‘TAKING OVER THE WORLD,’ ‘Beat Out Lionel Messi’ — NBA World Reacts As Jalen Brunson Wins Best Male Athlete at the ESPYs
· Yahoo Sports
Jalen Brunson capped off his impressive 2025-26 NBA season on Wednesday by beating soccer icon Lionel Messi, baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani, and Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford for the ESPYs’ Best Male Athlete Award.
Brunson improbably led the New York Knicks to the 2026 championship over the San Antonio Spurs, ending the franchise’s 53-year title drought.
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After Brunson topped Messi and the other big-name contenders for the prestigious honor, the NBA world buzzed with strong reactions.
NBA Community Reacts As Knicks’ Jalen Brunson Wins Best Male Athlete at the ESPYs, Tops Lionel Messi
Brunson’s first recognition at the ESPYs was the Best NBA Player Award. Not long after, he seized the Best Championship Performance recognition, which set him up nicely for the Best Male Athlete category.
To receive the honor, he had to beat Messi, the Argentinian soccer legend, who recently led his country to a stunning come-from-behind 2-1 win against England in the semifinals of the 2026 World Cup. Brunson also needed to hold off four-time MLB MVP Ohtani and 2025 NFL MVP and Super Bowl LVI champion Stafford.
When Brunson was announced as the winner, the NBA community on X swiftly erupted in celebration.
”WE TAKING OVER THE WORLD. BEST MALE ATHLETE JALEN BRUNSON,” an X user tweeted.
“Jalen Brunson just beat out Lionel Messi and Shohei Ohtani. You will never be able to insult this man ever again,” KnicksMuse posted.
“Jalen Brunson is that guy,” a diehard Knicks supporter reacted.
“That makes 3! Jalen Brunson just won the ESPY for Best Male Sports Athlete!” The Knicks Recap exclaimed.
“Jalen Brunson won everything at the ESPYs. The best athlete in the world plays for the New York Knicks. I can’t believe it,” Knicks supporter Marshall Green commented.
The 6-foot-2 point guard, who had to overcome doubts that he was too small to lead the Knicks to the championship, said in his speech that it was a “hell of a run.”
According to Onyx, his run included a whopping nine trophies.
The Knicks were underdogs heading into the Finals against the Spurs despite boasting a 12-2 record in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
They quickly turned their doubters into believers when they went up 2-0 on the road in San Antonio. Down the stretch of the series, Brunson was particularly unstoppable in Games 4 and 5, averaging 40.5 points per game on 50% shooting.
In the Knicks’ record-setting Game 4 comeback home victory, where they trailed by 29 points, the lefty guard delivered 17 of his 36 points in the second half.
In the title-clinching Game 5, the Knicks faced a 16-point deficit before rallying for a 94-90 road win. Brunson dropped 45 points in 41 minutes, going 14-for-27, including 4-for-7 from deep.
In a span of months, Brunson went from an underrated star to becoming a Knicks icon and ultimately, the Best Male Athlete of 2026.