For better and sometimes for worse, being a professional athlete in New York comes with incredible pressure. Some people hate this. Others live from it. Star-crossed lovers who expect to be hunters and curmudgeons are immediately reprimanded, but those who rise to the challenge end up naming pets all over town after them.
With apologies to the big apple bulldogs named Jeter or Eli, and to all those at Ballpark who are still celebrating the Melo trio, it’s a new era. All four New York basketball and hockey teams are in the playoffs (if the five expand Newark and include the Devils), the Yankees and Mets could make the playoffs for the first time since 1999-2000. Things are heating up and as the WNBA Super Team waits in Brooklyn to kick off the season in late May, the scene is only getting hotter.
We promise to appoint the King of New York, along with nine other claims. We’ll be updating the list throughout the year, so check back regularly to see who’s on top.
10. Daniel Jones
Team: New York Giants
Position: back
New York Factoid. It’s really boring, but He celebrated a Giants victory in 2019 by throwing towels at a Hoboken bar and cheating in a bowling game with Eli Manning.
Eighty-two million dollars in guaranteed money, including a spot in the New York King Prize, can go a long way. We don’t know if it’s Jones or not. Any good Yet, hmm, but he’s ready to lead the Giants to the playoffs and be their QB1 for years to come; Two things that her green and white neighbors can’t say. the same.
9. Igor Shesterkin
Team: New York Rangers
Position: Goalkeeper
New York Factoid. He and his girlfriend created an Instagram account for their dog, Simba.
Hockey doesn’t move the needle in the five boroughs like the other three major sports, but die-hard fans love their Rangers, and especially the man who serves as their last line of defense. Shesterkin is one of the best goaltenders in the league. A title he inherited from Henrik Lundqvist, the man he replaced in the New York Nets and one of the main reasons the Blues are chasing the Stanley Cup.
8. Pedro Alonso
Team: New York Mets
Location: First base
New York Factoid. Earlier this year, I LOVE NY introduced gloves.
Everyone loves a home run. In the year It’s been Alonso’s career since joining the Mets in 2019, and he’s still tearing it up in 2023. Until he goes, he’ll always have a spot on this list.
7. Francis East
Team: New York Mets
Position: Shortstop
New York Factoid. He modeled for Aimé Leon Dore.
The Mets fashionista loves the lifestyle that comes with a high-paying trip to New York City. He shows no signs of slowing down in his ninth MLB season as he keeps the entire East Coast force with a smile on his face.
6. Julius Randle
Team: New York Knicks
Position: Power forward
New York Factoid. His poor performance in this year’s three-point contest made his son cry.
Obviously, Randle lost the title as the Knicks’ all-time leading scorer, but he’s a nice second banana on a team that has the city’s attention. Love him or hate him, Randle is a pillar of the Knicks’ renaissance, one that millions can appreciate.
5. Antonio Volpe
Team: New York Yankees
Position: Shortstop
New York Factoid. The 22-year-old grew up on the Upper East Side before his family moved to New Jersey and became the Yankees’ first-round pick in 2019 out of Delbarton School in Morristown.
Comparisons to Derek Jeter are premature and incredibly thin, but the truth is that the Prince of Angels from the Bronx and immediately He would be a great shortstop for the Yankees. Volpe has the advantage of youth (nobody thinks he’ll be the MVP), which means any positive impact is more than expected.
4. Saquon Barkley
Team: New York Giants
Location: Return Tournament
New York Factoid. Barkley only played in 60 games, making his debut in 1925 and is the sixth all-time leading scorer in Giants history.
While with the Giants, Saquon Barkley would become one of the most popular athletes in New York. She has earrings. 26 and plays a real character. If he and the Giants can come to an agreement in their contract negotiations, Barkley could establish himself as one of New York’s kings of the decade.
3. Mikal bridges
Team: Brooklyn Nets
Position: Shooting Guard/Forward
New York Factoid. Despite losing ten fingers in New York and currently playing in the playoffs with the 76ers, Bridges is a die-hard Philadelphia sports fan. He grew up there and won two national championships for Villanova, so it makes sense, but he still took a bold public stance in a city that despises all sports in Philadelphia.
You can’t talk about New York without the bridge. (Extremely long breath recorded)
Seriously, the Nets’ newest star attraction is the key to keeping Brooklyn fans psyched. The NBA franchise’s entertainment team has had its fair share of changes over the past three years, and with Bridges running things, Barclays Center has a much-needed sense of formality. All pieces of normality.
2. Aaron Richter
Team: New York Yankees
Position: Right field
New York Factoid. In December, he was named the 16th captain in Yankee history and the first since Derek Jeter.
It’s hard to keep the Yankees’ best player out of the major leagues during a baseball season, especially when that player hit the home run record last season and is still out this season. Add to that the fact that Judge got the biggest contract of the offseason and chose to stay in New York to protect those assets and have an unsettled claim to one of the top spots here.
1. Jalen Brunson
Team: New York Knicks
Position: Leader
New York Factoid. His father, Rick, played three seasons with the Knicks and was part of the 1999 team that reached the finals as the eighth seed.
As an NBA Most Improved Player finalist, a 24-point-a-night man and the best true point guard the Knicks have had in generations, Brunson has the city under control. The Knicks’ return to the playoffs (their first in a full season since 2013) made Brunson an instant hero in his first season at MSG, where he showed time and again that he tried hard.
Originally posted on GQ
