What's in a name? What's in a nickname? Better yet, what's in a Knick's name?
Historically, the Knicks have had Basketball — and nickname — Hall of Famers Walt "Clyde" Frazier and Earl "The Pearl" Monroe. More recent history has seen Glenn "Doc" Rivers, Stephon "Starbury" Marbury and Amar'e "S.T.A.T." Stoudemire suit up in blue and orange. Now, it's Jalen "1A" Brunson.
And while Brunson's "1A" moniker hasn't quite become Basketball Reference official yet, it has caught on among Knicks fans and was the Instagram caption center Isaiah Hartenstein chose for a photo of him and his point guard.
Here's the story behind Brunson's nickname and how it came to be.
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Jalen Brunson's '1A' nickname, explained
The origin of the nickname dates back to Dec. 21, when Las Vegas Aces head coach and ESPN analyst Becky Hammon was asked about the state of the Knicks during an episode of "NBA Today." Concerning their standing as contenders in the Eastern Conference, this is what Hammon had to say:
I think you're gonna get a consistent team like they've been. They're a pretty good team, they're well coached, they're going to be on their defensive game, but at the end of the day, they don't have a dude. You gotta have a dude. You gotta have a 1A dude. And they're missing that at the end of the day if we're just getting down to brass taxes.
In response to Hammon's assessment, Kendrick Perkins pushed back, suggesting that Brunson was the 1A capable of leading New York to title contention.
Hammon was quick to shut Perkins down, saying Brunson was "too small," prompting her to share her philosophy on just why she felt that way.
"If your best player is small, you're not winning," Hammon added. "John Stockton, Allen Iverson, Steve Nash, you can go down the list. Steph Curry is the only dude."
After the fact, Hammon took to X to both clarify and double down on her comments.
"I love Jalen Brunson's game!" Hammon started before adding, "I can't put him in a LeBron, Steph, Embiid type of 1A tier of player, and if your best player is the smallest on the court, you (probably) won't win a CHAMPIONSHIP."
For the record… pic.twitter.com/8JTSeEswg4
— Becky Hammon (@BeckyHammon) December 22, 2023
The commentary took on a life of its own, with two-time NBA champion Isiah Thomas taking to X on Dec. 22 to share a photo of him and a young Stephen Curry saying, "Let it be known THE OUTLIERS!"
WATCH: Follow Jalen Brunson and the Knicks all season long on Sling TV
On Dec. 23, Brunson and the Knicks hosted the Bucks for the first of two consecutive games at Madison Square Garden. In the first game, New York came up short but Brunson finished with a game-high 36 points. After the game, Josh Hart came to the defense of his teammate, saying, "he doesn't care about what other people say. He cares about winning and he cares about success."
When the two teams met again in front of a national audience on Christmas Day, Brunson led the Knicks to a win with 38 points and six assists. And the posts came in the process.
1A
— Ben Stiller (@BenStiller) December 25, 2023
You can talk all that about Jalen Brunson not being a 1a but when you put him on the stage with superstars, he's coming out victorious across the board! Merry Christmas and Carry the hell on…
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) December 25, 2023
The Instagram post from Hartenstein, which also came postgame, was the icing on the cake.
As the Knicks make moves to contend in the East, time will tell whether or not Brunson is the one who can lead them to the mountaintop.
