New York Knicks fans gladly paid around $1,000 to take a photograph with NBA Finals MVP Jalen Brunson after he delivered the team’s first championship in 53 years. The cost to secure the brief interaction at Fanatics Fest, a four-day sports convention in Manhattan, was set at an exorbitant $937 plus fees bringing the total near $1000, drawing heavy public pushback for a moment that lasts only seconds.

Despite online backlash regarding the premium pricing structure, the exclusive photo opportunities completely sold out. Fanatics Fest established a steep tiered pricing model for taking a photo with the reigning champions as follows.

Jalen Brunson -$937

Karl-Anthony Towns – $338

Josh Hart – $283

Mikal Bridges – $283

Mitchell Robinson – $169

Jose Alvarado – $169

Landry Shamet – $142

Shortly after the NBA Finals, with games at Madison Square Garden among the most expensive in recent memory, Knicks fans are glad to cough up that money.

While thousands of fans willingly drained their bank accounts to stand next to their basketball hero, the high cost has alienated a substantial portion of the community who feel the event is exploiting sports fans.

Seconds–long moment with Jalen Brunson exposes deep divide in sports fandom

While fans at the event didn’t mind, objective onlookers saw it as corporate greed at its worst, profiting from fan loyalty. As with the upset fans over the mismanagement of Josh Hart’s event, many expressed their frustration online by calling out the organizers.

“I’m 100% in favor of creating memories and not putting a price tag on them. But what @fanatics does is gross. They know people will spend the money and the pic lasts about 5 seconds. They hustle you through. They make it about anything but the fan and entirely about squeezing every single dollar out. They’ve ruined jerseys with poor quality, are attempting to monopolize the apparel and memorabilia market, all to make a billionaire richer. Fanatics is gross and honestly, a huge part of the reason people chase vintage items, because what they do is unoriginal.”

Echoing this severe disappointment over the valuation, another commenter simply labeled the pricing model as, “Just ridiculous…and if he was still a mav itll be free.” It also takes a jab at how undervalued Brunson had been in Dallas.

The sentiment of being overcharged was further highlighted by a collector who pointed out, “Lmao waste of money and can’t even get an autograph it’s just a picture. I could’ve gotten at least 5 or 6 autos for that amount.”

Other fans focused on the broader implications of paying for access compared to chance encounters in public.

“If I saw him on the street, I wonder if he’d ask for a G for a pic. Obvi, we know fanatics is a rip off and takes prob most of that money, if not all but yea, I’m sure he’d take a quick pic for free on the street.”

Despite the backlash, the Knicks diehards defended the choice to spend big. A pragmatic supporter jokingly noted, “He gotta make that money he took a 150 million cut and he did that knowing all the money he can make on the side in ny specially winning a chip he will be billionaire in a few years.”

Even NBC News caught up with some fans who paid a grand to get a picture with Brunson. “It was so worth it. Every penny, every cent,” said Murielle Georges who made the trip from New Jersey. “You only live once, make it the best.”

Many who got this rare opportunity rationalized it like Daniel Rahimi from Queens. “There are superfans like me that do things like that. But I mean, look, everybody knows how to handle their money. So, I obviously made that decision for myself. If anybody doesn’t want to do that, take the photo, spend that much money, then I get it, and I think you gotta respect that.”

Ultimately, for many who attended, the financial cost was entirely justified by the emotional reward. Defending the heavy investment, one fan online offered a philosophical perspective.

“The money you could always make back. Time is the only thing you’ll never get back once it’s gone. Congrats to all who captured that memorable moment.”

For the diehard supporters who actually secured the limited slots, the price tag was simply an afterthought. Like this lucky Knicks fan who said, “I spent it and it was worth every penny! The memory I will have of this…can’t put a price tag on!”

Many basked in absolute satisfaction with the purchase of a few seconds of Jalen Brunson’s time.