Knicks Star Becoming Biggest Name in Sports

National sports fans apparently find New York Knicks captain Jalen Brunson to be the (Wild)cat's pajamas.

The Knicks are reportedly reaping the financial benefits of their historic playoff run, one that has placed them in their first Eastern Conference Final in a quarter-century.

Kim Bhasin of Bloomberg reported that sales of Knicks merchandise have "skyrocketed" in the wake of this unexpected championship trek and that Brunson, the point guard, captain, and newly-minted Clutch Player of the Year, has enjoyed a particular boon that has him moving past established champions.

"Brunson has had the best-selling jersey across all sports since the Knicks began their hotly contested second-round matchup against the rival Boston Celtics on May 5, according to Fanatics," Bhasin said in her report. "The Knicks have been the NBA's top-selling team since then as well. Brunson jerseys have outsold superstars such as Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Stephen Curry from the Golden State Warriors."

Even their darkest days, the Knicks continued to be a draw and lightning rod on the modern NBA ledgers, so it's hardly a surprise to see that their current success has led to a renewed interest in the franchise.

The turnaround has been headlined by the antics of Brunson, who has guided the team to three consecutive playoff appearances as well as the aforementioned ECF showing, which began on Wednesday night against the Indiana Pacers. Despite enduring a 138-135 loss in overtime, Brunson put up 43 points in defeat, which tied him with Patrick Ewing for the most Knick playoff games with at least 30 tallies.

Brunson added to his metropolitan legend in the aforementioned bout with Boston, which saw the Knicks oust the defending champions in six games. All that and more has set the stage for what is by far the most realistic NBA Finals case the Knicks have made since their last such showing in 1999.