Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson had one of his most successful years in 2024. The 28-year-old accumulated 2,638 points, leading the scorers’ chart with the most points. Brunson’s accomplishment, which he should be congratulated for, ended up being Josh Hart’s opportunity to troll his teammate on Instagram.
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Hart shared the post from NBA on ESPN on his Instagram story and asked Brunson to pass the ball more than he does. The two stars have known each other since college and their deep bond shows every time they interact with one another.
Hart wrote, “Bro pass the ball!” tagging Brunson in his post.
Josh Hart on Instagram 🤣 pic.twitter.com/jR2eDX7bJo
— KnicksMuse (@KnicksMuse) January 1, 2025
There are countless examples of the friendly banter that Hart and Brunson constantly engage in. During an interview with Ashley Nevel, Brunson called Hart to ask how he would guard him if they played against each other. The All-Star cautioned his teammate to be on his best behavior, knowing what was about to follow.
The 29-year-old heaped praise on his teammate, and outlined his incredible movement on the floor, ability to fake shots, and score at will. He said, “You’re gonna do 14 pivots & shot fakes before you shoot…jump into people…get fouls… With you being able to play so well off 2 feet it’s tough…At some point, I’m gonna jump.”
Brunson was touched by his kind words and was impressed at the same time because Hart kept it professional. However, he didn’t hear his first answer due to a connectivity issue. “I said smack the sh*t out your fat a** head,” Hart repeated. Everyone had a good laugh over the kind of answer that was expected from the forward.
(Jalen Brunson calls Josh Hart)
Josh: "What do you want?"
Jalen: "…I'm doing an interview…If you were guarding me how would you stop me?"
Josh: "…You're gonna do 14 pivots & shot fakes before you shoot…jump into people…get fouls."
Jalen: "So basically you can't."
Josh:… pic.twitter.com/RBWvDyl157
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) February 1, 2024
All it shows is that the two teammates are friends and even when the cameras aren’t around, they must be having fun in each other’s company. Asking Brunson to pass the ball can also be seen as Hart’s way of appreciating his teammate for a successful year. Brunson is in great company on the list. He is followed by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with 2,620 points.
Luka Doncic, Anthony Edwards, Jayson Tatum, and Nikola Jokic are also featured on the points leaderboard. Apart from that, Brunson is ranked fifth on the assists leaderboard with 677 assists made in a year. That chart is topped by Tyrese Haliburton, who is followed by Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, and James Harden.
