Who is the Greatest New York Knicks Player of All Time?

In the wake of the Knicks’ magical ride to the NBA championship and New York sports immortality, a debate has emerged: Is Jalen Brunson, deservedly selected as the Most Valuable Player in the just-completed NBA Finals, the Greatest Knick of All Time?

It’s a harmless, useless, but completely inevitable bit of parlor-room chatter. Psychologists might suggest that Knick fanatics need to invent an exercise to keep our minds occupied and continue to feel the great vibes that the Knicks gave us, by defeating the San Antonio Spurs 4 games to 1 and winning the franchise’s first title since 1973.

Me? I’m not prepared to let go of the Knicks rope just yet, either, and languish in an Aaron Judge-less summer in the Bronx. And I don’t have the knowledge or, frankly, the interest to get into the World Cup. So, I’m happy to put in my two cents about the Brunson question.

I say this: Walt Frazier is still the Knicks’ greatest player. Yes, Brunson was remarkable this spring. And Willis Reed, Frazier’s teammate and the Knicks’ captain on the championship teams, was rock steady, clutch and magnificent as he fought off fellow centers and such hoops legends as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then known as Lew Alcindor, his birth name, in his NBA rookie season), Wilt Chamberlain, Dave Cowens and Wes Unseld. Meanwhile, Patrick Ewing, though he never could lift the Knicks to a championship, was widely admired for his superior work ethic, consistency and team play. And even Brunson’s father, Knicks assistant coach Rick Brunson was giving the nod as greatest Knick ever to Patrick Ewing who played 15 seasons for the franchise on teams that reached the NBA finals twice. “Patrick Ewing, obviously, [I’m an] eyewitness, is the greatest right now,” Rick Brunson said. “Pat was the hardest working guy we had and he was the best player. Pat did it for 15 years in New York, Jalen did it for four.”

“I don’t rank these players by championships,” Rick Brunson said. “Another seven years you can revisit that question. But as of today, the big fella is my favorite.”

But for me, Frazier still rises to the top. Knick fans of a certain age can still recite by rote his stupendous statistical line from game 7 of the 1970 Finals: 36 points, 19 assists, 7 rebounds–all accomplished while the heroic Reed was so badly injured that he could barely move up and down the court.

Frazier, nicknamed “Clyde” because he dressed as memorably as Clyde Barrow (of “Bonnie and Clyde” fame), put his stamp on a decade of Knick excellence more than any other player, even Reed. Frazier was so cool! He seemed to represent a time and place, just like Joe Namath of the New York Jets. Just as Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford were fading out, Frazier emerged. Met legend Tom Seaver was utterly dependable, hardworking and brillant–living up to his nickname of The Franchise–but he was not quite cool.

Frazier had more charisma than any other New York sports athlete. Period. Full stop.

What Brunson Has Accomplished

Still, if you want to bat away my argument and insist that Jalen Brunson is the No. 1 Knick, I won’t mind.

Brunson, aside from his on-the-court feats, has accomplished something noteworthy off of it. He has given this generation of Knick fans a reason to stop living in the past. I can only imagine that today’s fanatics get pretty darned tired of hearing people like me talk about the good old days and tediously relive the 1970s Knick triumphs.

Brunson has now made it possible for fans to point to modern times with pride. Brunson has almost single-handedly put his face on the 2026 Knicks and allowed these fans to live in the now, not in the then.

That is important. We have seen it before. The Keith Hernandez-Dwight Gooden-Darryl Strawberry-Gary Carter 1986 Mets were so clutch and carefree and lively that they made the 1969 Miracle Mets of Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman seem like relics–even though the 1969 champs had played a mere 17 years before.

Reggie Jackson, who hit three home runs on three consecutive pitches to clinch the Yankees’ 1977 World Series triumph, defined a new kind of Yankees era in the late 1970s. ReggieReggieReggie was brash, boastful and anything but self-effacing, as Mantle had been in pinstripes.

Then, Derek Jeter–circumspect to a fault with the media and the ultimate team captain, who led by example–put his stamp on the Yankees’ franchise for 20 years (and five World Series triumphs), again showing us that our heroes can thrive without seeming like the icons of earlier generations.

Brunson, not yet 30 years old, is entering his peak athletic years–a sobering thought for the players who will have to cover him. He will have ample opportunities to prove that he is No. 1, not Clyde Frazier. And you know what? I’ll be rooting for him.