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Jalen Brunson’s mom is Sandra Brunson. Jalen has a famous father, former NBA player and current New York Knicks assistant coach, Rick Brunson. Jalen is also a member of the New York Knicks, playing under his father.
Jalen Brunson was born in New Brunswick, N.J. His mom, Sandra, raised him in Southern New Jersey until sixth grade. Jalen has a sister named Erica, who is five years younger.
The family moved several times during Jalen’s youth due to Rick’s journeyman career, but they settled in Lincolnshire, Ill., where Jalen played high school basketball with Stevenson High School.
Jalen was a gym rat, spending time in NBA locker rooms with his father, and spending time with Tom Thibodeau, who was an assistant coach then and current head coach of Jalen with the Knicks.
Jalen was a star in high school and committed to the Villanova Wildcats to continue his career. Brunson had plenty of success with Villanova, winning two NCAA Championships, and the National College Player of the Year in 2018.
The Dallas Mavericks drafted Brunson with the 33rd overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. He had some success with Dallas but never lived up to the potential he showed at Villanova.
The Knicks signed Rick as their assistant coach on June 2nd, 2022, and a month later, Jalen signed a four-year, $104 million contract. Jalen made an immediate impact, as Brunson starred in their first-round victory over Cleveland.
Brunson reached another level in the 2024 playoffs, and he isn’t finished yet. Jalen will try to honor his mom by putting on another superstar performance in Game 4 on Mother’s Day.
Who is Sandra Brunson?
It’s easy to give Rick Brunson full credit for Jalen making the NBA, as he trained his son and was a former NBA player/current coach. However, Jalen explained that while Rick handled the basketball portion, his mother was responsible for everything else.
“Obviously, my dad handled the basketball portion of it, handled like the working out portion,” Brunson said. “But my mom handled, legit, everything else. She was the general. She held me accountable for everything I did. If I was putting my mind to something, I couldn’t quit until it was done. She basically gave me that no-quit mentally.”
Sandra was no slouch in the athletic department. She played volleyball at Temple University and roomed with Kobe Bryant’s sister. She knew what it took to be an elite athlete, which helped out Rick on Jalen’s journey.
Sandra and Jalen co-founded the Second Round Foundation, a nonprofit that plants seeds to create equity for young people through education, sport and community. Sandra is the Second Round Foundation’s CFO and president of Jalen’s JMB1 Enterprises.
In the same interview where he raved about his mother’s effect on his journey, Jalen also talked about their close relationship. “She is like my best friend, she is my best friend, 100 percent.”
Who is Rick Brunson?
Rick Brunson is Jalen’s father. He played nine seasons in the NBA and worked as an assistant coach for multiple teams. Rick attended Temple University but couldn’t land an NBA job, opting to play in Australia during the 1995-96 season.
He won the league’s MVP in his first season. Rick signed with the Portland Trail Blazers for the 1998-99 season and then signed with the Knicks the following year, winning an Eastern Conference Championship.
Rick bounced around to different teams before beginning his coaching career, where he’s been with Denver, Chicago, Charlotte, and Minnesota. He took some time off to coach Camden High School in New Jersey from 2019-22 but returned to the New York Knicks in 2022.
Joining the Knicks led him to one of the greatest thrills of his professional life, coaching his son, Jalen, in the NBA.
Nevertheless, this is all we know about Jalen Brunson’s mom, dad and family.
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