Nearly 10,000 New York Knicks fans have signed a petition asking officials to rename the Hudson River the Brunson River, an ode to Finals MVP Jalen Brunson after the team's championship run this summer. As of the petition's latest count, 9,876 people have added their names to the campaign, which credits Brunson with ending the franchise's 53-year title drought.
The petition was created by a fan named Toby Bucsescu, as reported by Time Out. In the petition text, Bucsescu wrote that Brunson's “talent and leadership brought renewed hope to the Knicks and brought New Yorkers together.” The 315-mile river, which forms part of the border between New York and New Jersey and stretches from the Adirondacks to New York Harbor, has carried the Hudson name for more than four centuries, according to the same report.
Brunson's postseason performance is the spark behind the campaign. He scored 45 points in Game 5 of the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs, a showing that earned him the Finals MVP award as the Knicks closed out their first championship since 1973, when a roster featuring Willis Reed, Walt Frazier, and Earl Monroe last hoisted the trophy, per BasketballNews. Across the 2026 Finals, Brunson averaged 32.6 points per game, according to The Spun.
A Federal Rule Stands in the Way
Whatever momentum the petition builds, it runs headlong into a rule that has nothing to do with fan enthusiasm. The U.S. Board on Geographic Names, the federal body authorized to standardize names on government maps, strictly prohibits naming natural features after living people, requiring an honoree to be deceased for at least five years before a proposal can even be considered, according to guidance from the U.S. Geological Survey. Brunson, born in New Brunswick in 1996, is very much alive and reportedly signed to a four-year, $156.5 million extension with the Knicks in July 2024.
State rules add another layer of difficulty. Under New York's administrative guidelines for altering public geographic names, a proposal reportedly needs support from at least 75% of area residents, which BasketballNews notes would mean roughly 10 million signatures across the Hudson River corridor. The petition's current tally of 9,876 signatures is a long way from that threshold.
Brunson's Roots and the City's Earlier Tribute
Brunson's connection to the region predates his Knicks tenure. His family moved to Illinois, and he reportedly lived in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, for more than a decade before his basketball career carried him to New York. The Hudson River itself is bordered on its New Jersey side, and it isn't the first time the city has floated an honorary nod to the point guard.
In May 2025, the New York City Department of Transportation and Mayor Eric Adams temporarily co-named Manhattan streets after every player on the Knicks roster, designating West 11th Street and 7th Avenue as “Jalen Brunson Boulevard,” according to Secret NYC. Custom blue-and-orange signage went up along 6th and 7th Avenues during that postseason run, a much smaller and temporary gesture compared to permanently renaming a 315-mile river.
A River With Names Long Before the Knicks
The Hudson's naming history runs deeper than most fans realize. Long before European colonization, the Indigenous Lenape and Mohican peoples called the river Mahicantuck, or Muh-he-kun-ne-tuk, meaning “the river that flows two ways” or “river that is never still,” according to Smithsonian Magazine. Henry Hudson explored the river in 1609 while sailing for the Dutch East India Company, but he was not the first European to reach it. Florentine navigator Giovanni da Verrazzano entered New York Harbor and navigated the river's mouth in April 1524, 85 years earlier, per Britannica.
Brunson's Big Summer Continues
Even without a river named after him, Brunson's 2026 has been eventful. He picked up multiple ESPY awards at Lincoln Center in July, an event where the Knicks were also named Best Team, as Hoodline previously reported. That same month, he acquired an equity stake in New York-founded chain Just Salad, becoming the company's first professional athlete partner, according to Hoodline's earlier coverage. He also underwent offseason wrist surgery following the championship run, a procedure expected to keep him in a long summer rehab.
For now, the Brunson River exists only on a petition page, a symbol of just how far Knicks fans are willing to go to celebrate the end of a 53-year wait. Whether Bucsescu's campaign gathers more signatures or fades, the Hudson itself is not going anywhere by that name anytime soon.
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