Summary

Jalen Brunson said Roman Reigns has become part of his game-day routine after the New York Knicks closed out the Atlanta Hawks with a 140-89 win in Game 6 on Thursday.

During his postgame media availability, Brunson was asked about Reigns defeating CM Punk to win the WWE World Heavyweight Title at WrestleMania 42. Brunson said he was happy to get the question and revealed that he and one of the Knicks' trainers acknowledge Reigns before every game.

Quote from Jalen Brunson

"See, these are the questions I want asked. Very excited. I have a handshake with one of our trainers and we acknowledge him before every game."

Brunson finished the win with 17 points and eight assists. He also has prior WWE history, having confronted Tyrese Haliburton on SmackDown in June 2024.

Roman Reigns still reaches beyond WWE TV

Roman Reigns' WrestleMania 42 win clearly carried outside wrestling circles, and Brunson bringing him up in an NBA playoff setting is another sign of that reach. It also keeps the Reigns spotlight strong coming out of the same WrestleMania season that featured his rivalry with CM Punk heading into the event.

Brunson's earlier SmackDown involvement matters here too. Because he has already appeared in WWE orbit, this kind of public nod to Reigns feels less like a one-off joke and more like the kind of crossover beat WWE could revisit if it wants another sports tie-in.

Sources

As reported by Fightful