Rick Brunson, Jalen’s father, is an assistant coach for the Knicks… and he doesn’t hesitate to heckle his son!
Jalen Brunson’s parents must be proud of the New York Knicks guard after he scored 47 points against the Philadelphia 76ers on April 28, 2024, setting a franchise scoring record in the playoffs and helping the Knicks reach 3 -1 against the 76ers in this first round. series.
At least Jalen’s dad must be prouder of him now than he was a few months ago, when Jalen was knocked out of the three-point contest during NBA All-Star Weekend…
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On his podcast, The roommates show, Jalen remembers hearing someone heckling him from the stands during that contest. “I heard a guy behind the bench, a bald guy sitting behind the bench, I heard, ‘Yo, you asshole,’” he said. Sports Illustrated. “Who said that? My father.”
Read on for more details about Jalen’s parents, who both have NBA connections.
Jalen Brunson’s parents are Rick and Sandra Brunson.
Jalen is one of two children of Rick and Sandra Brunson. Rick is a former basketball player whose nine-season NBA career included stints with the Knicks, Portland Trail Blazers, Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors, Los Angeles Clippers, Seattle SuperSonics and Houston Rockets. He eventually moved into coaching, serving as an assistant coach on several NBA teams.
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According to a Sports Illustrated profile, Rick fell in love with Sandra, then named Sandra Davis, while he was playing basketball for Temple University. Sandra also attended Temple and played volleyball for the school. After college, she became a paralegal, and she and Rick welcomed Jalen in 1996. Their daughter, Erica, arrived in 2001, according to Rick’s biography on NBA.com.
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Sandra has another connection to basketball: At Temple, her roommate and volleyball teammate was Sharia Washington, sister of the late Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant, as Jalen said. Nice kicks in 2023.
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Rick Brunson joined the Knicks in June 2022, and Jalen followed suit weeks later.
In June 2022, Rick became an assistant coach with the Knicks, reuniting with head coach Tom Thibodeau, under whom he also worked in Chicago and Minnesota, according to SNY. But the two go back even further: They met in Salem, Massachusetts, when Thibodeau was coaching at Salem State and Brunson was playing ball for Salem High School.
The job also reconnected Rick with Knicks president Leon Rose, who previously served as Rick’s agent during Rose’s tenure at CAA.
Later that month, ESPN Jalen’s agents have announced that the younger Brunson has agreed to a four-year, $104 million contract with the Knicks. Until this decision, Jalen played for the Dallas Mavericks, who picked him up in the 2018 NBA Draft.
Jalen’s recent performance, especially in the 2024 playoffs, has amazed basketball fans, including some famous faces.
“Jalen Brunson is not joking”, actor Ben Stiller written the on Sunday.
“Hang that Brunson performance in the damn Louvre. » wrote actor Jerry Ferrara.
And ESPN analyst Dick Vitale wrote“Jalen Brunson is everything in the world – will go down as one of the greatest guards to ever wear a Knicks uniform.”
