JALEN BRUNSON: The New King of New York. The NBA’s 2026 MVP & Captain of the New York KNICKS. Jalen Brunson & the New York Knicks are the 2026 NBA Champions.
No one is a bigger fan of Jalen Brunson than his parents, Sandra and Rick Brunson.
The couple welcomed their son on Aug. 31, 1996, in New Jersey, two years before Rick joined the New York Knicks as a point guard. Both of his parents played college sports at Temple University, where they met.
Brunson was taught the importance of discipline and dedication from a young age. Since he was a kid, his parents emphasized the quote, “The magic is in the work,” which became his mantra.
“They had it on the wall, in my mirror when I woke up,” Brunson told ESPN in April 2023 of the words his parents instilled in him as a young athlete. “They had it in my lunch bag for school. They just made sure I saw that quote.”
Brunson and the Knicks played in the team’s first conference finals since 2000, and his dad — who played for the Knicks the last time the team made the NBA Finals — coached him on the court. The team is now facing the San Antonio Spurs for the championship title.