Jalen Brunson will make instant history as soon as he steps on court for Game 1 of NBA Finals vs Spurs

Jalen Brunson will make history as soon as he steps on the court for Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

The New York Knicks talisman is following in dad Rick’s footsteps and they will become the first father-son duo to represent the same franchise on the biggest stage in basketball.

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In 1999, Rick took on the San Antonio Spurs as a rookie, although he only managed 10 seconds of action over the series — a 4-1 triumph for San Antonio.

He played in 69 games for the franchise and returned as an assistant alongside his son.

Jalen will hope to be on the court for much longer than his old man managed in the Finals and the Knicks will need him to avoid a drought-extending repeat of the lopsided result.

He was instrumental in an NBA Cup victory that was officially New York’s first title since 1973.

But everybody knows that the real prize is the Larry O’Brien trophy.

Brunson has averaged 26.9 points, 6.6 assists, and 2.8 rebounds per game in the postseason as the architect of two clean sweeps.

The Spurs are more battle hardened and an emotional Victor Wembanyama had to dig deep to inspire a comeback victory over the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder.

Jalen Brunson’s dad put him through years of brutal drills

Brunson’s journey is the result of decades of grind.

Standing just over 6ft tall, there have been no excuses as the former second round pick became one of the best players in the NBA.

Rick put his son through years of rigid drills to perfect his skills and develop the mentality that has carried him to the top of the game.

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The Knicks released footage showing their superstar as a young baller running through a series of shooting exercises under the watchful eye of his disciplined father.

The elder Brunson tells him to hold his follow-through, adding that being ‘tired is for the weak’ and that he has to be mentally strong.

“Everything you do has to be legit,” he insisted.

“I’ll always talk to him and ask him, like, how bad does he want this? How good do you really want to be?” Rick once said.

Jalen knows that everything worked out in the end and has thrived under his father’s continued guidance under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden.

The methods have not changed.

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Rick even called his son a ‘f***ing bum’ while he was competing against Damian Lillard, Donovan Mitchell and Trae Young in the 3-point contest during All-Star Weekend in 2024.

“Some bald guy behind the bench … I heard ‘Ayo, you f***ng bum!’” Brunson revealed. “I said, ‘Who just said that?’ My dad.”

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