Jalen Brunson (Knick MVP) tax wisdom

From the Wall Street Journal yesterday.

Jalen Brunson is the toast of New York after the 6-foot-2 point guard personally willed the New York Knicks to the NBA title on Saturday with a 45-point performance. The rest of his team scored 49. But it appears there’s another reason for New Yorkers to like the basketball star known for his clutch play and modesty: He’s an astute analyst of comparative state tax rates.

After the Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs in Texas on Saturday, clinching the championship series four games to one, a reporter asked Mr. Brunson what he had against Texas. “I have nothing against Texas. I love Texas. I miss the Texas taxes,” Mr. Brunson quipped.

The NBA’s Dallas Mavericks let the point guard sign with the New York team in free agency in 2022. It was the steal of the 21st-century in the NBA, but it also meant Mr. Brunson no longer benefits from the Lone Star State’s lack of a personal income tax.

Mr. Brunson’s NBA contract no doubt puts him in the top tax bracket. If he lives in New York City, he pays a top individual rate of 14.8%, while if he lives in the New York suburbs he pays 10.9%.

New York’s socialist mayor, Zohran Mamdani, is attempting to bask in the reflected glory of the first Knicks championship in 53 years. You’ll see him at the ticker-tape parade in the urban canyons of the financial district on Thursday. But if the mayor gets his way and raises taxes even more, the Knicks could have a harder time signing free agents.

By the way, Mr. Brunson famously signed a contract extension in 2024 for something like $100 million below his market value so the Knicks could afford to sign more free agents under the NBA’s team salary limits. The Knicks legend may have to negotiate for more the next time to make up for the tax greed of New York’s politicians.