Jalen Brunson is the player the NBA needs right now

NEW YORK – This offseason, New York Knicks star guard Jalen Brunson signed a four-year, US$156.5 million (S$204.4 million) contract extension with the team.

That may seem like a lot of money, but it’s $113 million less than he would have been eligible for next offseason based on the complex algebra that structures NBA (National Basketball Association) contracts.

He made his decision to free up money to fill the roster around him with players who can help the team win a championship, something they haven’t done since 1973.

He is not the first athlete to achieve this.

Tom Brady, Derek Jeter and Patrick Mahomes have done the same thing, but it’s a largely selfless move in a profession where there isn’t always a lot of selflessness.

“It’s simple,” Brunson said in August.

“I want to be here, I want to show that actions speak louder than just talking about things. I want this team to stay together for a long time. I want to win here, that’s all.”

His decision to sacrifice himself for the greater good cemented his place in Knicks history.

But could Brunson also breathe new life into the league? Yes, the NBA is in a comfortable position; In July, the company tripled its media rights deal when it agreed to a $76 billion package with Disney, Comcast and Amazon.com.

But the 2024 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks averaged just 11.3 million viewers per game, a three-year low, according to Nielsen.

Boston’s Jayson Tatum and the Mavericks’ Jaylen Brown and Luka Doncic are among the best players today, but none seem ready to lead the league as it puts an iconic era behind them.

LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant may be in their mid-to-late 30s, but they’re still great for their ratings. Team USA’s gold medal game against France at the Paris Olympics, in which she scored 54 of the team’s 98 points, was watched by an average of 19.5 million viewers. It was the most-watched basketball game — professional or college — since 2017.

The NBA has a lot of young stars. There’s Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks, Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns, Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies, Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets and Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs.

It’s just that no new megastar has emerged yet, which opens the door for Brunson.

“The faces of the league are guys with incredible natural ability,” said Monica McNutt, a basketball analyst for ESPN and the Madison Square Garden Network, which broadcasts most of the Knicks’ games.

“They’re big, they’re strong, they have long limbs, they’re in the 98th percentile of what an average human looks like.”

In comparison, Brunson is smaller at 6-foot-1 and weighs 190 pounds. But that might actually be his strength, she says.

“His ability to be more everyday is unique as it connects with fans and audiences.”

Brunson, who first signed with the Knicks in 2022, has other things on his mind. Off the field, he has contracts with Bose, Delta, Dunkin’, Nike and other brands.

He also plays in New York City, the league’s largest TV market.

“Cities like Denver and Dallas are fine, but they don’t have the aura of New York,” says Bob Dorfman, a San Francisco sports marketing analyst. “The Knicks are an iconic brand in sports.”

The team was eliminated from the playoffs last season in a seven-game second-round series against the Indiana Pacers. Nevertheless, the Knicks are the team with the fourth most spectators in the league; According to Nielsen and the NBA, their viewership increased 15 percent per game last season compared to 2023.

Brunson’s re-signing gave New York the financial flexibility to trade for a center, All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns, which they got from the Timberwolves.

Towns will help the Knicks better compete against the Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers, whom New York defeated in the first round last season.

Dorfman says it would be a dream scenario if the Knicks advanced deep into the playoffs, ideally facing a team like the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals since LA is the league’s second-largest market.

“These are the types of matchups that really increase viewership and make the NBA shine,” he says.

Can Brunson go some way to helping the Knicks become the next great NBA dynasty? Perhaps.

The NBA season begins on October 22nd and one thing is for sure. Brunson will do his best in the coming months to make sure he doesn’t give his team a discount for nothing. BLOOMBERG