Jalen Brunson Walks Past Michael Porter Jr. at NYC Club as Nets Star Waits at Security in Viral Moment
New York City is a status game. On Saturday night, Jalen Brunson reminded everyone who is at the top of the standings.
Video from a World Cup after-party hosted by Justin Bieber went viral this weekend, showing Brunson and his wife strolling right into the club as the security guard greeted him with a warm “Mr. Brunson, how are you?” Cameras flashed, doors swung open, and the couple was inside in seconds.
Then the camera panned over to Michael Porter Jr., the newly-acquired Brooklyn Nets star, standing at the front door waiting for someone to check his invite. The receptionist asked him, “Are you on the list?”
Michael Porter Jr. was not turned away and he eventually got in without incident. That is the important disclaimer here. Nobody embarrassed him on purpose. He and Peyton Watson entered the party a few moments later after the check was done.
But it did not matter. The moment played out on camera and the internet did its thing. In a city where being famous and being useful are two very different currencies, Brunson and Porter Jr. showed two very different pay stubs.
This is what happens when you win a championship in New York. Brunson led the Knicks to their first NBA title in 53 years and took home Finals MVP. He is now, without exaggeration, the most popular athlete in the five boroughs. He is on billboards, he is on the cover of every magazine, and clubs move heaven and earth to get him inside.
Porter Jr. is a good NBA player who just landed with the Nets in a big offseason move. He should not need to be defended here, but the reality of playing for Brooklyn is what makes the clip land. The Nets have almost no cultural footprint in their own city, and their star trying to get past velvet rope security while a Knick walks past like he owns the place is a picture worth a thousand takes.
The Knicks are also expected to sign Brunson to a full max extension this summer, which will lock in the face of the franchise for years to come. His clout is only going to grow.
For the Nets, this is just another data point in a season that has not started yet. Brooklyn needs to build an identity fast, and Porter Jr. is one of the pieces that has to make it work. The team can survive one viral velvet rope video. It cannot survive if the actual basketball follows the same script.
For everyone else, the moment was pure New York. Two guys with almost identical paychecks having wildly different Saturday nights, all because one of them wears the right jersey in the right borough.
Being on the list is nice. Being the reason the list exists is better.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
