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). The son of former NBA guard Rick Brunson, 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. Brunson also played college basketball for the Villanova Wildcats, earning national player of the year honors as a junior and winning two national championships. Brunson participated in the 2015 McDonald's All-American Boys Game, Jordan Brand Classic and Nike Hoop Summit. He led Stevenson to the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Class 4A championship. He won Illinois Mr. Basketball and earned the MVP of the 2015 FIBA Under-19 World Cup. Brunson was a role player for the championship season of the 2015–16 Villanova Wildcats and named the national player of the year and a consensus first-team 2018 All-American for the championship season of the 2017–18 Wildcats. Brunson played four years for the Mavericks. After helping them reach the Western Conference finals, he signed with the Knicks as a free agent in 2022. With the Knicks, he became an NBA All-Star and received an All-NBA Team selection for the first time in 2024. 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). In 2025, he led the Knicks to their first Eastern Conference Finals in 25 years, and has done so again in 2026.