The Knicks‘ Jalen Brunson has had an eventful year. Firstly, the 6 ‘1 guard spearheaded the NY side to a competitive effort in the postseason. And now he has welcomed his firstborn, Jordyn James Brunson, alongside his wife, Ali Marks. After the heartwarming announcement, JB received love from across the community, including his rival, Tyrese Haliburton. He took to his Instagram handle and dropped a picture of his baby holding his finger, along with a caption that read, “7/31/24 • Jordyn James Brunson.” 

This wholesome post came in 20 days after the birth of the newborn. In response, the fans swarmed the comments section, wishing the couple on their new journey as parents. To everyone’s surprise, Tyrese Haliburton stepped in to call a truce on their rivalry. The Pacers star also joined the bandwagon and wrote, “Congrats y’all,” with a red heart emoji. While Hali wished the Knicks guard as if they were long-time buddies, almost a month ago, the duo were ready to throw punches at each other.

It all began when they faced each other in the 2024 Eastern Conference semi-final. Keeping up with the Pacers-Knicks tradition, the new-age stars kept the rivalry flaming. During the series, there were many instances of the duo having heated exchanges. And it was Tyrese Haliburton, who had the last laugh, beating Jalen Brunson & Co. in Game 7.

Following the postseason, the duo faced each other again, this time on an entirely different setup, a WWE ring.

During the Friday night SmackDown, Tyrese Haliburton walked out with Logan Paul, who made a grand entry at the Madison Square Garden for the Money in the Bank qualifying match. At that time, the Pacers guard spotted Jalen Brunson in the crowd and intimated him, who ultimately stepped into the center. And, of course, the duo had the famous WWE stare down inside the ring! However, it is now evident that the in-sport rivalry has been kept aside ‘for personal reasons!’

Best wishes flood in for “girl dad” and “future Knicks legend!”

Apart from Tyrese Haliburton, the NY star-boy received a lot of wishes from the NBA world. Atlanta‘s star Trae Young wrote, “Blessing bro! Congrats!” Last year, Trae announced the birth of his daughter with a similar IG post and also received tons of love. Young had penned a wholesome note that read, “Mama brought you into this world! Now Tydus & Dada are gonna forever protect you in this world. Teal Dove Young.” It was quite heartwarming to see a fellow NBA star trying to bring in the same love for Haliburton.

Following Ice Trae, Haliburton’s teammate Obi Toppin joined the rest and congratulated Brunson on his new journey, writing, “#girldad”. The 26-year-old power forward is a girl dad himself. Toppin and his girlfriend Magdalena Bellinger welcomed their daughter, Remiel Alice Toppin, to the world in 2021.

A fan decided to heartwarmingly predict the future and write, “Future Knicks legend. Congrats king.” Netizens were quick to correct the individual, however, they rightfully agreed with the sentiment! Jalen Brunson’s daughter could be the next big thing at Liberty, who knows!

The wishes didn’t stop with the NBA players, and thousands of fans flooded the comments with hearty wishes. Stepping into the new season, Jalen Brunson now will have an extra soul, wishing for his best on the court! Now that the Knicks have added yet another Villanova teammate, Mikal Bridges, the team will have a strong chance at the ring.

Before leaving, do watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where Bulldogs’ Asia Avinger details her experience with Kobe Bryant, her WNBA ROTY picks, and more in the video below.