Jalen Brunson just declared himself to be the ultimate hero in all of New York! Not only did the star point guard choose to stay on with the New York Knicks, but he also signed the contract and took $100 million less than he deserved. By his action, he has prevented the franchise from undergoing financial strain and leaving them with enough capital to sign new players who can bolster their roster.

And it’s not just New York showering love on Brunson’s sacrifice, it’s also politicians. Yes, that’s right. New York City Mayor Eric Adams took to his official X account to praise the 27-year-old in the view of the public eye, applauding him for his recent contribution to the Knicks. But it wasn’t just a simple applause he showered his way. Adams reminded him of all the hard work, sweat, and labor that goes into building and solidifying a legacy. Only true sacrifice brings that in. As a reminder, Adams writes that Brunson trying to solidify his legacy is far from over.

“All the legends of the past know legacies aren’t built in contracts and payouts — they’re built with blood, sweat, and your brothers on the court,” said Adams in his statement. “So let’s get that title!”

Jalen Brunson was earlier serving under a 4-year, $104 million contract with the New York Knicks. With the same coming to an end, the player became eligible for a five-year, $269.1 million extension by the next off-season, thanks to him being named to the All-NBA Second Team earlier.

However, Brunson ended up surprising many after signing an agreement that would align him with the Knicks for only four years, at a cost of $156.5 million.

According to renowned NBA reporter Adrian Wojnarowski, the idea for the player to sacrifice over $113 million in pay came from the “study of championship organizations and franchise stars — Patrick Mahomes’ Kansas City Chiefs, the Tom Brady New England Patriots and the Derek Jeter New York Yankees — gave him a blueprint for MVP-level players who structured contracts to give their teams the best chances at sustainable title runs.”

Despite being one of the best NFL quarterbacks of the last few decades, Tom Brady did not choose to take as much money as his counterparts did. Even at the height of his career in 2016, Brady was earning only $20.5 million, making him the 12 highest earner amongst the quarterbacks in AAV.

As a result, the New England Patriots were easily able to acquire and retain athletes like Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman, Dont’a Hightower, Nate Solder, etc. By saving over $37.1 million in future cap savings, Jalen Brunson has joined the list of Tom Brady and other ‘non-selfish’ legends. It is quite easy to take the high-paying route, but the NBA player looked at the bigger picture and earned the respect of many.

Charles Barkley sends out his praise to Jalen Brunson for not being ‘greedy’

From teammates to former NBA players, Jalen’s Brunson sacrifice has made waves throughout the NBA spectrum. Despite being busy with golf at the ongoing American Century Championship, former Philadelphia 76ers legend Charles Barkley still managed to commend the player on his decision. He was especially glad over the fact that the remaining capital will help the Knicks to improve their roster, which is certainly the need of the hour.

“I think he realizes if I take less money because the Celtics are not going anywhere, the 76ers have gotten better… I think he realized for me to make an extra few million dollars and we’re not gonna be competitive, nobody wants to do that” said the 61-year-old. “I’m happy for that kid, he’s a great kid.”

Barkley’s remarks come barely a few days after he had reportedly criticized the modern NBA players and management, since they “don’t really care about anything but how to make the most money possible.” This opinion of his was stemmed from the fact that the NBA are looking to take away their media rights from TNT and give it to other networks for a better deal. This move would bring his long-running ‘Inside the NBA’ show to an end. However, thanks to Brunson, the former player can see that all hope is not lost just yet.

Before leaving, be sure to check out some insights that Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, shared about the Lakers legend’s infamous feud with the late Kobe Bryant.