Jalen Brunson

Jalen Marquis Brunson (born August 31, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

He has a sister Erica (born c. 2001).

His parents met at Temple University where Rick played for the basketball team.

Rick went on to spend nine seasons in the NBA.

The family first settled in Cherry Hill, New Jersey but moved seven times before settling in Lincolnshire, Illinois in 2010 where Jalen played his high school career for Stevenson High School.

As a youth, he spent time in NBA locker rooms such as when his father played for the Knicks where his future head coach Tom Thibodeau was serving as an assistant coach.

As a freshman, Brunson was an All–Lake County honorable mention selection in 2012, as Stevenson finished the season with a 17–11 record.

During his sophomore season, Stevenson started the season 10–4 before going on a 19-game winning streak.

That year, Brunson led Stevenson to the March 16, 2013, IHSA Class 4A championship game against Jabari Parker and Kendrick Nunn's three-time defending state champion Simeon Career Academy, where he got the Simeon backcourt in foul trouble in the first half before being held to one point in the second half of a 58–40 loss.

Stevenson finished the season 29–5.

Following the season, the Associated Press named him to the Class 4A All-state second team as the only sophomore on the first or second team.

Brunson averaged 21.5 points that season.

On February 21, 2014, junior Brunson scored 57 points in a double overtime victory over Lake Forest High School.

The performance gave him both the school single-game and career scoring records.

On March 21, Brunson set the IHSA playoff single game scoring record against the Jahlil Okafor–led Whitney Young High School by scoring 56 points in a 75–68 state playoff semi-final loss.

In the game, still images of a movement by Brunson appeared to be an obscene gesture, but video of the gesture were deemed to be inconclusive and an initial suspension for the subsequent consolation game was overturned.

Brunson averaged 26.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 2.9 steals for a Stevenson team that finished the season with a 32–2 record.

Two members of his high school team were National Football League athletes' offspring: Matt Morrissey and Cameron Green.

Brunson was named Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Illinois as a junior.

Following the season, Associated Press named him as the only non-senior on the Class 4A All-state first team that also included Okafor, Cliff Alexander, Tyler Ulis and Sean O'Mara.

He finished fourth in the 2014 Illinois Mr. Basketball voting.

In April 2014, Illinois, Purdue, Kansas and Villanova had in-home visits.

On May 3, 2014, he announced the eight schools that he was considering playing college basketball for: UConn, Michigan State, Illinois, Kansas, Purdue, Villanova, Michigan and Temple.

Brunson participated in the 2015 McDonald's All-American Boys Game as well as the 2015 Jordan Brand Classic and represented the Team USA in the Nike Hoop Summit.

He led Stevenson to the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Class 4A championship.

Following the season, he won Illinois Mr. Basketball.

Brunson holds the IHSA playoff single-game and the IHSA Class 4A championship game scoring records and set the USA Basketball single-game assist record for the FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship.

He earned the MVP of the 2015 FIBA Under-19 World Cup for the gold medal-winning Team USA.

He began his college career as the 2015–16 Big East Conference Preseason Freshman of the Year and was a Big East All-Freshman Team selection following the season.

As a starter, he helped the 2015–16 Wildcats win the championship game of the 2016 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.

As a sophomore, he was a unanimous 2016–17 All-Big East first team selection for the 2016–17 Wildcats.

He was drafted with the 33rd overall selection of the 2018 NBA draft by the Dallas Mavericks and played his first four seasons in the NBA with them.

He played college basketball for Villanova University, where he was the National Player of the Year as a junior and won two national championships.

As a junior, he was the National Player of the Year and a Consensus first-team 2018 All-Americans and he helped the 2017–18 Wildcats win the championship game of the 2018 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament to give Villanova their second National Championship in three years.

Brunson played four years for the Dallas Mavericks.

After helping the Mavericks reach the Western Conference finals, he signed with the New York Knicks as a free agent in 2022.

With the Knicks, he elevated his game and became an NBA All-Star for the first time in.

He set the NBA record for most three point shots made in a half without a miss (8) and tied the NBA record for most three point shots made in a single-game without a miss (9).

Born in New Brunswick, New Jersey, Brunson was raised in southern New Jersey until sixth grade.

He is the son of Rick and Sandra Brunson.