Bridges celebrates Brunson on IG live: “Build a statue for that little guy”
A fired-up Mikal Bridges took to Instagram after New York’s championship win: Jalen Brunson is the GOAT, and he even took a playful jab at Becky Hammon
There are moments when inhibitions disappear as quickly as champagne corks, and the high of a championship 53 years in the making turns into the most honest kind of unfiltered commentary. Just ask Mikal Bridges.
In the middle of the nonstop celebrations keeping half of Manhattan awake, the New York Knicks forward hosted an Instagram Live session that instantly became legendary.
Still riding the euphoria of the newly won championship, Bridges touched on some of the hottest topics from the Knicks’ title run, turning a night of celebration into a series of definitive statements about the value of Jalen Brunson and the criticisms that helped fuel the newly crowned champions.
Naturally, the first topic was the Finals MVP himself. According to Bridges, Brunson has done enough to earn an honor no Knicks legend has ever received in the history of Madison Square Garden:
JB. The GOAT. Build him a statue. Build a statue for that little guy with the big head. He deserves all of it
Mikal Bridges
But Bridges’ show went well beyond internal celebrations, revisiting one of the most viral and controversial criticisms Brunson faced in recent years: the one from Becky Hammon.
Back in December 2023, the current Las Vegas Aces head coach – and former San Antonio Spurs assistant – publicly stated that a player of Brunson’s size could never be the primary star on a championship team. Brunson’s response came on the court, and Bridges made sure to acknowledge it in his own colorful way:
She’s tough, and I have a ton of respect for what she’s done – I really mean that. But what she said about not being able to win with JB as your first option because he’s too small… all that did was fuel that b*stard. I know him well. He’ll never tell you, but he definitely knew what she said. He used it as motivation to go out there and be freaking great. That being said, don’t disrespect Becky – she’s awesome
Mikal Bridges
The livestream was merely the latest chapter in a marathon celebration. Just two hours earlier, at nine in the morning, Bridges appeared visibly exhausted – and probably still feeling the effects of the previous night – during an appearance on the Today show, prompting plenty of jokes from his longtime Villanova teammates.
You took a shot at 9 a.m.? Call the emergency hotline
Josh Hart
They say alcohol removes filters and brings out the truth. If Bridges’ call for a Brunson statue reflects the feelings of the entire Knicks fanbase, the bigger takeaway from the celebration is clear: New York turned every criticism from the past into a building block for its 2026 NBA championship.