Is Jalen Brunson the Best Lefty in NBA History?

When Jalen Brunson signed his four-year, $156.6 million contract extension with the New York Knicks two summers ago, he gripped the pen with his right hand. When, presumably, he celebrated the deal with an expensive dinner, he would have also eaten right-handed. Brunson, 29, is among the roughly 90% of humans who are natural right-handers — a percentage that also correlates to the handedness of NBA players across league history.

But on the court, what stands out about Bruson, aside from his distinctive hairstyle, stoic demeanor and stocky build, is the fact he shoots left-handed. It is no accident.

Rick Brunson, Jalen’s father, is the one who is responsible for the discrepancy. As the story goes, Rick, a nine-year NBA veteran and now a Knicks assistant coach, groomed young Jalen to play with his off-hand, figuring it would provide a competitive advantage.

“Everything is the opposite for defenders,” Jalen told reporters in 2023. “I think it’s just a little unorthodox.”

Sports history is full of such odd expressions of handedness. LeBron James, for example, has the opposite orientation of Brunson: A natural lefty, James grew up playing right-handed in order, he has said, to emulate heroes such as Michael Jordan and Penny Hardaway. Baseball, of course, has a long list of players, including Bryce Harper and Shohei Ohtani, who throw righty and hit lefty, and a much smaller list who do the opposite — throw left, bat right — with Rickey Henderson by far the most prominent example.

Knicks assistant coach Rick Brunson, left, is credited with teaching young Jalen to play with his off-hand. Peter K. Afriyie/AP

Now, eight seasons into his NBA career, the younger Brunson is rapidly scaling the list of the greatest lefties in NBA history. His masterful play as the engine of the Knicks’ offense lifted them to the franchise’s first league championship in 53 years. On Saturday night, Brunson poured in 45 points to help New York clinch a title and earn himself Finals MVP.

Debates over the relative greatness of NBA players typically focus on factors such as league championships, MVP awards and scoring titles. Brunson’s 54.2 win shares — a catchall metric that attempts to measure a player’s overall value — places him just 41st all-time among lefties in NBA/ABA history.

But by WS/48 — or win shares per 48 minutes, which more closely measures overall production on a game-by-game basis without consideration of longevity — Brunson (.155) ranks 11th on the all-time list (ABA/NBA combined, minimum 500 games), barely edged out of the top 10 by fellow Knicks legend Willis Reed (.156).

Here, then, is an unscientific, undemocratic ranking of the 10 greatest lefties in NBA history:

10. Jalen Brunson (2019-)

Hall of Fame: no
Rings: 1
MVPs: 0
Scoring titles: 0
All-Stars: 3
Win shares: 54.2
WS/48: .155

You can accuse us of recency bias in including Brunson here over more accomplished names (Chris Mullin, Nate Archibald, Gail Goodrich, Billy Cunningham, et al.), but we prefer to call it an investment in his future. Brunson’s “similarity score” at basketball-reference.com brings up names such as Hall-of-Famers Earl Monroe and Joe Dumars as his closest statistical twins through the first seven years of their careers.

Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh against the Lakers in 2013. Kevin Reece/AP

9. Chris Bosh (2003-16)

Hall of Fame: yes
Rings: 2
MVPs: 0
Scoring titles: 0
All-Stars: 11
Win shares: 106.0
WS/48: .159

Folks who only remember Bosh as the No. 3 option on the Lebron James/Dwyane Wade Miami Heat teams of the 2010s forget how good he was as the centerpiece of the 2000s Toronto Raptors, for whom he averaged 22.8 points and 9.9 rebounds during a five-year stretch. He was also a matchup nightmare, as a 6-11 center/forward with good handles, quickness and a deft shooting touch.

8. Dave Cowens (1970-83)

Hall of Fame: yes
Rings: 2
MVPs: 1
Scoring titles: 0
All-Stars: 8
Win shares: 86.3
WS/48: .140

Cowens was the face of the 1970s Celtics, who may not have been as dominant as Bill Russell’s 1960s dynasty or Larry Bird’s 1980s mini-dynasty, but still raised a pair of championship banners to the rafters of Boston Garden. He was also a rebounder extraordinaire whose 13.6 boards per game still rank ninth all-time.

