Gilbert Arenas wants Jalen Brunson statue after the Knicks’ Spurs triumph — his reason says it all

Jalen Brunson dropped 45 points on 14-of-27 shooting in Game 5 to close out the San Antonio Spurs and hand the New York Knicks their first NBA championship since 1973. 

He averaged 32.6 points per game across the series, capturing the NBA Finals MVP and capping off the most complete postseason run by a Knicks player in the franchise's history.  Thanks to first-year head coach Mike Brown for guiding him through the right path. 

But for Gilbert Arenas, the scoreline alone does not explain what Brunson actually did for this franchise. On the latest episode of “The Gilbert Arenas Show,” the three-time NBA All-Star made his case for a statue outside Madison Square Garden and it had as much to do with the contract room as the paint.

Arenas referred to Brunson's willingness to sacrifice over $113 million at the negotiating table as the literal financial foundation that allowed the front office to build a championship roster around him.

"You are able to keep building because your best player, your captain, your champion Finals MVP, your Eastern Conference Finals MVP, took a $100 million pay cut for you to keep building," Arenas said. "There's no question who the king of New York is."

Gilbert Arenas says if James Dolan builds
a statue of Jalen Brunson outside Madison Square Garden for next season he’d approve of it. Brunson took a $100 million pay cut and delivered a championship to the New York Knicks.” Who has ever done that before https://t.co/880t9bfCLy pic.twitter.com/pBZ1ZAYLT7

In the summer of 2024, Brunson skipped a potential five-year, $269 million contract extension to sign a four-year, $156.5 million deal. By leaving roughly $113 million on the table, he gave the Knicks the salary cap flexibility to build a championship roster. 

The front office used that financial breathing room to acquire Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges, who both became essential to the title run. After the final buzzer, Knicks head coach admitted he would not have made the same financial sacrifice. |

"He comes and he probably takes a pay cut that I wouldn't have taken," Brown told reporters. "Every time they would've thrown that number in front of me, I would have said 'no,' and I feel like I'm a good guy. He set the bar before he even stepped on the floor."

During the post-game celebration, Brunson told ESPN's Malika Andrews that the decision was "100 percent worth it." He added, "Even if we didn't achieve this, I feel like being able to do that and grind and go on a journey to try and achieve it would have been worth it as well, but this is definitely the cherry on top."

Arenas praised Brunson's unique priorities and debated whether he is the best free-agent signing in franchise history. Kendrick Perkins went further, calling Brunson "Mr. New York" and declaring him the greatest Knick ever.

Whether owner James Dolan builds a statue outside Madison Square Garden or not, Brunson has become the undisputed king of New York now.

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