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Sam Garcia

By Sam Garcia

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Leading the New York Knicks to the franchise's first NBA championship since 1973 was not enough to satisfy superstar Jalen Brunson.

The 2026 NBA Finals Most Valuable Player said winning the championship serves as boost of confidence, but he still has more to prove in his career.

“It will be the same. It’s something that I get to walk around with and think about when I’m — when I need to give myself a little confidence, or whatever, just in certain situations. But my approach and everything has to be the same.

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"Just because I’ve reached the mountaintop of winning an NBA championship doesn’t mean that it’s over with. I feel like there’s still a lot more to do and a lot more that I can prove. It’s 100 percent always going to be in the mind, I’m just not going to let it define me," Brunson told The New York Post.

Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks celebrates with the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy during the New York Knicks Championship ticker tape parade and victory rally celebrating winning the 2026 NBA Finals on June 18, 2026 in New York City. The New York Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs in five games to win their first NBA Championship in 53 years.

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Brunson Still Has More Years to Play

Brunson's current four-year, $156.5 million contract spans through the 2028-29 season. Therefore, Brunson still has at least three more seasons on his contract with the Knicks.

With the majority of the Knicks' championship roster returning next season, Brunson is looking at what challenges the team will need to overcome next.

“Jalen is the ultimate worker,” Brunson’s mother, Sandra, said to The New York Post. “I felt like, while in the moment we celebrated, moments after, days after, but I could see from my perspective that he was like, ‘OK, next. What’s next?’ Because he’s not satisfied. Reaching the pinnacle or the mountaintop is great. But his career is still, he’s still thriving in his career and it’s still on an uptick. I think that he’s like, ‘What’s the next challenge? What’s the next hurdle?’ I saw that in him."

The Knicks will open their preseason schedule against the Washington Wizards on Oct. 8 at Madison Square Garden.

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