Knicks’ Jalen Brunson takes high road after C.J. McCollum’s ‘Broadway show’ claim

C.J. McCollum laid the bait, but Jalen Brunson didn’t bite. Instead, the All-Star Knicks guard took the high road and said he had no reaction or comment following McCollum’s allegations of flopping and selling contact.

“I have no reaction,” Brunson said after practice at the Knicks’ Tarrytown training facility on Sunday. “No comment.”

Officials assessed McCollum a technical foul for inadvertently kicking Brunson below the belt while flailing his leg on a fadeaway jump shot in the Knicks’ Game 1 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday. McCollum called out Brunson after the game for his reaction to the blow: The star Knicks guard — in a completely normal response to getting kicked in the groin — immediately crashed to the ground and rolled on the Madison Square Garden floors in pain as a sellout crowd booed relentlessly until officials reviewed the play.

“I shot a jumper, and Jalen thought we were at a Broadway show,” McCollum said after Game 1. “He acted it out until they reviewed it.”

McCollum said he didn’t intentionally kick Brunson in the you-know-what. The Hawks guard who also served as National Basketball Players Association president from 2021-2025, didn’t believe his actions warranted a technical foul. Technical fouls come with a $2,500 fine.

“It was a normal jump shot, nothing there,” McCollum continued. “[The technical foul was] unnecessary, and I look forward to getting my $2,500 back.”

Knicks head coach Mike Brown said he didn’t see McCollum’s comments. Brown doesn’t want his team getting caught-up in off-court semantics, which he’s positive will see an uptick as the Knicks progress through the playoffs.

“I didn’t see it,” Brown said. “And a lot of guys are going to say a lot of things throughout the course of the playoffs. So whatever people want to say, that’s. That’s all. That’s up to them. But I didn’t see it.”

Brunson went on to finish with a game-high 28 points, seven assists and five rebounds and shot 9-of-22 from the floor, three-of-four from 3-point range and seven-of-eight from the foul line.

McCollum scored a team-high 26 points on 11-of-20 shooting from the field. He also finished the game $2,500 lighter.