Team USA suffered a shock in the ongoing World Baseball Classics when they lost to Italy in their Pool B encounter, but have since recovered strongly to get to where everyone thought they would before the tournament began: the Finals. Jalen Brunson loves that. His teammate Karl-Anthony Towns, not so much.
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In the semi-finals, the Americans defeated Towns’ country, Dominican Republic, 2-1 in Miami. Brunson couldn’t help but gloat in the face of his New York Knicks buddy.
Brunson immediately took to his Instagram account to post a photo of himself wearing a ‘USA’ baseball shirt. To rub salt into Towns’ (supposed) wound, he tagged the big man.
“LMAO,” he wrote on the post. Nothing more needed to be said. it would be enough to rattle anyone, especially if that person is someone who you share the locker room with.
Jalen Brunson on IG as the US beats the Dominican Republic 2-1 in the WBC semis ⚾️ pic.twitter.com/p0M7wpNDsQ
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) March 16, 2026
Brunson wore the Team USA shirt to the Warriors vs. Knicks game at Madison Square Garden, and unsurprisingly, the New York Yankees reposted the moment on their account. “From one captain to another,” the Yankees wrote in the caption, referring to Brunson, the captain of the Knicks, and Aaron Judge, the Yankees’ star and team captain.
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For Brunson, it was a happy night overall. For Towns, perhaps only halfway so. His native Dominicans lost, but the Knicks pulled off an incredible victory over a struggling Golden State side, coming back from a 21 point deficit.
Brunson scored 30, and Towns added 17 to escape MSG with a victory. However, the fact that they had to work so hard against a depleted Warriors side was slightly concerning. The World Baseball Classic rivalry may be over between Brunson and Towns for now. Their focus will now shift to making sure they succeed in the NBA when the postseason arrives.
