Knicks MVP Jalen Brunson has a message for Swifties after radio analyst dissed Taylor Swift on ho...

The strong defense from Brunson comes after basketball analyst Monica McNutt questioned Swift's allegiance to the team. Knicks MVP Jalen Brunson has a message for Swifties after radio analyst dissed Taylor Swift on hot mic The strong defense from Brunson comes after basketball analyst Monica McNutt questioned Swift's allegiance to the team. By Shania Russell :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/ShaniaRussellauthorphoto5934b684845d480caa4485648c39ef2b.jpg) Shania Russell Shania Russell is a news writer at , with five years of experience. Her work has previously appeared in SlashFilm and Paste Magazine.

The strong defense from Brunson comes after basketball analyst Monica McNutt questioned Swift's allegiance to the team.

Knicks MVP Jalen Brunson has a message for Swifties after radio analyst dissed Taylor Swift on hot mic

The strong defense from Brunson comes after basketball analyst Monica McNutt questioned Swift's allegiance to the team.

By Shania Russell

Shania Russell

Shania Russell is a news writer at *, *with five years of experience. Her work has previously appeared in SlashFilm and Paste Magazine.

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June 14, 2026 11:47 a.m. ET

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Jalen Brunson and Taylor Swift. Credit:

Jesse D. Garrabrant /NBAE via Getty; Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty

- Knicks captain and Finals MVP Jalen Brunson just led his team to its first NBA championship in 53 years.

- In a post-game interview, Brunson used some of his airtime to address drama with Swifties.

- Defending reporter Monica McNutt, Brunson asked Swift's fans to "cut her some slack."

The New York Knicks just became NBA Champions for the first time since 1973 — so there was plenty to unpack once team captain Jalen Brunson was off the court and in front of a camera.

Including the frightening power of Taylor Swift's fanbase.

After acknowledging the historic win and dodging weighty questions about his NBA legacy, Brunson made an effort to cool the tension between Swifties and Knicks broadcaster Monica McNutt, who recently upset the fanbase for dissing Swift when she didn't realize that her mic was recording.

"I just want to say something to the Swifties," Brunson said in the post-game interview with McNutt. He then gestured to the reporter, saying, "She's a really good one. Cut her some slack. It's all good, I promise."

Last week, McNutt earned the intense ire of Swifties after she was caught on a hot mic dismissing Swift's allegiance to the team. The "Opalite" singer was among the stars who watched Game 4 from Celebrity Row in Madison Square Garden, leading some to question whether Swift was actually a longtime fan or merely  jumping aboard the Knicks bandwagon.

McNutt was among those skeptics, at one point remarking to a colleague, "Is that Taylor Swift down there? … She's not a Knicks fan. Get out of here, girl."

Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty

Several fans and outlets then jumped at the chance to disprove this, sharing photographic evidence of the singer's Knicks fandom over the past 12 years. McNutt walked back her comments the next day, during a chat with TMZ.

"Swifties, I appreciate your passion. I said what I said," McNut said, addressing the backlash. "And here's the deal, if I'm wrong — and I am wrong, apparently, because she's got an OG Amar'e Stoudemire jersey. I misspoke, I did not know."

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McNutt explained that she had become accustomed to seeing several celebrity regulars and Swift was not among them.

"I have not seen [Swift] here this year or last year," McNutt shared, adding that was impressed to learn that Swift has been a fan during some low points with the team, including "the Amar'e Stoudemire era" in 2014 which saw the Knicks finish with an abysmal 17-65 record.

"So shout out to her because that means she's been in the trenches," McNutt praised.

Este Haim, Taylor Swift, and Mariska Hargitay react during Game Four of the 2026 NBA Finals.

While Swift's allegiance to the Knicks can no longer be questioned, she wasn't the name on Brunson's lips when he was asked to name his favorite celebrity courtside regular earlier this season.

"My number one, love her to death, she knows it… Mariska Hargitay," Brunson revealed on *The Richard Jefferson Show* in a resurfaced clip.

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The *Law & Order: Special Victims Unit* actress has been a longtime staple at home games, long before Brunson was even in the NBA. Other starry Knicks diehards include Timothée Chalamet, Ben Stiller, Adam Sandler, and Spike Lee, who were all present to see Brunson lead his team to victory 94-90 over the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday, clinching the NBA Finals title for the first time in 53 years. Brunson earned Finals MVP honors after scoring 45 points in the game.

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Source: Athletes

Published: June 14, 2026 at 12:00PM on Source: PRIME TIME

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