Knicks' Jalen Brunson reveals when wrist pain started during NBA championship run

The heroic performances that New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson produced during the team's NBA championship run this past spring became all the more impressive after it was learned that he underwent a minor procedure to repair a tendon issue in his left wrist/hand after the Finals. 

During a Wednesday appearance on ESPN Radio, Brunson discussed when he first began playing through discomfort. 

Jalen Brunson knew something was off during Eastern Conference Finals

"There wasn’t a play I remember it happening," Brunson said, per Zach Braziller of the New York Post. "I just remember being at the free-throw line in the third or fourth quarter of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals. My wrist was starting to feel weak. I was like, 'Where is this coming from?' From that point on, I was trying to figure out what was going on, and how I can push through, because I wasn’t going to get anything done during that time." 

Of course, Knicks fans will remember how Brunson helped the team erase a 22-point fourth-quarter deficit against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on May 19. He later scored 45 points on 14-of-27 shooting in the Knicks' 94-90 Game 5 win over the San Antonio Spurs to cement himself as the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player. 

Jalen Brunson reflects on ups and downs of offseason

Brunson's recovery timetable is reportedly "six to eight weeks." Meanwhile, NBA training camps for the 2026-27 season will not open until late September. 

On Wednesday, Brunson insisted that he will be "good" to go when he is needed. He also touched upon the highs and lows he has experienced since the closing seconds of the NBA Finals. 

"Obviously, once we won and everything, everything was up and high and everything was amazing, the parade and all of that," Brunson added. "Everything after we won was amazing. Then, kind of getting back into real life and realizing it was probably best to get surgery done for my wrist. That kind of brought me back down. But I would do it all again. It’s an incredible feeling, and something that doing it here has made it 10 times better. The experience has been better, just being in the city. It’s been amazing, to say the least."