For NBA Champion Jalen Brunson, Winning Is About Habits, Not Trophies

The streets of New York City are overflowing with joyous fans. Social media is abuzz with wild celebrations. And the name Jalen Brunson has officially become a household one to the metropolitan area’s 19.9 million residents.

On Saturday, the New York Knicks ended a 53-year drought and won the NBA title for the first time since 1973. The gritty squad, led by Brunson, did something Patrick Ewing and Carmelo Anthony never could.

But how?

For some, Brunson may seem like a new addition to the sports landscape. You can almost hear people wondering in real-time: Where did this guy come from?

The former second-round pick by the Dallas Mavericks in 2018 wasn’t retained by the Mavs in 2022 when he was a free agent. Instead, the 6-foot-2 Brunson signed with the Knicks and began his NBA journey in earnest.

Those who watched the NBA Finals, likely left each game amazed. In almost every one, Brunson led the Knicks to a late-game comeback, despite his small stature. Playing the role of David to the 7-foot-5 Frenchman Victor Wembanyama’s Goliath, Brunson seemingly did the impossible.

He brought New York a ring—often having to erase double-digit deficits to do so.

But while he may seem like a new character to non-NBA fans, miracles like this don’t just happen overnight.

No, they are born from relentless work and building proper habits.

Brunson’s father Rick played in the NBA. He wasn’t a star, but he was on the 1999 Knicks team that went to the Finals and lost to San Antonio. And it was Rick who first instilled a drive in Jalen (as social media users saw in a recent video). Rick pushed him relentlessly.

That work ethic has carried over.

In Game Four of the Finals, the Knicks were down as much as 29 points to the Spurs – and yes the Spurs contributed mightily to their own demise. All the while Brunson knew they could come back. They’d done it before against Cleveland. It wasn’t going to happen in a single play. But the team could do it.

They could chip away. They could push. Don’t give up.

But even if they didn’t win, Brunson explained, that was no reason to let go of the rope. 

“Regardless, even if we [didn’t] win Game Four,” Brunson said after getting the victory to go up 3-1, “I feel like the habits that got us back into the game could have carried over into Game Five.”

He added: “Most importantly, [it’s about] sticking together. No matter how that game finished, habits translate, translate to the next game.”

For Brunson, now an NBA champion and Finals MVP, it has always been about building the right regimen. That’s how a ring is secured.

It’s a remarkable turnaround for a team that was once thought of as the laughing stock of the NBA.

Brunson’s determination—not just in crunch time, but for the standard it sets—provided the fuel his team fed off. The Knicks never let up. They forced the much younger Spurs into bad turnovers and wore down their energy.

Brunson taught everyone a lesson.

The Knicks outlasted the Spurs and took home the trophy.

It’s a remarkable example—and one we can all learn from. When the situation looks bleak, how do we respond? When the odds are stacked against us, do we keep fighting or do we pack it in? Have we developed the right habits or do we fold?

“My confidence comes from my work ethic,” Brunson said, directly after winning the title Saturday night. “Every time I got the ball, all I kept thinking about was all the hours in the summer for every summer I had ever since I could remember, making this a reality.”

For Brunson, the idea is never to play for just today. It’s not about the end of a game. It’s about how you look back on the end of your career.

And for the guy they call “The Captain,” that now includes a championship trophy.