New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson (11) reacts during the second half against the Toronto Raptors at Madison Square Garden.
Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
The defending champion New York Knicks are set to open the 2026-27 season with a home game against the Philadelphia 76ers. With the coaching staff and players receiving their rings before tip-off, New York is going all-in with the gold theme against Philly. But Jalen Brunson also gave the late Kobe Bryant a touching tribute with the sneakers he chose to wear.
Former NBA forward PJ Tucker revealed on his Instagram account that Brunson is going to wear the “Ring Night” Kobe 6 PEs in the Knicks' season opener against the 76ers. The 30-year-old's sneakers are all-gold to match the numbers on the Knicks' jerseys for Tuesday's game.
Jalen Brunson will be wearing the "Ring Night" Kobe 6 PEs tonight against the Sixers 🤩
(via pjtucker/IG) pic.twitter.com/24b5y5DMUr
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 20, 2026
Repping Kobe Bryant's sneakers is nothing new for the nine-year veteran. He almost exclusively wears Bryant's infamous Nike-branded shoe anytime he plays. But this is the first time he's worn an all-gold version. But it's fitting, considering the Knicks finally got their rings for winning the championship last season.
New York will hope for Brunson to maintain playing as one of the league's best guards once again. Especially if he can improve upon last year's numbers, where he averaged 26.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per contest with a 46.7% field goal percentage and hitting 36.9% of his three-point attempts through 74 games played.
We'll see if the Knicks can recapture the magic from last season. The roster is essentially the same, for the most part. One key new addition is Andre Drummond, who is replacing Mitchell Robinson as the backup center behind Karl-Anthony Towns. Outside of that, the fanbase can expect to see familiar faces in the 2026-27 campaign.