Jalen Brunson is the fourth player in NBA history to score 45 or more points in an NBA Finals-clinching game, joining Bob Pettit (50 in 1958), Giannis Antetokounmpo (50 in 2021) and Michael Jordan (45 in 1998) - (Erik Drost - photo)

Jalen Brunson's 45 points set a Knicks franchise record for points in an NBA Finals game - (NBA - photo)

Bob Pettit played 11 seasons in the NBA and had a career average of 26 ppg. and 16 rpg. The Thin Louisiana Man never had a season where he averaged under 20ppg. Shaquielle O'Neal never had an average of 16 rebounds in a season! - (Screen shot photo) BOB PETTIT - FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME

Olivia Miles the overall WNBA 2nd pick is tearing it up in her rookie season with the Minnesota Lynx - (WNBA - photo)

The Portland Fire's Carla Leite is now breaking loose her talent by having more minutes of play in her first season with the Fire - (WNBA - photo)

Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics ALL TIME NBA 1st TEAM - BREAKING IT DOWN

SPORTS NOTES EXTRA EXTRA - HOLY KICKS! NBA TITLE WINNERS

James Loving/National Radio Text Service

Hats off to the Villanova Wildcats that won the NBA title disguised as the New York Knicks (just joking) - Olivia Miles the overall WNBA 2nd pick is tearing it up in her rookie season with the Minnesota Lynx - The Portland Fire's Carla Leite is now breaking loose her talent by having more minutes of play in her first season with the Fire - THIS DAY IN THE NBA - NBA's ALL TIME BEST PLAYERS 1st and 2nd TEAMS

Wednesday June 17, 2026

THE BRUNSON BURNER

Hats off to the Villanova Wildcats that won the NBA title disguised as the New York Knicks (just joking). Three of the Knicks starting team were on Villanova's title winning team. Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges. They became the first trio of players to win both an NCAA and NBA championship together.

Brunson was a role player for the championship season of the 2015-16 Villanova Wildcats and named the national player of the year and a consensus first-team 2018 All-American for the championship season of the 2017-18 Wildcats.

Brunson became one of only five players in basketball history to win an NCAA national championship, the Naismith College Player of the Year Award, an NBA championship, and the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, and Bill Walton.

Jalen and Rick Brunson who played for the Temple Owls became the first father-son duo to win an NBA championship together on the same team with one as a player and the other on the coaching staff. Brunson was named the NBA Finals MVP, earning the Bill Russell Trophy.

He received all 11 votes from a media panel covering the series. … Brunson (45 points) set a Knicks franchise record for points in an NBA Finals game, surpassing Willis Reed's mark of 38 points, set in Game 3 in 1970. … Brunson is the fourth player in NBA history to score 45 or more points in an NBA Finals-clinching game, joining Bob Pettit (50 in 1958), Giannis Antetokounmpo (50 in 2021) and Michael Jordan (45 in 1998). … Brunson's 163 points in the series are the most by a Knicks player in a single NBA Finals.

It is the Knicks first title in over a HALF CENTURY… It's their first NBA championship since 1973. The 53-year gap between championships is the longest in NBA history. The previous longest gap was the Milwaukee Bucks' 50-year gap from 1971 to 2021.

That 1973 Knicks team featured several all-time greats Walt Frazier, Earl Monroe, Bill Bradley, Willis Reed, Dave DeBusschere and Jerry Lucus. Lurking in the shadows of the team was reserve Phil Jackson.

They say great players don't become great coaches. We experienced that when Bob Cousy got sensitive when we brought up his days as a player coach for the Cincinnati Royals (now Sacramento Kings).

Again that was the case when Magic Johnson tried to be a coach for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Jackson learned a lot observing to how the game is played from the bench as he went on to coach 11 NBA title winning teams. It was most notably coaching the Chicago Bulls two-time 3 peat NBA title winners of the 90's.

WNBA

Olivia Miles the overall WNBA 2nd pick is tearing it up in her rookie season with the Minnesota Lynx. Miles is averaging a team leading 18ppg. and 6apg. to go along with 5rpg. She set a WNBA rookie record with 24 first-half points on her way to a career-high 31, as the Lynx beat the Los Angeles Sparks 99-83 tonight. Her 31 points are the most by a rookie this season.

The Lynx have a league best 12-3 record. They're doing it without their perennial star and Olympic Gold Medal team member Napheesa Collier who is recovering from an ACL injury from last season.

Other WNBA players that have caught our eye during the first quarter of a 44 game season are Portland's Carla Leite. Leite was a free agent lost by the Golden State Valkyries.

The Valkyries let her go in feeling that they were stocked at the guard position and felt they could afford to lose her. The 2024 first round draft pick of the Dallas Wings is now breaking loose her talent by having more minutes of play with the Portland Fire (23.9) and is averaging 13.7ppg. 2.1rpg. and 5.3apg.

THIS DAY IN THE NBA

June 17, 1976 Four former ABA teams -- Denver, Indiana New York and San Antonio -- were officially admitted into the NBA, raising the league to 22 teams.

June 17, 1994 In New York's 91-84 win over Houston in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, Patrick Ewing tied the NBA Finals record with eight blocked-shots. He shares the record with Bill Walton, Hakeem Olajuwon and Shaquille O'Neal