Steph Curry was the only outlier to that rule.

Brunson, almost two hours after bringing New York a title, was asked to respond to those who criticized him for not being that type of player. Brunson po

“I didn’t respond to them then, I’m damn sure not going to respond to them now,” Brunson said pointedly.

And why should he?

Brunson scored a franchise record 45 points, only the second player in NBA history to score at least 45 in a road clinching game (Jordan), in Game 5 and led the comeback while his teammates struggled to score.

That’s why he was voted MVP of the finals by a unanimous vote after averaging 32.6 points, 4.6 assists and 4.2 rebounds.

“I hope you guys will listen to me, he is a top-three MVP candidate,” Knicks head coach Mike Brown said after the game. “Everybody kind of mentions his name in passing, they don’t do it seriously enough — people say he’s too small, people say he’s a 1B or a 2B or whatever, he is a freaking 1A.

“I hope tonight you guys, and I’m talking to the media more than the fans, but I hope you guys recognize what this man is all about because he is A1 MVP — he is him.”