Jalen Brunson has been a godsend for the New York Knicks. Before this season, the Knicks had only reached the NBA Playoffs once in the last nine seasons. Additionally, they had lost their last seven straight games against their cross-town rival the Brooklyn Nets coming into the 2022-23 season. But, Brunson came to New York from Dallas at the start of the year to change all of that. In Dallas, alongside superstar Luka Doncic, Brunson averaged 16.3 points and 4.8 assists per game last year. Now, as a Knick, he is averaging a career-high in points at 23.9 per game and a career-high in assists at 6.2 per game.
With this elevated performance, the fifth-year point guard is ending losing streaks and has the Knicks in a prime position to earn a playoff spot. On Monday (Feb. 13), the Knicks finally beat the Brooklyn Nets 124-106 in Madison Square Garden. The Nets, now without their former stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant who left via trade last week, had beaten the Knicks in their first two matchups this season. However, with a now weakened roster, Brunson and his team took full advantage. Jalen racked up 40 points and 5 assists in the victory. At 32-27 now, the Knicks are the 7th-ranked team in the Eastern Conference and sit just 0.5 games back of the Miami Heat at 6th. And Jalen Brunson is to thank for that.
Jalen Brunson and Iggy Chat
After his ritualistic postgame interview following the team's victory Monday, Brunson was given props by a fellow celeb. With an on-court rendezvous, rapper Iggy Azalea greeted Brunson. Congratulating him on the win, Azalea hugged Jalen and the two proceeded to chat for a while. There was no audio of the conversation, which led fans to be curious about what the two could be discussing. The ball player and the rapper do not have much in common, and there have not been any rumors of romance preceding this. So, it is left up to the viewers' imaginations what their conversation could have consisted of.
Regardless, Iggy as had quite an eventful start to 2023 herself. Along with the controversial launch of her OnlyFans page, Iggy teased a new project soon to release. Titled Hotter Than Hell, it will be Azalea's first full-length release since 2021's The End of an Era and its subsequent deluxe. It seems like Iggy has a lot going for her lately, much like her new friend Jalen Brunson.
