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New York Knicks star point guard Jalen Brunson just missed out on being named a 2024 Eastern Conference All-Star starter on Thursday. While many Knicks fans expressed disappointment regarding Brunson’s snub, his teammate Josh Hart had a more comical reaction.
Brunson finished third among East guards in All-Star voting behind Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks stars Tyrese Haliburton and Damian Lillard. While Haliburton was viewed as a near-lock to earn a starting nod, the second guard spot was up for grabs, with many predicting Brunson to secure it.
However, he was edged out by Lillard, who earned his eighth All-Star selection and first starting nod of his 12-year career.
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Per The Athletic’s Fred Katz, when Hart was asked if he heard about Brunson getting snubbed, he sarcastically mocked his star teammate.
“Yeah. F**kin’ loser,” Hart said.
Notably, Hart and Brunson have been close friends dating back to their college careers as teammates on the Villanova Wildcats. The two have also been known to take playful shots at each other during their brief tenure together on the Knicks. So, there was clearly no ill will involved in Hart’s reaction.
Additionally, earlier on Thursday, Hart tweeted that he would “riot” if Brunson wasn’t named an All-Star starter.
So, it’s clear that Hart is strongly rooting for his longtime friend to get selected to his first All-Star team. Fortunately for Brunson, he still has a good chance of doing so, as he is widely expected to be named an East All-Star reserve next Thursday.
Jalen Brunson unfazed by All-Star starter snub
As for Jalen Brunson’s response to not being selected as an All-Star starter, he reportedly wasn’t too bothered by it.
Per Fred Katz, when asked about being snubbed, the Knicks star opted to congratulate Damian Lillard rather than grumble about his omission.
“Congrats to Damian Lillard. That’s it. ... Dame is deserving,” Brunson said.
Additionally, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau touched on Brunson’s snub, highlighting the high level of competition for the highly coveted 10 All-Star starter slots.
“The hard thing about the All-Star Game is there’s a lot of guys who are having great years and are very deserving,” Thibodeau said. “That’s what makes it fun for everyone to debate it.”
In his second season with the Knicks, Brunson has led the franchise to a 28-17 record (fourth in the East). This includes New York’s current East-best five-game winning streak.
Through 43 games, Brunson is averaging a career-high 26.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 0.9 steals and 2.8 3-pointers per game on 47.8% shooting.
