Jalen Brunson stands in the ring with L.A. Knight during WWE SmackDown on June 28, 2024.
Despite the concerns of some New York Knicks’ fans, Jalen Brunson’s hand is fine following his WWE appearance.
That news comes directly from Brunson himself, who appeared on this Friday’s edition of WWE SmackDown, the weekly iteration of the wrestling classic. According to Brunson, it was his “childhood dream” to make a WWE appearance. And he did just that in front of his home crowd.
Notably, fans were concerned about his hand, which was fractured during Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Indiana Pacers. Injuries were the key reason why the Knicks’ season was derailed, but Brunson assured concerned fans that he was fine.
WWE x NBA
The episode of SmackDown took place at Madison Square Garden, home of his Knicks. The episode played into the revived rivalry between the Knicks and Pacers, with Tyrese Haliburton (who is also a known wrestling fan) appearing with Brunson on the episode.
In the bit, Haliburton portrayed the villain as he squared up with Brunson. Later in the show, Brunson grabbed a chair and joined Haliburton in the ring, though no fighting took place.
Brunson even met with WWE chairman Paul Michael Levesque, more commonly known as Triple H. He performed Brunson’s signature three-point celebration.
Brunson Burner
This past NBA season was Brunson’s breakout year. In 77 games played, he averaged 28.7 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 6.7 assists. He also shot 47.9 percent from the floor and 40.1 percent from three-point range.
His offense was only elevated in the playoffs, where he averaged an insane 32.4 points per game. He also averaged 3.3 rebounds and 7.5 assists, while shooting 44.4 percent from the floor and 31 percent from three-point range.
Brunson is expected to be the centerpiece for a Knicks team which has made some serious moves over the past week. They traded for Mikal Bridges and re-signed OG Anunoby to a max contract.
Combined with Julius Randle and the deep bench, they are poised to be serious contenders for next year’s title. They’ll also be contenders for the next several seasons, if all goes well and they remain healthy.
