With 4:49 remaining in the fourth quarter, Jalen Brunson splashed a 3-pointer in the corner to give him 42 points against the Miami Heat on Dec. 21. He looked at his right hand, his ring and pinkie fingers folded down, leaving three fingers remaining, and he brought it under his nose quickly as he ran down the court displaying his trademark 3-point celebration.
Somewhere in the Madison Square Garden crowd, a 3-year-old fan who went viral for doing her best Brunson impression all summer mimicked his gesture.
On Oct. 22, Myleen Rulloda posted a compilation on Instagram of her daughter, Rya. The videos included Rya holding a Brunson doll and often yelling his surname and doing his celebration while posing for photos. Rulloda, a New York Knicks fan since the 1990s, wrote: "POV: your daughter is obsessed with Jalen Brunson."
The post garnered over 1.7 million views and 180,000 likes. Two days later, Brunson commented an emoji of a hand heart.
"I didn't even think anything was going to go beyond him commenting it. And honestly I didn't even think he would comment, period," Rulloda told ESPN. "I didn't even think anyone would see this video. I just thought it was just for my friends and family."
As Rulloda's compilation video gained traction, the Knicks reached out and invited the family to the game against the Heat. She admitted she was "super shocked" and never would've thought that her post would go viral.
Almost two months to the day of Rulloda's post, Brunson met Rya and her family at the Garden before the game. He had a simple message after walking into the room.
"Nice to meet you guys -- finally."
Since Brunson joined New York in 2022, Rulloda explained that she, her husband, 9-year-old daughter Mya and Rya watch every game together. Naturally, her children became fans, but Rya gravitated toward Brunson the most.
Throughout the day, Rulloda would say Brunson's name and do his celebration. The Knicks star has previously explained that his 3-point gesture has no specific meaning.
"It truly came out of nowhere and it truly has no meaning other than three points on the board," he told the New York Post in 2024. "I just kind of stuck with it because it was unique and nobody was doing it."
The celebration was memorable enough for Rulloda that she taught her daughters the move in May 2024. Mya picked it up quickly, but with Rya being a toddler, it took until December of that year for her to learn it.
"It was a long process," Rulloda said. "But then the whole Brunson thing, like her actually saying 'Brunson,' that was all [on] her own. No one told her to say that."
Rulloda explained that she doesn't know where Rya yelling "Brunson" came from. But, his last name and celebration became Rya's signature catchphrase and pose of the summer. Whether at the water park or in front of a birthday cake or at a restaurant, a familiar high-pitched word was heard before the photo was snapped: "Brunsonnnnnn."
A doll of the three-time NBA All-Star came into the equation last May. Rulloda bought it at the Garden and gave it to Rya, who instantly recognized Brunson's likeness.
"She literally knows who he is. ... When he's on the screen, she'll be, like, 'Oh Brunson.' She knows how he looks," Rulloda said. "It's as if that was really [her ]friend."
The day they met Rya's so-called friend, they first ran into Rick Brunson -- New York's assistant coach and Jalen's father -- before taking the court. Rulloda isn't quite sure if the elder Brunson was aware of their story. However, he still made his mark on their day. Since they were seated a row behind the court, Rulloda said he gave the OK for the family to move closer and watch warmups.
Courtside is when the family truly grasped the reach of Rya's videos.
"We're just sitting down courtside during warmups and whatnot and literally [Knicks forward] Mikal Bridges pointed to her and was, like, 'Oh, hey, I know you.' And I was, like, 'Oh my god,'" Rulloda said.
The family also met Knicks forward OG Anunoby and legend Clyde Frazier. But the highlight came when Brunson met the family in a moment Rulloda said they'll never forget.
Brunson immediately hugged Rya before shaking Mya's hand. Rya showed off her nails and yelled his name before handing her doll to him. Brunson signed her jersey and gave the family a personalized one. He took a group photo, but one task remained before heading out and dropping a season-high 47 points in a win.
Brunson and Rya posed for a photo together, pinky and ring fingers folded.
