The New York Knicks had their Media Day on Monday, and that signals just how close they are to beginning their title defense for the 2026-27 season. All offseason long, the Knicks basked in the glory of winning their first championship in 53 years — with Jalen Brunson being a legend in the city and even drawing the moniker of “king”.

But the Knicks cannot afford to be complacent heading into the new season. Every team in the NBA will be gunning for their heads. And while Brunson knows that he can remain even-keeled even though they're on the mountaintop of the association, he joked that his good pal Josh Hart may not be able to handle winning as well — starting off the season with a customary jab towards his buddy.

“I think guys should be able [to handle winning]. I think we're all professionals in that way. I have the utmost faith in these guys. [But] I don't know about Josh, we'll see how he acts,” Brunson said, via SNY Knicks on X.

Jalen Brunson talks about the Knicks being able to handle winning:

"I have the utmost faith in these guys. I don't know about Josh, we'll see how he acts" 😂 pic.twitter.com/YihB62ezmw

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) September 28, 2026

It's going to take some time for the Knicks to get into the swing of things next season, as it's always hard to come down from the highs they reached this offseason as they celebrated their title win with the passionate city of New York. But at the end of the day, nothing can take away the fact that they are NBA champions.

“It was the longest, shortest summer ever, but it was well worth it,” Brunson added.

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The road ahead is not going to be easy whatsoever. Making matters more difficult is that they lost Mitchell Robinson in free agency, and to a division rival in the Boston Celtics, no less. Nonetheless, Brunson knows just how much the city of New York deserves to root for winners, and the way they responded to their title win makes the grind ahead that much more worth it.

“I remember when the Yankees were in the World Series and just the electricity the city had. It just made you want to be a part of something like that,” Brunson said.