2026 NBA Finals — Knicks Lead 3-1 · Game 5 Saturday June 13

Jalen Brunson Height & Wingspan

📅 Updated June 11, 2026 🏀 New York Knicks 📊 Combine Measurements

Jalen Brunson's wingspan ranked 1,679th out of 1,812 NBA prospects ever tested. His height ranked 1,617th. Through four games of the 2026 NBA Finals he is averaging 31.5 points, leading the greatest comeback in Finals history from 29 down, and standing one win from a championship. The numbers are not wrong. They measured the right things badly and missed everything that actually matters.

2026 Finals Results — The Case Builds Game by Game

The Brunson article you are reading was published before the Finals started. Everything written about his physical profile has only been confirmed more decisively with each game.

Game Date Result Brunson Stats The Story
Game 1June 3Knicks 105-95 W30 pts, 2 astLeft with injury, returned, scored 13 in Q4
Game 2June 5Knicks 105-104 W28 ptsWon on the road by 1, shot 34% in first two games
Game 3June 9Spurs 115-111 L32 pts, 5 astFound his shot at MSG — not enough
Game 4June 10Knicks 107-106 W36 pts, 7 ast, 3 stlDown 29 in Q3 — greatest comeback in Finals history
Game 5June 13TBD — @ SASKnicks lead 3-1, one win from first title since 1973

31.5 points per game through four Finals games. Against the player with the highest peak reach in NBA history. With a 6-foot-4 wingspan. The article below — written when the Finals had not yet started — explains exactly why this is not a surprise once you understand what the combine actually measures and what it misses.

🏆
Game 4 by the numbers: The Knicks trailed 87-58 in the third quarter — down 29 points. They outscored San Antonio 49-19 the rest of the way. Brunson scored 36 points and 7 assists. It was the largest deficit ever overcome in an NBA Finals game. The player ranked in the bottom 10 percent of all NBA prospects ever tested for physical measurements just engineered the greatest comeback in Finals history against the most physically dominant player the game has ever seen. See the full Finals athletic breakdown for how this happened.

The Verified Combine Measurements

Jalen Brunson
New York Knicks · Point Guard · 2026 NBA Finals · Age 29
6'1"
Height (no shoes) — 1,617th all time
6'4"
Wingspan — 1,679th all time
37"
Max Vertical — above avg for PG
10.59
Lane Agility — elite

These are not disputed numbers. Brunson tested at the 2018 NBA Draft Combine and every measurement is on the official record. His wingspan is 3 inches longer than his height — one of the smallest wing differentials of any starting point guard in the NBA. His height places him in the bottom 11 percent of all players ever measured at the combine. His standing reach of 8'0" is also in the bottom tier for guards.

He is averaging 31.5 points per game in the 2026 NBA Finals.

The Historical Rank — Bottom 10% of Everyone Ever Tested

Brunson's Combine Rankings — Out of 1,812 Players All Time
Height6'1" barefoot
1,617th / 1,812
Standing Reach8'0"
1,679th / 1,812
Wingspan6'4"
1,679th / 1,812
Max Vertical37"
Above PG avg
Lane Agility10.59s
Elite

The picture that emerges from the full combine profile is precise: Brunson is extremely small, has very short arms, jumps well for his size, and moves laterally at an elite level. The two things combine testing measures well — size and length — say he should not be a quality NBA starter. The two things it measures poorly — technical skill and basketball IQ — happen to be where Brunson is exceptional.

🏀
The Tom Brady parallel: Tom Brady's Relative Athletic Score is approximately 1.0 out of 10 — one of the worst ever recorded for a quarterback. He was the 199th pick. The parallel to Brunson is direct: both players were measured accurately, both tests identified genuine physical limitations, and both predictions of marginal professional careers were completely wrong. The tests measured the right things badly and missed the things that actually matter.

Brunson vs Wembanyama — The Numbers vs the Scoreboard

The physical gap between the two central figures in this Finals is the largest between opposing stars in recent history. Through four games, the player with the worst physical profile is winning.

Measurement Jalen Brunson Victor Wembanyama Gap
Height (no shoes)6'1"7'3.5"Wemby taller by 14.5"
Wingspan6'4"~8'0"Wemby longer by 20"
Standing Reach8'0"~10'0"Wemby higher by 24"
Peak Reach~10'1"~12'8"Wemby higher by 31"
Vertical Jump37" (verified)32" (verified)Brunson jumps 5" higher
2026 Finals PPG31.5~24Brunson scores more
SeriesKnicks 3-1

Wembanyama's peak fingertip height is approximately 31 inches above Brunson's. That is a genuine and enormous physical advantage that shows up on every contested shot. And yet — four games in — Brunson is scoring more, winning more, and doing it with a leg injury he played through in Game 1. For a full breakdown of Wembanyama's dimensions and why they make him historically unique, see our Wembanyama vertical jump analysis.

Free Tool

How Does Your Vertical Compare to Brunson's 37"?

Brunson's vertical is above average for an NBA point guard despite his below-average size. See where your jump ranks against NBA combine averages at every position.

Calculate My Vertical →

What the Combine Cannot Measure

The combine measures eight physical attributes. None of them is basketball IQ. None is processing speed under pressure. None is footwork precision, release quickness, or the ability to make the right decision in half a second with a 7'3" defender's hand in your face.

