Knicks player takes swipe at Candace Parker over recent comments
Oct 25, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; TNT broadcaster Candace Parker during the Golden State Warriors game against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
One player on the New York Knicks is not happy about what he heard from Candace Parker this week.
The Knicks defeated the rival Brooklyn Nets 108-103 in a game on Tuesday that was nationally televised on TNT. During TNT’s coverage of the game, WNBA star Candace Parker, who is part of the network’s Tuesday crew, made some comments about Knicks guard Jalen Brunson.
“Last year in the playoffs, [Brunson had a] great first round, second round not so much,” said Parker.
https://twitter.com/perryoragentp_/status/1749950942831591836
The problem was that Brunson was actually tremendous during the second round of the playoffs last season against the Miami Heat. While the Knicks would lose the series in six games, Brunson had 31.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game on 50/35/89 shooting splits. Brunson often looked like the best player on the floor for either team and, in reality, improved his numbers from New York’s first-round series versus the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Brunson’s Knicks teammate Josh Hart called Parker out for the comments in a post to X.
“Shows you some of them don’t actually watch basketball,” said Hart.
Shows you some of them don’t actually watch basketball https://t.co/WMNsr0CQWi
— Josh Hart (@joshhart) January 24, 2024
Parker was probably just making an offhand remark that was influenced by the fact that the Knicks won in the first round and lost in the second round. But it was demonstrably false, and Hart was among those who called Parker out for it.
The 6-foot-2 All-Star candidate Brunson is actually one of the more divisive players in the NBA right now. Just last month, Becky Hammon also sparked backlash with some controversial comments that she made about Brunson.
