“You’re a hell of a player,” a man says in passing.
Standing at six feet two with a low, compact build, Brunson arrives in a weekend uniform: sky-blue Nike hoodie with Ray-Bans dangling from the collar, black sweatpants, and a matching beanie pulled low over his rounded head. Even with generational wealth and a place on the city’s A-list, the 29-year-old Brunson insists, convincingly, that he has not shed the no-frills mantle of an Everyman.
“It’s not like my lifestyle is different,” he says. “You see where I came to meet you. I’m a regular guy who goes to a local coffee shop to grab tea or coffee or whatever. It doesn’t change the way I live.”
As he speaks, Brunson glances briefly at his phone. He has missed a call from Josh Hart, his former college teammate and closest friend on the Knicks. Off the court, the two host a podcast, Roommates Show, a fairly standard athlete-led gabfest, featuring interviews with teammates, coaches, and other NBA figures. Brunson guesses the call was about a planned double date with their wives.
“You would think we’d get tired of each other,” Brunson says. “Our wives will be like, ‘You guys just saw each other.’ And we’re like, ‘Yeah. And?’ ”
On their podcast and in postgame press conferences, they sometimes resemble a buddy-cop duo, with Brunson typically playing the role of exasperated straight man.
“I’m kind of the more unfiltered guy and will just say what I think,” Hart says. “He’s a little more political.”
Brunson’s mother, Sandra, puts it a bit differently.
“Jalen and I are alike in the sense that we are very methodical and intentional,” she says. “We think things through before we react.”
There is something wholesome about Brunson’s existence, his orbit populated by family and longtime friends. He and Ali—who gave birth to their daughter, Jordyn, in July 2024—were high school sweethearts in greater Chicago. His father, Rick, a former NBA journeyman, is now one of his Knicks coaches, while Sandra serves as chief financial officer of his foundation. Even his professional team is anchored by day ones: His younger sister, Erica, and his best friend since eighth grade, Connor Cashaw, handle his marketing responsibilities.
Tom Kludt
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