Photo: NBAE
A viral video shows the exact moment in which New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson learned that the team acquired his former Villanova University teammate Josh Hart in a trade with the Portland Trail Blazers Wednesday (February 8) night.
The video, which was shared by Twitter user @Capj1344, shows Brunson with a group of people at Finneran Pavilion after the school retired his number during the Wildcats' game against DePaul.
"Oh s***! Yes!" Brunson yelled with excitement after being shown the news by his agent Sam Rose.
"Knicks got Josh Hart," another person is heard saying in the background of the video.
Brunson and Hart's collegiate careers intertwined during the 2015-16 and 2016-17 NCAA men's basketball seasons, which included the Wildcats' national championship run during their first season together. Brunson won a second national title at Villanova during the 2017-18 season, one year after Hart's departure.
Hart was acquired by the Knicks in exchange for Cam Reddish, Ryan Arcidiacono, Svi Mykhailiuk and a protected 2023 first-round pick, sources with knowledge of the deal confirmed to ESPN Wednesday night.
Brunson signed with the Knicks this past offseason after spending his entire career with the Dallas Mavericks. The New Brunswick native is averaging 232 points, 6.2 assists and 3.5 rebounds during the 2022-23 NBA season.
Villanova also honored recently retired former head coach Jay Wright during a pregame ceremony on Wednesday night.