A newly surfaced social media video has captured a tense moment during the New York Knicks’ historic NBA championship celebration, showing a Texas law enforcement officer pushing Jalen Brunson.
The Knicks secured their first NBA title since 1973 on Saturday night, defeating the San Antonio Spurs in five games. Brunson capped off a spectacular postseason run with a dominant 45-point performance to help seal the historic championship.
However, as the postgame festivities began to wind down on the Spurs’ home court, a Bexar County deputy sheriff wearing a cowboy hat approached the celebration from behind and interjected himself.
The clip, which began circulating social media on Tuesday, shows Brunson wearing celebration goggles in anticipation of a champagne-soaked locker room party.
The superstar guard had his arm around an unidentified man when the deputy sheriff extended both arms, shoving the men forward. The sudden physical contact prompted Brunson to turn around.
Brunson and his companion appeared confused as the deputy issued an order. The confrontation quickly drew the ire of Brunson’s entourage standing nearby.
Jalen Brunson was seemingly confronted by a Bexar County deputy sheriff on Saturday
Brunson appeared frustrated as he was interrupted during his championship celebrations
Rick Brunson, Jalen’s father and a Knicks assistant coach, immediately pointed a finger at the deputy sheriff. He was captured on camera seemingly telling the lawman: ‘Don’t touch him’.
A woman within the Knicks staff attempted to defuse the officer’s aggressive positioning by appearing to tell him: ‘He’s the Finals MVP’.
While the postgame incident sparked frustration, it has not halted the momentum of a fanbase celebrating a championship victory that was over fifty years in the making.
The city of New York is currently preparing to honor the historic squad with a massive ticker-tape parade scheduled for Thursday, drawing massive crowds of fans.
As New York ended its 53-year wait for an NBA championship in San Antonio, fans took to the streets into the early hours of Sunday morning to celebrate.
Brunson poses for a photo with Knicks super-fan Ben Stiller in the locker room in San Antonio
Brunson looks at the Larry O’Brien trophy after the Knicks sealed the title in Game 5
While many did their best to stay out of trouble, others went looking for it and a shocking series of videos showed fans ripping apart school buses, fighting with riot police and smashing up cop cars near Times Square.
At around 2am, crowds scattered at the sound of a gunshot near 43rd St & Broadway, and now the NYPD have confirmed a full list of the stats that shame the city.
In a crime report released the morning after the madness, it was confirmed that a 17-year-old boy had been shot in the foot during the celebrations, while 63 fans were arrested across the city.
