Jalen Brunson Tells Taylor Swift Fans to Ease Up on Monica McNutt After Analyst's NBA Finals Shade at Pop Superstar
Jalen Brunson Tells Taylor Swift Fans to Ease Up on Monica McNutt After Analyst's NBA Finals Shade at Pop Superstar
Anna Lazarus CaplanMon, June 15, 2026 at 3:26 PM UTC
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Jalen Brunson, Monica McNutt, Taylor SwiftCredit: Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty; Brandon Todd/NBAE via Getty; Jamie McCarthy/Getty -
Jalen Brunson has a message
The New York Knicks star pleaded with Swifties to cut Monica McNutt some slack
McNutt, the 880 ESPN New York Knicks lead radio analyst, criticized Taylor Swift for going to Game 4 of the NBA Finals
The newly crowned NBA Finals MVP wants to clear up one thing regarding the pushback Monica McNutt received after criticizing Taylor Swift for attending Game 4 of the series.In an interview with the New York Knicks' lead radio analyst following the team's 94-90 title win against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 on Saturday, June 13, Jalen Brunson jokingly bumped into McNutt before clearing the air about the 880 ESPN radio personality."I just want to say something to the Swifties," the Knicks star, 29, said. "She's a really good one, cut her some slack. It's all good, I promise."Last week, the sportscaster was caught on a hot mic offering her opinion about the "Fortnight" singer pulling up to Game 4 at Madison Square Garden.
"Is that Taylor Swift down there?" McNutt, 36, asked her partner, radio voice of the Knicks Tyler Murray, just before tip.
Jalen Brunson holds the MVP trophy following the Knicks' win over the Spurs on Saturday.Credit: Wu Xiaoling/Xinhua via Getty
As both strained to see from the seats, McNutt then joked: "She's not a Knicks fan, get out of here, girl."The comment drew widespread criticism from Swifties, who went after the ESPN veteran, and spurred McNutt to add context to her comments.
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"Swifties, I appreciate your passion," McNutt said in an interview with TMZ last week. "I misspoke."
"I did not know, but here's the deal. I literally just did a piece on celebrity row, I know these folks," she added, noting that she's seen celebrities like Ben Stiller, Spike Lee and Timothée Chalamet supporting the Knicks all season long.Follow your favorite athletes on and off the field with PEOPLE's free sports newsletter — sign up now!Elsewhere in his exchange with McNutt, Brunson also took the time to encourage fans to "celebrate responsibly.""Can you guys please be safe and not ruin it for the next person?" he pleaded.
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