For James L. Edwards III, the debate is over. Jalen Brunson is now the greatest player in New York Knicks history.
The Athletic writer put Brunson ahead of Patrick Ewing, Walt Frazier and Willis Reed after New York claimed its first NBA championship in 53 years. Edwards wrote that Brunson already had a seat alongside those franchise legends. Winning the title moved him to the head of the table.
His case includes the circumstances around each era. The 1973 Knicks had seven Hall of Famers, while Edwards views Karl-Anthony Towns as the only player on Brunson's current team likely to reach the Hall. There were also only 17 teams in the league when Frazier and Reed delivered New York's previous championship.
Ewing gave the Knicks greatness and longevity but never won the title. Brunson completed the job in a positionless era, with larger lineups and constant pressure surrounding the franchise's long wait.
Edwards described Brunson as the NBA's real unicorn in 2026. Not because of unusual size, but because barely six-foot guards drafted in the second round do not usually lead teams to the Finals and finish as champions.
Whatever comes next, Edwards sees Brunson's place at Madison Square Garden as secure. He expects No. 11 to hang in the rafters one day and believes a statue is possible.
There was another part to Edwards' argument: pressure. Frazier, Reed and Ewing did not play in a social-media era filled with reminders of the Knicks' long wait. Brunson faced that noise, ended the drought and made James Dolan an NBA champion.
Edwards was not dismissing the earlier Knicks stars. His case was that Brunson's unusual path, the modern game and the championship changed the order. Even if the guard never plays another game in blue and orange, his place is settled.
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