Former Knicks star Donte DiVincenzo had to be separated from Knicks assistant coach Rick Brunson after New York’s 115-110 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday.
Donte DiVincenzo and Rick Brunson had to be separated after a heated exchange postgame. pic.twitter.com/K2K7vz1g3w
— KnicksMuse (@KnicksMuse) October 14, 2024
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“Some words. I don’t know fully well what was said,” DiVincenzo said after the game. “A lot of people there. But I really have no comment on the situation. I think we’ll both be men and talk about it privately.”
The incident occurred after cameras caught DiVincenzo was seen jawing at someone on the Knicks’ bench during a trip to the foul line in the first quarter. Although Brunson wasn’t caught on camera, the clip went viral on social media, showing DiVincenzo clearly shouting twice: “That’s what happens when they let you run the show.”
Donte DiVincenzo and Jalen Brunson trash talking
“That’s what happens when they let you run the show”
— Mark Jackson’s Burner (@casualtakeking) October 13, 2024
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When asked, DiVincenzo declined to name his target.
“It was in the general direction [of the bench],” he explained. “Obviously they have me on video saying it. And I’m not there anymore. I play, I’m competitive, I wear my heart on my sleeve, and that’s all it was.”
After the game, DiVincenzo approached former teammates Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Mikal Bridges while opposing players spoke to one another.
Cameras then captured Rick Brunson walking toward the group with words for DiVincenzo.
Jalen Brunson, in a light-hearted response, referred to the exchange as “words of affirmation.”
“Yeah, I was right there,” the Knicks star guard said. “Two people talking: Words of affirmation.”
After a brief verbal exchange, Brunson put an arm around his former teammate and led him away from the group of players and staffers who had separated the two.
“My relationship with Jalen—that’s my brother, my best friend,” DiVincenzo said. “That’s a separate relationship. I said I’ll talk about that privately and figure that out.”
DiVincenzo also clarified that he didn’t say “thanks for the trade” and explained he was joking with Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau about a finish at the rim.
“I was joking with Thibs about not being able to finish,” he said. “He was giving me a hard time. I wasn’t talking to Thibs. I didn’t say anything about the trade, and that was it.”
Thibodeau, when asked about the altercation between DiVincenzo and Brunson, simply said: “Two competitive guys. Stuff like that does happen.”
The Knicks traded DiVincenzo and Julius Randle to the Timberwolves for Karl-Anthony Towns on Sept. 27. In his first game back at Madison Square Garden, DiVincenzo finished with 15 points and seven assists while shooting two-of-five from beyond the arc.
“[It’s] great [to see Donte],” Jalen Brunson said. “It’s like old times. That’s my brother. That’s it.”
The two teams will meet again twice in the regular season—first in Minnesota on December 19, then in New York on January 17.
