Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks roster had a little more reason to celebrate winning the NBA cup, other than delivering the Big Apple its first piece of NBA silverware in over 50 years. They all got more than half a million dollars each as prize money, something almost everyone else in the tournament was longing for.
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Tyrese Maxey, for certain, wants a share. The 76ers guard was in a jovial mood ahead of their match against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Friday, and while he was on the massage table, Brunson came over to shake his hand.
Maxey (likely) congratulated him on the NBA Cup Finals win over the Spurs, but what became the highlight of this small exchange was the Philly star asking Brunson if he could have some of that $530k that got credited to his account.
A multi-millionaire All-Star NBA athlete asking another multi-millionaire All-Star NBA athlete for a small (relatively) sum of money? That was bizarre, especially considering the fact that Maxey makes more money than Brunson.
Brunson reminded Maxey of that. “You make more than me,” the Knicks man said, turning around. But Maxey, in a mood to joke, outright lied that he didn’t.
As of the 25/26 season, Brunson will earn a salary of $34.9 million. Maxey, on the other hand, will take home $37.5. So, the Philly baller will bag approximately $2.6 million more than Brunson, which is more than four times what Brunson earned by winning the NBA Cup.
Of course, it was all in jest. But if Brunson said “sure,” would Maxey have said no? Unlikely.
Regardless, when the jokes subsided and the battle began, it was Maxey who came out on top. The 76ers beat the Knicks 116-107, with Maxey scoring 30 points, eight more than Brunson. Maxey went home that night, probably telling himself, ‘I score more and earn more than him.’