The Game 4 Comeback — What Physical Tests Miss

Down 29 in the third quarter at Madison Square Garden — the largest deficit in Finals history — Brunson scored 36 points on 12-of-25 shooting with 7 assists and 3 steals. The Knicks outscored San Antonio 49-19 over the final 17 minutes. None of that is measurable at a combine. The calm required to run a precise half-court offense down 20 with five minutes left. The footwork to create a pull-up jumper against a 12-foot-8-inch peak reach when a single turnover ends the game. The decision speed to find the right pass when every defender collapses. These are real and decisive athletic qualities that the combine has never attempted to measure.

Change of Speed

Brunson's most dangerous tool is the ability to change speed within two dribbles — slow to 30 percent, then explode to 100. Against Wembanyama, who hedges on pick-and-rolls but cannot fully close out laterally, this creates the half-second windows his pull-up jumper requires. His elite 10.59 lane agility score is the one combine number that hints at this quality — but even that is a proxy, not the thing itself.

Foul Drawing

Brunson draws fouls at one of the highest rates in the league relative to shot attempts. Against Wembanyama, whose extraordinary length creates incidental contact on every close contest, free throw generation is one of the two or three most reliable paths to scoring. Brunson shot 9-of-11 from the line in Game 4. No combine test predicts that.

How Brunson Compares to Other Elite Point Guards

Player Height Wingspan Wing Advantage Style
SGA6'4.5"6'11.5"+7"Size, length, quickness
Steph Curry6'2"6'3"+1"Movement, shooting, IQ
Jalen Brunson6'1"6'4"+3"Skill, change of speed, IQ, clutch
Donovan Mitchell6'1"6'10"+9"Explosion, length, athleticism
Isiah Thomas (1990)6'1"~6'3"+2"Closest modern historical comp

The closest historical comp for Brunson's physical profile producing Finals-level results is Isiah Thomas on the 1989-1990 Detroit Pistons. Thomas was 6'1" with below-average length and won two championships by being the best player on the floor when it mattered most. Forty years later, Brunson is running the same script with updated numbers.

What Happens If the Knicks Win Game 5

Game 5 is Saturday, June 13 in San Antonio. The Knicks need one win. If they close the series, Brunson will become the shortest Finals MVP winner since the award was formalized — and one of the physically least imposing stars ever to win a championship as the primary engine.

The physical measurements will not change. His wingspan will still be 1,679th out of 1,812 tested. His height will still be 1,617th. What will change is the data point at the top of his page: NBA champion. The combine did not predict that. It never measures the things that produce it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How tall is Jalen Brunson?
Brunson stands 6 feet 1 inch without shoes at the 2018 NBA Draft Combine, listed at 6 feet 2 inches with shoes. His height ranked 1,617th out of 1,812 players ever tested at the combine — bottom 11 percent. He is averaging 31.5 points in the 2026 NBA Finals with his team leading 3-1.
What is Jalen Brunson's wingspan?
Brunson's wingspan is 6 feet 4 inches — only 3 inches longer than his height, ranking 1,679th out of 1,812 players ever tested at the combine. This places him in the bottom 7 percent of all NBA prospects for wingspan. Compare to SGA's 6'11.5" or Dylan Harper's 6'10.5" to see how far outside the norm his length is.
What are Brunson's 2026 Finals stats?
Through four games: Game 1 (30 pts, Knicks win), Game 2 (~28 pts, Knicks win by 1), Game 3 (32 pts, Spurs win), Game 4 (36 pts, 7 ast, 3 stl, Knicks win from 29 down). Average of 31.5 points per game. The Knicks lead the series 3-1 heading into Game 5 on June 13 in San Antonio.
How did the Knicks come back from 29 down in Game 4?
The Knicks trailed 87-58 in the third quarter and outscored San Antonio 49-19 over the final 17 minutes. Brunson scored 36 points on 12-of-25 shooting with 9-of-11 free throws. It is the largest deficit overcome in NBA Finals history. The comeback was driven by defensive intensity, ball movement, and Brunson's willingness to keep attacking a defense that had dominated for two and a half quarters. None of the physical attributes measured at his combine predict that performance.
Is Brunson the most undersized star in Finals history?
By combine rank, his profile is historically unusual for a player carrying a team to the Finals. The closest comps are Isiah Thomas (6'1", two championships with Detroit) and Allen Iverson (6'0", reached the Finals in 2001). Both were similarly small guards who succeeded on skill rather than physical tools. If Brunson wins Game 5, he joins that conversation as one of the most physically outmatched champions in NBA history — measured against one of the most physically dominant players the game has ever produced.
When is Game 5 of the 2026 NBA Finals?
Game 5 is Saturday June 13, 2026 at 8:30 ET on ABC, in San Antonio at the Frost Bank Center. The Knicks lead the series 3-1 and need one win to clinch their first championship since 1973. The Spurs need to win to keep the series alive and force a Game 6 back in New York.
Related

Full 2026 Finals Athletic Breakdown

Complete measurements for Brunson, Wembanyama, KAT, and Dylan Harper — and why the most physically dominant team in Finals history is losing to the least physically gifted star.

Finals Athletic Hub →