Knicks star Jalen Brunson is the player the NBA needs now

NEW YORK – This off-season, New York Knicks star guard Jalen Brunson signed a four-year, US$156.5 million (S$204.4 million) contract extension with the team.

That may seem like a lot of money, but it is US$113 million less than he would have been eligible for next off-season because of the complex algebra structuring National Basketball Association (NBA) contracts.

He made his decision to help free up money to fill out the roster around him with players who can help the team win a championship, something they have not done since 1973.

He is not the first athlete to do this. Tom Brady, Derek Jeter and Patrick Mahomes did the same thing, but it is a largely selfless move in a profession where there is not always a ton of selflessness.

“It’s simple,” Brunson said in August. “I want to be here, I want to show that actions speak louder than just talking about stuff. I want this team to be together for a long time. I want to win here, that’s it.”

His decision to sacrifice for the greater good cemented his place in Knicks lore.

But could Brunson re-energise the league, too? Yes, the NBA is in a comfortable spot – it trebled its media rights deal in July when it agreed to a US$76 billion package with Disney, Comcast and Amazon.com.

But the 2024 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks averaged only 11.3 million viewers a game, according to Nielsen, a three-year low.

Boston’s Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown and Luka Doncic of the Mavericks are among the best players today, but they do not seem poised to lead the league as it transitions out of an iconic era.

LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant are in their mid- to late-30s, but they are still great for ratings. Team USA’s final against France in the Paris Olympics, in which they scored 53 of the team’s points in their 98-87 win, averaged 19.5 million viewers. It was the most-watched basketball game – pro or college – since 2017.

The NBA has a lot of young stars. There is Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks, Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns, Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies, Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets and Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs.

It is just that a new megastar has not emerged yet, which opens the door for Brunson.

“The faces of the league are guys with incredible natural abilities,” says Monica McNutt, a basketball analyst for ESPN and Madison Square Garden Network, which broadcasts most Knicks games.

“They’re tall, they’re strong, they have long limbs, they’re in the 98th percentile of what an average human looks like.”

By comparison, Brunson, at 1.88m and 86kg, is smaller. But that may actually be his strength, she says.

“His ability to be more everyday is something that is unique in terms of it being a connector to fans and an audience.”

Brunson, who first signed with the Knicks in 2022, has other things going for him. He has deals with Bose, Delta, Dunkin’, Nike and other brands. He also plays in New York City, the league’s largest TV market.

“Cities like Denver and Dallas are fine, but they don’t have that aura like New York does,” says Bob Dorfman, a San Francisco sports marketing analyst. “The Knicks are an iconic brand in sports.”

The team were bounced from the 2024 play-offs in a second-round series against the Indiana Pacers that went seven games. Still, the Knicks are the fourth-most-watched team in the league; their viewership was up 15 per cent per game last season from 2023, according to Nielsen and the NBA.

Brunson’s re-signing gave New York the financial flexibility to trade for an All-Star centre, Karl-Anthony Towns from the Timberwolves.

Towns will help the Knicks match up better against the Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers, who New York beat in the first round last season.

Dorfman says having the Knicks advance deep into the play-offs, ideally facing a team such as the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals, would be a dream scenario, since LA is the league’s second-largest market.

“Those are what kind of match-ups really build viewership and make the NBA shine brightest,” he says.

Can Brunson help the Knicks, in a way, be the next great NBA dynasty? Maybe.

The NBA season tips off on Oct 22, and one thing is for certain. In the coming months, Brunson will do his best to make sure he did not give his team a discount for nothing. BLOOMBERG