Jalen Brunson has been enjoying a great few weeks. After re-signing with the Knicks and being named the team’s 36th captain, he earned himself a new nickname from an English Soccer Club. Brunson recently received a customized jersey from Manchester City, which drew plenty of attention. However, it was his college roommate and now NBA teammate, Josh Hart, who was quick to react.
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Hart and Brunson have great chemistry on and off the court, as they often sportingly troll each other. When Manchester City US of the Premier League posted on their social media today that they had gifted the star point guard a custom jersey, Hart who is a Chelsea supporter, teased Brunson with a few puking emojis.
The original post was captioned the photo, ““Mr. New York ” — Manchester City presents Jalen Brunson his jersey.”
— Josh Hart (@joshhart) August 13, 2024
The All-NBA player decided to clap back. Shifting the topic completely, Brunson retaliated by claiming that Hart was “scared” of playing College Football against him.
My reaction when you scared to play CFB https://t.co/nJuV8mXkTt
— Jalen Brunson (@jalenbrunson1) August 13, 2024
It is not uncommon for Hart to tease his teammate. In this case, the 6ft 4” guard-forward, a huge Chelsea fan, seemed to be taking shots at Brunson for showing his support for a rival club.
Hart is a soccer buff
Josh Hart is one of the very few players from the NBA to keep in touch with the ongoings of the soccer world. The swingman often takes to X, reacting to any in-game situation or transfer market news.
Recently, following the numerous signings that the London-based soccer club has been making, Hart hilariously suggested that Chelsea should be banned from any activities in the transfer activity. This particular post came out as a reaction to the English Premier League club signing Pedro Neto.
Give us a transfer ban please https://t.co/JpoJJQApaO
— Josh Hart (@joshhart) August 9, 2024
In 2019, Hart got the opportunity that every soccer fan would long for – to get invited by the club to watch one of their matches. The then-New Orleans Pelicans player made his way to Stamford Bridge in London to catch the Chelsea-Leicester City encounter.
Following the 1-1 draw, the American even got an opportunity to meet with a few players – Christian Pulisic and Antonio Rudiger – from the squad.
Great to see a @ChelseaFC match at The Bridge‼️ Thanks for the love @ToniRuediger @kepa_46 @cpulisic_10 ‼️ BIG THINGS COMING #KTBFFH #CFC pic.twitter.com/sarZr7Jn1O
— Josh Hart (@joshhart) August 18, 2019
With the 2024-2025 soccer season kickstarting over this weekend, Hart will be expected to follow his favorite club closely and even react constantly. Considering that Chelsea faces Manchester City in their season-opener, it’ll also be interesting to look out for potential banter between Hart and Jalen Brunson.
