“They have been nothing but amazing… I can’t really put into words of what they mean to me…they deserve much more than what we were able to do,” Jalen Brunson said about the New York fans. In the last two seasons, the 28-year-old guard has emerged as a guiding light for the Knicks family, leading them to back-to-back playoff appearances. While he’s nurtured his connection with NY’s hoops community, he surprised everyone with a sudden embrace of the Philadelphia Eagles!

Before the Eagles–Falcons game, Jalen Brunson appeared on live TV, sporting a jersey of the Philly side. Playing for a franchise with one of the most loyal and boisterous fans, JB certainly sinned wearing a jersey of a different city! Importantly, he could’ve worn any team’s jersey, but not of a team from Philadelphia.

These two cities have a deep-rooted history of sports rivalry and, it doesn’t end just with the NBA, but also with the NFL and MLB. Much to everyone’s disbelief, the star guard donned the New York Giants’ arch-rival’s jersey. While the Knicks fans have already begun expressing their displeasure online, let’s do a quick background verification of Jalen Brunson for those wondering.

Notably, before joining the NY side, the hooper played for the Dallas Mavericks for 4 seasons. While it’s nowhere close to Philadelphia, we’ll need to dig a little deeper.

Where is Jalen Brunson wearing a Philadelphia Eagles jersey?

To everyone’s surprise, Jalen Brunson was born in New Brunswick, a city in New Jersey. Geographically, the city is much closer to New York than to Philadelphia. So ideally, Brunson should be supporting the NY side, if we look at it that way, but why did he choose the Eagles? Well, let’s not beat around the bush. Diving straight into the grand reveal. It’s JB’s college that made him lean towards it.

The 6 ‘1 guard played for Villanova University, which is located in the Philadelphia suburbs of Pennsylvania. Brunson spent 3 seasons in the suburbs carrying the Novas to the national championship under his leadership. He also won the Naismith Player of the Year in his junior, which was also his last year in college, before going professional in the biggest hoops league in the country. In that season, JB averaged 18.9 points alongside just under 5 assists and 3.1 boards, while going 52.1% from the field and 40.8% from deep.

It’s only that the college superstar left the place with another emotional event. He became the first player from Villanova both (men’s and women’s tournament) to win the Player of the Year award. While it makes the case for Brunson’s fandom toward a Philly, a recent clip further confirmed it.

Ahead of the Monday night NFL game between the Eagles and Atlanta Falcons, the Knicks guard and Jason Kelce united for a chit-chat. Scott Van Pelt, the veteran commentator, before letting Brunson speak, stated the obvious. He said, “You know, Jalen Brunson, he works in New York… He is a Nova guy, which explains the jersey.” Yeah, Brunson had donned the Eagles fit.

Hilariously, Brunson didn’t stop at that. He went on to say that it’s “easier” not “easy” for an NBA player to enter the NFL in front of Kelce, leaving the rest of the panel to crack up. Nevertheless, it’s also important to notice JB’s other emotional bond with Villanova.

Brunson and his ongoing Villanova connection in the Knicks

To call Jalen Brunson’s NY Knicks career a fairy tale is an understatement. Following his college stint, he entered the Mavs fold under Luka Doncic‘s wing. Even though he had a decent run, the Slovenian star’s bright lights restricted JB, and he ended up averaging 11.6 points. Luckily, he didn’t end up on the Mavs bench for a long time. The guard’s life took a turn when he moved to the Knicks. He averaged 24 points in the first season itself and followed it up with 28.7-point season! It’s not only the surge in his offensive bag but also the teammates that the New York side’s front office managed to assemble.

The team roped in Josh Hart in the same season JB entered the Knicks. And in the next season, the team traded in Donte DiVincenzo from the Warriors. Importantly, all three were roommates during their time at Villanova. Well, the chemistry was visible throughout the 2023-24 season, as they went deep into the semi-finals. While everyone expects the trio to produce a similar performance in the upcoming season, the Knicks have seemingly gone all in, adding another Villanova teammate, Mikal Bridges. With three teammates already by his side, JB has only one task, winning the ring. Will he do it? Let us know in the comments.

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.