7. Bob Lanier (1970-84)

Hall of Fame: yes
Rings: 0
MVPs: 0
Scoring titles: 0
All-Stars: 8
Win shares: 117.1
WS/48: .175

As with a few others on this list, modern advanced metrics value Lanier higher than he was by the naked eye in his own day. Only twice did he finish in the top five of MVP voting, and never higher than third. But he was a quiet, dominant force in the 1970s, averaging 22.8 points and 11.9 rebounds across the decade, as well as an elite defender.

San Antonio Spurs’ Manu Ginóbili goes in for a layup during the Western Conference Finals in 2018. Michael Macor/AP

6. Manu Ginóbili (2002-18)

Hall of Fame: yes
Rings: 4
MVPs: 0
Scoring titles: 0
All-Stars: 2
Win shares: 106.4
WS/48: .190

Ginóbili, the stylish Argentinian guard, was rarely the first or even second scoring option on his San Antonio Spurs teams, and his biggest individual honor was his 2008 Sixth Man of the Year award. But his elite WS/48 figure and those four rings justify his place here, as does his gold medal at the 2004 Olympics, where he put up 29 points in an upset of Team USA in the semis and was named MVP of the tournament.

5. Artis Gilmore (1971-88)

Hall of Fame: yes
Rings: 1
MVPs: 1
Scoring titles: 0
All-Stars: 11
Win shares: 189.7
WS/48: .193

The A-Train’s claim for inclusion on this list depends heavily on one’s willingness to accept combined ABA and NBA stats and legacies. Gilmore, a 7-foot-2 titan, led the ABA in rebounding in four of his five seasons in that league, and he earned both rookie of the year and MVP honors. His numbers weren’t as gaudy in the NBA, but six of his 11 All-Star berths came there.

4. Willis Reed (1965-74)

Hall of Fame: yes
Rings: 2
MVPs: 1
Scoring titles: 0
All-Stars: 7
Win shares: 74.9
WS/48: .156

Though Reed’s career lasted just 10 seasons, and he never led the league in any major statistical category, his case is helped by his playoff exploits — he is a two-time NBA Finals MVP, and his performance in Game 7 of the 1970 Finals, when he played despite a serious leg injury, is one of the most legendary moments in the game’s history.

3. James Harden (2010-)

Hall of Fame: no
Rings: 0
MVPs: 1
Scoring titles: 1
All-Stars: 11
Win shares: 182.4
WS/48: .206

It was perhaps fitting that Harden’s Cleveland Cavaliers fell to Brunson’s Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals, as Brunson may be ready to surpass him as the premier lefty in the game right now. But Harden, 36, is still a sure-fire, first-ballot Hall-of-Famer, ranking 11th all-time in points and 12th all-time in assists.

2. David Robinson (1990-2003)

Hall of Fame: yes
Rings: 2
MVPs: 1
Scoring titles: 1
All-Stars: 10
Win shares: 178.7
WS/48: .250

The Admiral’s dazzling resume, including the highest WS/48 figure of any lefty in history, is even more impressive when you consider he lost his age-22 and age-23 seasons to mandatory service in the U.S. Navy. Even in a golden age for centers, featuring the likes of Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O’Neal and Patrick Ewing, Robinson stood out.

Bill Russell attempts a hook shot in a playoff game in 1962. Harold P. Matosian/AP

1. Bill Russell (1956-69)

Hall of Fame: yes
Rings: 11
MVPs: 5
Scoring titles: 0
All-Stars: 12
Win shares: 163.5
WS/48: .193

Russell is a perennial top-five presence on rankings of the greatest NBA players of all-time, regardless of handedness, as well as a contender for the title of greatest defensive player in history. He averaged 15.1 points and a staggering 22.5 rebounds per game for his career, but is perhaps best remembered for leading the Celtics to 11 NBA titles across his 13 seasons.