Jalen Brunson Jokes About Mike Brown’s Famous Knicks Locker Room Anthem

The New York Knicks remain one of the biggest stories in sports after capturing their first NBA championship in 53 years. Their five-game victory over the San Antonio Spurs ended decades of frustration and sparked celebrations throughout New York and across the basketball world.

Much of the attention surrounding the championship has focused on star players such as Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns. Both were instrumental throughout the postseason and helped guide the franchise to one of the most memorable seasons in its history.

However, the success of the Knicks was not built solely on player performances. First-year head coach Mike Brown also played a major role in transforming the team into a champion. After facing criticism in recent years, Brown earned widespread praise for guiding New York to the league’s highest prize in his debut season with the franchise.

As championship celebrations continued, the Knicks took their victory tour to late-night television. During an appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” Brunson, Towns, and Brown reflected on their remarkable season, sharing stories that offered fans a glimpse into the culture that helped power the team to a title.

1. A Lighthearted Request

The appearance featured plenty of laughs as the Knicks stars discussed their journey from contenders to champions. Fallon, a longtime Knicks supporter, eagerly revisited many of the memorable moments from the season. One topic quickly turned toward Brown’s favorite motivational tradition. Throughout the year, the coach had become known for leading players in a spirited rendition of the hit song “Who Let the Dogs Out” as a way to energize the locker room. The routine became a recurring part of the team’s identity. Players embraced it, fans became familiar with it, and it eventually evolved into one of the quirky traditions associated with the Knicks’ championship campaign. Still, Brunson jokingly suggested that the time might have come for the tradition to end. With a smile, he told Brown, “We’ve got to put that to bed,” drawing laughter from everyone on stage and adding another memorable moment to the team’s celebration tour.

2. The Story Behind the Song

Rather than immediately accepting Brunson’s proposal, Brown took the opportunity to explain the origins of the chant. The story stretched back years before his arrival in New York and even before his rise through the NBA coaching ranks. Brown recalled his time as an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs during the early stages of his professional coaching career. During that period, he was asked by a reporter about lessons he learned while coaching a youth football team known as the Dogs Flying Football squad. According to Brown, the team had developed a simple but enthusiastic pregame ritual. Before every game, players and parents would gather in a huddle and participate in a chant designed to build excitement and unity. The coach remembered asking the group, “Who let the dogs out?” before everyone responded together. Years later, Brown revived the tradition with the Knicks, turning an old youth football cheer into an unlikely source of motivation for an NBA championship contender.

3. A Symbol of Team Culture

What began as a lighthearted chant eventually became a reflection of the chemistry that defined New York’s season. The Knicks built their success on togetherness, resilience, and a willingness to embrace a collective identity. Brown’s leadership style emphasized connection and energy, and the locker room tradition fit naturally within that philosophy. While outsiders occasionally viewed it as unusual, players consistently bought into the concept and used it as a way to stay united throughout the long season. The chant even followed the team into the championship celebration. After securing the NBA title, players happily joined Brown in repeating the phrase during trophy presentations and postgame festivities, creating another memorable image from the historic run. Whether Brown ultimately retires the anthem remains to be seen. Yet after helping guide the Knicks to their first championship since 1973, the coach may have already secured the perfect ending for the tradition. The “dogs” he spent the season motivating had finally delivered the ultimate reward.