The Knicks defeated the Cavaliers during the first round of the playoffs in the Eastern Conference and the vibes are immaculate.
Jalen Brunson, who averaged 24.0 points with 4.2 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game during the five-game series against Cleveland, is establishing a tone for winning basketball in New York.
It also seems he is having a lot of fun while doing it, and you saw some of that emotion after he connected on his 3-pointers during the series. After the shots from beyond the arc landed, we saw a new celebration from Brunson.
With his hand up to his face, he puts his nose in between his index finger and his thumb and it looks like he is potentially smelling his hand:
We’ve now seen him do this several times, so it’s fair to assume this means something to Brunson.
So after one of the games, ESPN’s Lisa Salters asked him to explain the celebration. He simply said, “Don’t worry about it.”
OK, then. We should probably take Brunson at his word and not worry!
“Don’t worry about it.”
Jalen Brunson when asked about this 3PT celebration 😂 pic.twitter.com/pFwjvzDPOQ
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 23, 2023
Brunson later apologized to Salters because he felt his comments came off “a little arrogant” after the game.
But he also told New York Daily News reporter Kristian Winfield that the meaning is “between me and my teammates” and he refused to offer any clues.
What is Jalen Brunson’s hand celebration? 🫳🏽 pic.twitter.com/6qdsl7o9BC
— No Dunks (@NoDunksInc) April 18, 2023
The hosts of the No Dunks podcast offered some speculation about what it could possibly mean, but we may never actually get an answer.
Perhaps that is because it might not even mean anything at all. Brunson told Turner’s Taylor Rooks that he isn’t even sure how it started. But it is starting to become a meme after Brunson’s recent tweet.
See one, send one 🗽 pic.twitter.com/DsN0RqTaAF
— Jalen Brunson (@jalenbrunson1) April 27, 2023
He posted a photo of himself doing the gesture with the “see one, send one” challenge on Twitter.
His teammates and others around the NBA responded by copying the move, even if most of them presumably had no idea what it actually meant. Here are some examples:
