Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks took on the Chicago Bulls on Jan. 4, which coincided with Derrick Rose Night. Derrick and his son, PJ Rose, were in attendance to watch the Bulls vs. Knicks game, as the former Chicago star was being celebrated.
During pregame warmups, Jalen Brunson spotted PJ while shooting around on the court. Brunson's father told him to get the young Rose a jersey and sign it for him. Jalen did just that, asking the equipment staff for a jersey before offering it to PJ.
As the Knicks star asked Derrick Rose's son for a marker to sign the jersey, PJ declined the offer, which stunned Brunson.
"So before the game, I see PJ (Rose)," Brunson said. "He comes out so I go on the court while I shoot. ... And so my dad's like, 'You need to get PJ a jersey.' I'm like bet."
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"I give him the jersey, and I'm like asking for a marker. I was like 'Yo, I want to sign it.' PJ looks at me like 'No no. You'll mess it up.' I was like 'Damn. I said that s**t 20 years ago to MJ.'"
The situation mirrored a time when a young Jalen Brunson turned down an autograph from Michael Jordan. Brunson, whose father, Rick, was an NBA player, had the chance to meet Jordan during his time with the Washington Wizards in the early 2000s.
The younger Brunson wore a Jordan jersey to the game and was introduced to His Airness. However, when Jordan offered to sign it, Jalen refused.
"My dad is in the NBA. I see all these players all the time. He said, 'Do you want to go meet Michael?' I said, 'I'll go walk down there and meet Michael."'
"(Jordan) said, 'Hey, you're wearing my jersey, you want me to sign it?' I was like, 'Nah, you'll mess it up,"' Brunson said. "The whole locker room was going crazy, laughing and stuff ... I was like, 'It's whatever, I'm good."'
Bulls beat Jalen Brunson and Knicks on Derrick Rose night
The Chicago Bulls defeated the New York Knicks on Jan. 4, which was also Derrick Rose Night. The Bulls didn’t let Rose down, securing a 139-126 victory in front of the former Chicago star and his son, PJ Rose.
Leading the Bulls to victory were Zach LaVine, Coby White, and Nikola Vucevic. LaVine and White both had huge 33-point outings, combining for 66 points. Vucevicadded a double-double performance with 22 points and 12 rebounds.
While Chicago managed to upset New York, the Knicks didn’t go down without a fight. Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson combined for 77 points as they attempted to spoil Derrick Rose’s night.
Towns posted a monstrous double-double with 44 points and 16 rebounds. Brunson supported his big man with 33 points, eight assists and two steals.
Josh Hart also posted a double-double, but in a unique way. Hart registered 16 rebounds and 10 assists, making him the team’s top playmaker, while he tied with Towns as the top rebounder for the Knicks.
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