Craving more basketball action during this offseason? Well then, the ‘NY vs NY’ tournament is certainly the thing to tune into. Initially launched by Nike back in 2017, the high school basketball tournament reportedly aims to unite New York City around its everlasting passion for the sport, especially in outdoor ‘streetball’ environments. By highlighting the next generation of basketball stars, both boys and girls, the event is nothing short of a cultural phenomenon now in ‘The City That Never Sleeps’. Therefore, it wasn’t a surprise when Jalen Brunson himself turned up to witness it. Yet, his appearance stirred up a range of reactions from NBA fans — ranging from overwhelming praise to some good-natured trolling.
The official Instagram account of ‘NBA Future Starts Now’ recently released a video. It featured the New York Knicks star sitting courtside as the ‘NY vs NY’ tournament got underway. Later, Brunson was also seen carrying the Girls’ Championship Trophy as he prepared to present it to West 4th after they secured the win. The Knicks point guard also gave Team Tri-State their Boys Championship Trophy.
Among the other celebrities that were present at the event were Gatorade National HS Player of the Year Aaliyah Chavez and Carmelo Anthony’s son, Kiyan. The event turned out to be a memorable one, with West 4th taking down Dyckman in an intense matchup. On the men’s side, Team Tri State put out a memorable show, forcing turnovers from the rival franchise and dropping dunk after dunk amidst the cheers of the crowd.
Jalen Brunson had also attended the ‘NY vs NY’ tournament held last year alongside his mother, Sandra Brunson. He was welcomed enthusiastically by the crowd back then, and he is being given the same treatment now, too. Jalen Brunson himself never played at the ‘NY vs NY’ tournament. However, he did participate in the 2015 McDonald’s All-American Boys Game, Jordan Brand Classic, and Nike Hoop Summit during his early days.
Interestingly, the social media reactions to Brunson’s appearance were anything but subtle, showing just how much the NYC star remains in the public eye.
NBA fans react to Jalen Brunson’s presence at the ‘NY vs NY’ Tournament
One social media user reacted to Jalen Brunson holding and presenting the Girls’ Championship Trophy by writing “Cap aura ”. Yes, well, you know that you have made it as an athlete when you are called on to present the trophies at a New York-based tournament. Therefore, if that isn’t the time to ‘aura farm’ then what is?
Cap aura
— Jdab (@JDabz87) August 11, 2025
One individual wrote, “Wait jalen brunson was across the street from me ”. Though you can run into many celebrities in New York, it’s hard to come across Jalen Brunson during the off-season. After all, the NBA player reportedly resides in New Brunswick. This is on the netizen, since he/she should have expected some big names to show up at the ‘NY vs NY’ tournament.
One social media user wrote, “Tough!”. There was no better word to describe when the 28-year-old presented Team Tri-State with the championship while being surrounded by hundreds of people looking to get a glimpse of the Knicks player.
One individual wrote, “Holy aura”. Between this tweet and the one of Kermit lying down and falling in love, the love for Brunson was ever-present.
While others hyped up Brunson’s presence at the tournament, some also used it as a chance to troll him. One social media user reacted to the player holding the trophy by writing that “Jalen Brunson is just getting used to holding a trophy ”. Yikes! Well, the New York Knicks did make the Conference Finals last season. The team reached that far in the postseason for the first time since 2000. Therefore, you never know. Fortunes might be changing.
Fortunately, overall, the majority of reactions had people giving out nothing but praise for the point guard. It remains to be seen whether we catch this New Jersey resident in any other local tournaments in the coming weeks.
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