“He’s a Leader”: Jalen Brunson Got Inspired by Aaron Judge’s “Team-First” Mantra Before Taking Up Knicks’ Captaincy

Being a captain isn’t easy. Even though Jalen Brunson claimed that he was “born” to be a leader, it is a throne with a lot of thorns. The fact that he’s the New York Knicks captain only increases that pressure. After all, the Knicks want to be on top, and New York wants to be on top and that is a huge pressure. But then Aaron Judge is under a similar pressure as well. And interestingly, Brunson is inspired by the New York Yankees captain’s work.

Aaron Judge and Jalen Brunson have crossed paths quite a few times in the past. The two have strong mutual respect and understand just how important they are to their respective teams. However, more than that, Judge and Brunson know the meaning of playing in New York. The glitz and glamor of the city cannot hide the immense pressure that they feel as superstars. With Brunson ready to wear the captain’s hat, he remembers how Judge leads the Bronx Bombers.

Jalen Brunson admits that he’s trying to follow Aaron Judge’s path

The story of Jalen Brunson and Aaron Judge is quite similar. Both of them signed a big contract with their team but also agreed to give a discount. More importantly, both of them were named the captains of their teams after signing a deal. It was a culmination of their hard work and loyalty. Recently, when Brunson threw the first pitch at the Yankee Stadium, he got a closer look at how the relationship is between Judge and his teammates.

“Just seeing from afar how his think of him,” Jalen Brunson said in his press conference. “How he’s a hard worker, how he puts the team first, and most importantly what his teammates think of him. So I think I took from the conversation…My main takeaway from the whole experience is that he’s a leader because of his actions and how hard he works.” Certainly, it looks like Judge gave huge inspiration to Brunson and it isn’t surprising. 

Aaron Judge’s leadership style has always been known for being selfless. As one can see from his interactions with Juan Soto, Judge is one of those rare athletes who is not afraid to share the spotlight. That in itself shows the security with which All Rise operates. That’s one of the reasons why he was called better than Derek Jeter a few months ago. As for Brunson, the fandom of Aaron Judge extends beyond him in his family.

The connection between the two New York captains 

Jalen Brunson and Aaron Judge’s story started right at Brunson’s Knicks debut. While the NBA star had hoped that he’d be in the headlines, Aaron Judge spoiled those plans. You see, it was the same day as Judge hit his 63rd homer and broke the AL record in 2022. Brunson hilariously wondered if his mother might be far happier seeing All Rise’s home run than her son’s performance. Especially because she’s a huge Yankees supporter. 

“Aaron Judge, he deserves that big time, props to him,” Brunson said while praising the New York fans. “It’s an amazing energy in here, the atmosphere is crazy.” However, that wasn’t the end of their exchanges. The two finally met last month when Brunson came to the Yankee Stadium. Though he fulfilled Anthony Volpe’s dream of a shirt exchange, Judge and Brunson too had quite a cordial moment between them. That was the day Brunson realized how good of a leader Judge was. 

So as it stands, Jalen Brunson is hoping to recreate Aaron Judge’s impact. Could he bring that level of team culture within the Knicks? That is debatable but what isn’t debate is that he has just joined Judge in the upper echelon of New York sports stars.