Sometimes, players express frustration during postgame interviews due to a specific reporter or a particular line of questioning. In other cases, it’s simply the excitement of a victory or a distraction from a teammate. That was the situation for New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson, who referred to a “f****** a******” during a postgame interview with MSG’s Alan Hahn following his impressive 42-point, 10-rebound performance in a comeback win over the Houston Rockets on Monday. The comment was directed at teammate Josh Hart, who tapped him on the butt:
“F**king a**hole”
–– Jalen Brunson to his butt tapper pic.twitter.com/RXzhS4p8R2
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) February 4, 2025
A clip shared by the NBA’s X account confirmed that Hart was indeed the culprit. Given that Hart and Brunson played together at Villanova—where Brunson has also let loose with some f-bombs—the interaction makes perfect sense. Hart is also a co-host of the popular Roommates Show podcast with Brunson and has a history of friendly trolling with him:
The college buddies are still at it🤣@jalenbrunson1 x @joshhart pic.twitter.com/HjKF2ZhG7q
— NBA (@NBA) February 4, 2025
Interestingly, while the NBA account accurately showcased this playful interaction, the Knicks on MSG X account’s video of the interview edited out this amusing exchange. However, the interview resumed in a more typical manner shortly thereafter:
“It’s all about holding each other accountable, making sure we’re in the right mindset and sticking with it” – @jalenbrunson1 on battling through physical games to secure the W@nyknicks | @alanhahn | #NewYorkForever pic.twitter.com/GQzEk6lrLu
— KNICKS ON MSG (@KnicksMSGN) February 4, 2025
The mutual teasing between Hart and Brunson isn’t one-sided. On January 25, Brunson also had his moment, interrupting Hart’s postgame interview with Hahn:
Josh Hart too concerned about getting his butt tapped by Jalen Brunson to speak to Alan Hahn pic.twitter.com/HQ6MOjEoEi
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) January 26, 2025
Regardless, this light-hearted exchange is not a significant issue, but it is amusing to note that the initial clip and camera angle failed to capture the reason behind Brunson’s outburst, only for the NBA’s official X account to later clarify the situation.
