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Fans Lose It Over Jalen Brunson Being Mentioned Alongside Messi
The Knicks are still celebrating their first title in 53 years, and Brunson keeps adding to his Finals MVP story. Then a strange comparison showed up.
Skip Bayless linked Brunson to soccer’s biggest name. “Jalen Brunson has a little Messi in him,” he posted, hours after Messi’s hat trick rocked the World Cup.
Knicks fans could have taken that as a compliment. Instead, replies turned heated fast, with fans defending Messi more than celebrating their own MVP guard.
Jalen Brunson Faces Backlash After Skip Bayless Compares Him to Lionel Messi
GettyJalen Brunson’s Messi Comparison Triggers Massive Reaction
Here’s how fans responded, reaction by reaction.
One fan said the take crossed a line: “Don’t ever compare Jalen Brunson to a GOAT like Messi ever again. No disrespect but Messi greatness transcends his sport, Jalen Brunson just won a championship. Relax”
One fan kept it short: “don’t ever compare brunson to messi ever again”
Another fan questioned the matchup itself: “We comparing a top 10 nba player right now to the greatest soccer player ever …”
One fan said stay in your lane: “No disrespect to Brunson but he should never be in the same convo as Messi. One is considered the GOAT while the other is debatably the best Knick, stay in your lane.”
Another fan called it a stretch: “absolutely not.. not even a little. messi is the GOAT actual GOAT of the sport. dude barely just won a championship..”
One fan went straight after Bayless: “Skip, You are FINISHED. THERES NO WAY U JST SAID THIS. If Jalen Brunson even had a LITTLE bit of Messi in him he woulda been in MVP talks on the damn Mavs days. They woulda NEVER EVER THOUGHT of trading him. You need a job. GTFO my face before someone gets hurt.”
Another fan kept it blunt: “DONT EVER DISRESPECT MESSI LIKE THAT”
One fan could not believe it: “Jesus Christ. Just when I thought you couldn’t get any dumber.”
One fan fired back bluntly: “Man can you shut up with this American a** shtmf see a short mf and compare him to another short mf”
Another fan listed Messi’s full resume: “Messi has won the MVP eight times I repeat eight times he’s also won every single soccer award there’s possibly to win. That’s how good he is…”
Brunson’s Playoff Run Was Great But Not Messi Great?
GettySkip Bayless Sparks Outrage With Jalen Brunson-Messi Comparison
Brunson put together a legendary run this postseason. He scored 30 or more nine times, then closed it out with 45 in Game 5 against the Spurs.
That run earns him a spot among the league’s best. But putting him in the same sentence as Messi, a player with eight MVP awards and a World Cup, is a stretch.
Brunson does not need that label. He already has a championship, a Finals MVP and a permanent spot in Knicks history on his own terms.
Jayesh Pagar Jayesh Pagar is a writer at Heavy Sports, covering the New York Knicks and other NBA teams. He brings four years of experience across digital sports media, including NBA, WNBA, college basketball, and college football. He covered as the Knicks beat writer for ONSI and has written for Sporting News, and ClutchPoints. More about Jayesh Pagar
