Jalen Brunson barely looked like he cared.
After the Knicks’ stunning 29-point comeback in Game 4 of the NBA Finals Wednesday night, Warriors star Draymond Green sat with Brunson on “Inside the NBA” and apologized for the criticism he’s given him leading up to the Finals.
“I apologize. I will say it to your face… I’m sorry,” Green said on “Inside the NBA” after the game. “Then, I will say it when you go and get your ring: I apologize.”
But with slides on and a microphone in hand, Brunson sat stoically with the studio show’s crew after his 36-point masterpiece, clearly not giving much attention to Green’s apology.
“I appreciate that (Green’s apology),” Brunson said.
Green, a four-time champion and All-Star with the Warriors, has been critical of the Knicks and Brunson throughout their playoff run, saying the team’s path to the Finals was easy and that Brunson isn’t capable of being the top player on a championship team.
“And I double down on this. Just like Becky Hammon said, prove me wrong,” Green said on the “Draymond Green Show” on May 31. “Prove me wrong, double down, absolutely double down. Getting out of the East has never been a surefire way at a championship
“What are y’all talking about? You get out of the East cause you’re supposed to get out of the East. It’s the f–king East, of course, you’re supposed to get out of the East. That just don’t mean you win a championship because you get out of the East. It’s the f–king East.”
Green was referencing comments made by Hammon, the current Las Vegas Aces head coach and former Spurs assistant, where she said in 2023 that Brunson was “too small” to be a “1A” player and that he couldn’t lead the Knicks to a championship.
Even as Brunson helped the Knicks punch their Finals ticket on May 25, Hammon still doubled down on her take.
“I speak from experience,” Hammon said in an X video on May 26. “Allen Iverson got MVP, and he lost in the Finals. I think the two best teams are in the West, but I’m up for being proven wrong.”
“That’s the other thing, I think Jalen Brunson’s a hell of a player, a hell of a player. I’m speaking historically on the NBA with what I said. I don’t know why everybody’s so stuck on that. I said it two years ago.”
Brunson, who’s averaged 24 or more points per game each of his four years with the Knicks, hasn’t let the critiques get to him.
After scoring 36 points in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night, Brunson and the Knicks are just a win away from their first title since 1973.
The Knicks can close it out Saturday in Game 5 at 8:30 p.m. Eastern.
