{"id":257702,"date":"2026-06-06T19:45:22","date_gmt":"2026-06-06T19:45:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/257702\/"},"modified":"2026-06-06T19:45:22","modified_gmt":"2026-06-06T19:45:22","slug":"nyc-man-inks-entire-back-with-mount-rushmore-of-knicks-greats-shocking-even-jalen-brunson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/257702\/","title":{"rendered":"NYC man inks entire back with Mount Rushmore of Knicks greats \u2014 shocking even Jalen Brunson"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Knicks<\/a> have his back.<\/p>\n

Staten Islander Matt McAllister has a Mount Rushmore of Knicks greats inked across his back \u2014 including current MVP Jalen Brunson<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And when McAllister took his shirt off to reveal the jaw-dropping tattoo to Brunson himself, the captain was stunned.<\/p>\n

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Matt McAllister’s Mount Rushmore of Knicks legends was drawn by artist Tom Sanford and inked by Sonja Elise at Bullseye Tattoos on Staten Island. Courtesy of Matt McAllister<\/p>\n

“He seems like he’s a guy of very little words . . . but he was like, ‘Oh, that’s hard,'” McAllister, 34, told The Post.<\/p>\n

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“Then he said, ‘But Rushmore’s only got four.’<\/p>\n

“So I told him I had to add an extra just for him.”<\/p>\n

Then shocked star guard Josh Hart<\/a> “pulled out his phone. He’s like, ‘I gotta take a photo of this. Holy s\u2013t!'”<\/p>\n

McAllister presented the over-the-top tat \u2014 also featuring legends John Starks<\/a>, Walt Frazier, Patrick Ewing and Carmelo Anthony<\/a> \u2014 to Brunson and Hart in September at a meet-and-greet for the duo’s Roommates Block Party.<\/p>\n

McAllister said the idea for the All-Star artwork came last season when the Knicks finished 51-31, but lost to the Indiana Pacers<\/a> in the Eastern Conference Finals \u2014 a round short of the NBA Finals.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart were stunned to see the jaw-dropping ink. Courtesy of Matt McAllister<\/p>\n

“After that run we had last year, I was like, ‘Wow, this is really monumental. Let me think of a monument that I can honor everybody with.'”<\/p>\n

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The tat cost $9,000 and took 36 hours over six sessions to make. MSG was there to capture it for a commercial.<\/p>\n

“I might only see this once in my lifetime again. I have no regrets,” he said.<\/p>\n

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Knicks superfans Nolan Parr, Ray Rosado and Mirko Falzone all opted for giant leg tattoos of the team’s captain. Nolan Parr, Ray Rosado, Mirko Falzone<\/p>\n

Other Knicks superfans have opted for leg tattoos of the “King of New York.”<\/p>\n

Ray Rosado, a native of Yonkers, got a $1,350 leg tattoo of Brunson<\/a> two days after the Knicks lost the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals, “because I had a feeling they would go to the finals this year,” he said.<\/p>\n

His tattoo artist warned him against the very permanent decision.<\/p>\n

“He said, ‘You know, if you get it and they don’t go to the finals, it’s going to still be on your body,'” Rosado recalled.<\/p>\n

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Rosado chose the image of Brunson praying during Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals last year, which he got inked by his tattoo artist, Chico. Courtesy of Ray Rosado<\/p>\n

Rosado, 33, a teacher at New Rochelle High School \u2014 whose students alerted him when his tattoo went viral<\/a> \u2014 explained why he chose the photo of Captain Clutch praying during Game 1 of last year’s conference finals.<\/p>\n

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“I’m not really religious myself, but I felt that was the moment to symbolize that great things are coming your way. You just have to wait for that moment. And that’s all that Brunson has been talking about this year, that the job’s not finished yet,” he said.<\/p>\n

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Parr got Brunson’s signature move inked by tattoo artist Josh Glasser last month. Courtesy of Nolan Parr<\/p>\n

Nolan Parr of Queens got inked on May 23, two days before the Knicks swept the Cleveland Cavaliers<\/a> in the Eastern Conference Finals to make it to the final round.<\/p>\n

The native of Red Hook in Dutchess County, NY \u2014 who went with a $800 tattoo of the three-time NBA All-Star doing his signature thumb-and-index finger move \u2014 has been a fan since he’s “been in diapers.”<\/p>\n

“Because my father was a diehard Knicks fan from back in the day. So it’s always the classic, ‘Who’s better Clyde or Jalen,’ between me and him,” Parr, 32, said.<\/p>\n

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Falzone’s leg tattoo took artist Mirko Ponti 20 hours more than two days to complete. Courtesy of Mirko Falzone<\/p>\n

Mirko Falzone of Bergamo, Italy, has never even been to a Knicks game, but in October, decided to get a huge tattoo of Brunson’s face on his leg, along with a smaller full-body image of the MVP on the court in his No. 11 jersey.<\/p>\n

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Falzone, 32, was always a fan of the NBA, but wasn’t watching regularly until Brunson joined the roster in 2022, and since Italy is ahead of New York by six hours, he’s been waking up at 2 a.m. to catch him playing.<\/p>\n

“When Jalen Brunson arrived to New York, my passion came back,” he said. “And the desire to stay awake during the night here in Italy to watch the games.”<\/p>\n

But in Italy, most have no clue who’s on his leg.<\/p>\n

“Everyone here only knows LeBron James<\/a>, Wembanyama<\/a>,” he said, laughing. “Someone asked if it was Travis Scott.”<\/p>\n