There are very few NBA father-son duos as dynamic as Rick and Jalen Brunson. Brunson sr guided his son in his basketball journey right from the beginning, saying things like “I’ll always talk to him and ask him, like, how bad does he want this? ‘How good do you really want to be?’”. Now, he continues doing so as an assistant coach with the Knicks. Being there on the court during his son’s games ensured that Rick always had his back, whether it was regarding giving advice about shots or putting down rival players. The recent playoff matchup provided a clear example of the latter.

During Game 3 of the Knicks-Celtics matchup at Madison Square Garden, an incident occurred in the 4th quarter. The Celtics had called a timeout, and Al Horford was upset at the referee for not calling a foul on Jalen Brunson. The Knicks star had allegedly shoved Horford to the floor, and Al did not like it. He argued with the official right in front of Brunson. Fortunately, the situation did not escalate to a point where Horford himself got a foul. However, soon after that, Rick Brunson reportedly got into exchanging words with Al Horford.

From how the Celtics player was shaking his head, and an official having to separate the two, one can speculate that Rick had not said anything pleasant.

Things were already tense for the New York Knicks squad during the matchup. By the time the incident between Horford and Brunson Sr had occurred, 8:41 minutes were remaining in the 4th quarter, and the Celtics were leading by a score of 100-79.

Aka a 21-point margin! The recent matchup saw Al Horford deliver his best performance of the ongoing playoffs by scoring 15 points, 9 rebounds, and 1 assist. Therefore, with the player giving his best, he expected other things to fall in line. Nevertheless, things got resolved before they escalated too much.

It wasn’t a surprise that Rick Brunson decided to voice his opinion in a situation like that. After all, the assistant coach does not mind interfering even when it comes to going up against his son’s former teammate.

Donte DiVincenzo and Jalen Brunson’s father once got into a heated exchange during the Knicks-Timberwolves preseason game

Back in October 2024, the Knicks and Timberwolves squared off in a preseason matchup that felt anything but friendly. It was their first meeting since the blockbuster trade that sent Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to Minnesota, and brought Karl-Anthony Towns to New York. Naturally, the air was thick with tension—and it didn’t take long to boil over.

The buzzer had barely settled before emotions flared. Donte DiVincenzo and Rick Brunson had to be physically separated after a heated exchange—proof that the trade’s aftershocks were still rippling, and that neither side had forgotten the stakes.

“Just some words. I don’t fully know what was said. A lot of people there,” said DiVincenzo when recalling the moment. “But I really have no comment on the situation. We’re both grown men and can talk about it privately.”

For many, the altercation would have come as a surprise. After all, DiVincenzo and Jalen Brunson share a close relationship. The duo were college teammates and served as teammates on the Knicks for at least one season. On top of that, DiVincenzo was a groomsman in Jalen’s wedding. This would have led many to speculate over what could have caused Rick to go up against a close friend of his son’s like that.

“Two people talking,” said Jalen Brunson. “Words of affirmation.”

Such instances with Jalen Brunson’s father aren’t anything new, and might not go away soon. Therefore, one simply hopes that, as the tension increases as the Knicks progress in the playoffs, that everyone from Jalen to Rick maintains their cool.