Roman Reigns Acknowledges Jalen Brunson For Acknowledging Roman Reigns

Keep in mind, Brunson was coming off a series-clinching, Game 6 blowout win on the road against the Atlanta Hawks, a ridiculous basketball game that made all sorts of history given the patently absurd final score of 140-89.

Alas, any discussion of the Knicks advancing to the NBA Conference Semifinals against either the rival Celtics or 76ers apparently takes a healthy backseat to Reigns and his return to glory at WrestleMania, WWE's version of the Super Bowl.

It's important to note here that Reigns carries a signature catchphrase of "Acknowledge Me!" and is something that routinely draws a massive pop from the crowd every single time he shouts it at another wrestler, or directly to those in attendance.

After the reporter of note briefly offered a quick congratulations to Brunson for bringing success to the Knicks, he abruptly switched gears to all things wrestling, including Reigns' title victory and the emotional re-alliance with his faction, "The Bloodline."

"See, these are the questions I want asked," Brunson hilariously replied. "Very excited [about Reigns]. Very excited, I have a handshake with one of our trainers and we acknowledge him [Reigns] before every game."

Brunson and his obvious, intentional play off of Reigns' signature catchphrase could not have landed any more smoothly than it did right there.

Even better, Reigns proceeded to quote-reply to footage of the Knicks point guard discussing his excitement over the wrestler's recent achievement by simply posting an index-finger-pointing-up emoji (something he frequently does in the ring) to convey his approval and, fittingly, acknowledge Brunson.

Brunson is a known wrestling fan and even made a memorable appearance on WWE's Friday Night SmackDown back on June 28, 2024 at Madison Square Garden in a segment involving a steel chair and fierce Knicks rival, Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton.

So the question from the reporter was hardly out of left field, but still served as a hilarious, welcome changeup to the usual cookie-cutter queries heard during NBA press conferences, as Brunson basically stated in his initial reaction.

One underrated element of this whole thing is that the 40-year-old Reigns (real name Leati Joseph Anoaʻi) played college football at Georgia Tech, even earning first-team All-ACC honors in 2006.

So while those Midtown Atlanta roots are absolutely there for the WWE champ, it's unclear whether or not Reigns is a fan of the Hawks.

Regardless, watching the WWE superstar enjoying a playful online exchange with Brunson's praise probably didn't do Hawks fans any favors, and if anything probably just added more gasoline to an already blazing inferno.

Because, really, witnessing your favorite NBA team get completely pancaked in a 51-point loss at home in a must-win game feels like the type of peak, painfully embarrassing viewing experience that should not require any further punishment.