New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson is having a banner year. The team captain led the Knicks to a euphoric victory this summer, winning the NBA Finals for the first time since 1973. It was a watershed moment for Brunson. Brunson scored a whopping 47.9% of the Knicks’ points in Game 5, putting him just behind the iconic Michael Jordan in players who’ve scored the “highest share of team points in an NBA Finals-clinching win.”
Now, the Knicks are poised to host their opener for the 2026-27 season, where they’ll square off against the Philadelphia 76ers (and their new forward, a little-known player named LeBron James).
Brunson’s star is clearly on the rise, and that must mean he’s making more than a pretty penny. What is the Knicks’ darling’s salary?
Jalen Brunson’s Net Worth in 2026
The Finals MVP has an estimated net worth of $60 million, per Celebrity Net Worth (updated June 15, 2026). He took home $34.9 million during the 2025-26 season, the first year of the short-term extension he signed in 2024. This extension is comprised of four years for a total of $156.5 million. Forbes reveals that since Brunson signed the extension with the Knicks, “he’s only locked up through 2027-28.”
The narrative wafting around the internet is that Brunson left almost $113 million on the table to give the Knicks more flexibility as he steered them toward that coveted championship. If Brunson had become a free agent in 2025 before re-signing, he could’ve received a five-year contract worth $269.1 million. Brunson told Vanity Fair in February that he took the deal because waiting for a bigger payday was too risky:
“I’ve seen players wait and then get hurt, and then they’re at the mercy of the organization. If I’m thinking about playing well to make sure I get paid, that could mess with me. I play best when I have a free mind, and that did that for me. A lot of people say I sacrificed for the team. One hundred percent I sacrificed for the team. But most importantly, I made sure my family and I are taken care of,” he said.
Once Brunson’s new contract is in effect in 2028-29, “all signs point to the NBA Finals MVP earning a significant raise — a projected $290 million over four years,” Fred Katz of The Athletic writes. We’ll see how it all shakes out in the years to come.
