Evan Cohen perplexed by Knicks tabling contract talks with KAT, Hart (2:40)

J.J. Post Oct 23, 2026, 07:06 PM ET

Late at night on June 13, as the final buzzer sounded on the win that clinched the New York Knicks ' first championship in over a half-century, a popular question -- equal parts joking and legitimate -- began making the rounds: How many babies in the New York area were about to be named Jalen?

The reference, of course, being to star Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson , who dropped 45 points in the Finals-clinching win. That uptick might have already occurred. According to one report, 32 babies were named Jalen in New York City between March and early October this year -- more than double the 15 from the same period last year.

Vance and Yvonne Bradford, die-hard Knicks fans who were expecting a child of their own that summer, had heard the jokes.

"A lot of the jokes going around, memes on social media, was 'There's going to be a lot of Jalens named after this. There's going to be a lot of KATs .…