Magic Johnson Defends Jalen Brunson's Size, Calls Him a True Winner in the NBA
By far the biggest criticism that has followed Jalen Brunson throughout his basketball career has been his size. At 6-foot-2, he's one of the shortest men on the court in the NBA Finals right now. But while that may bother some basketball fans, it doesn't bother NBA icon Magic Johnson at all.
Appearing on ESPN's Get Up, the Lakers legend laughed at the idea that Brunson's size would have any impact on his greatness in the NBA. He said that Brunson has been a winner everywhere he's played, be it high school or college and has the perfect mentality to be a winner in the NBA too. Magic added that he loves what Brunson stands for too in his ability to deliver big performances in the clutch.
"You hear me start laughing? You know why the man is a winner. He won in high school, won at Villanova this the guy who you want have on your team in those moments in the situation where it's tough because he will figure it out he's so intelligent and he's tough physically, and mentally. So this doesn't surprise me. I love Jalen Brunson want he stands for, what he's capable of in the biggest moments and he's been doing it his whole career."
Brunson's Impact
Brunson was the driving force behind the Knicks' sensational playoff run that took them to the NBA Finals, putting up one record-setting performance after another in the first three rounds. He hasn't been quite as dominant in the NBA Finals but has still managed to score at least 30 points three times.
In Game 4 at Madison Square, he scored a crucial 36 points and made the shot that OG Anunoby put away to take the lead and pull off the biggest comeback in Finals history.
At this point, he's probably not going to win the NBA Finals MVP, but he's done so much for New York basketball that he'll be a favored son in the Big Apple for the rest of his life.
And depending on how his career in New York plays out over the next few years, he might one day be seen with the same reverence as the likes of Derek Jeter or Lawrence Taylor.
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This story was originally published June 12, 2026 at 8:49 AM.