Donte DiVincenzo discusses fiery encounter with Jalen Brunson's dad Rick Brunson: "That’s a separate relationship"
New Minnesota Timberwolves recruit Donte DiVincenzo returned to Madison Square Garden to face good pal Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks. Sunday marked the first meeting between the two teams since the blockbuster trade highlighted by All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns’ move to the Big Apple. DiVincenzo, though, grabbed the limelight during and after the game.
A clip of DiVincenzo talking to Tom Thibodeau and the Knicks bench before taking a free throw quickly became viral. After the game, an even bigger confrontation happened when the shooting guard and Jalen Brunson's dad Rick had to be separated by Jalen.
Donte DiVincenzo had this to say to reporters about what happened between him and Rick Brunson (via Stefan Bondy):
"My relationship with Jalen – that’s my brother, my best friend. That’s a separate relationship. I said I’ll talk about that privately (with Rick) and figure that out."
After an initial exchange between Brunson’s dad and DiVincenzo, the confrontation seemed to cool off. A few moments later, they engaged in another back-and-forth that forced players from both teams to separate the two. The Timberwolves guard refused to say what the exchange was all about.
Donte DiVincenzo averaged 15.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.3 steals in his one season with the Knicks. He reunited with college teammates Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson after playing one season with the Golden State Warriors.
New York’s acquisition of Mikal Bridges made an even bigger reunion of the “Villanova Boys,” but DiVincenzo was traded to Minnesota.
Donte DiVincenzo thankful to New York Knicks fans
Donte DiVincenzo played one season with the New York Knicks but quickly became a fan favorite. DiVincenzo’s hustle, energy, and shooting made him popular at Madison Square Garden.
After the incident with Jalen Brunson’s father, he had this to say about the Knicks faithful:
"My love for Knicks fans is through the roof. It was one of the best years of my life playing here last year."
The Timberwolves return to MSG on Jan. 17 for their second and final regular-season meeting with the Knicks. It will be interesting to see how the crowd will react to him after the confrontation with Rick Brunson.