Jalen Brunson’s Parents Raised a Star: How Rick and Sandra Built an NBA Leader

Jalen Brunson was raised in a home that echoed with perseverance and repetition, so he didn’t just learn basketball—he absorbed it. Rick and Sandra Brunson, his parents, weren’t just spectators cheering him on. They were construction workers. They built a foundation that would transport their son from driveways in New Jersey to Madison Square Garden, value by value and brick by brick.

The New York Knicks’ assistant coach, Rick Brunson, is a seasoned NBA veteran who never let his son coast on his potential. Rick used remarkably obvious analogies to remind Jalen even when he was in middle school. “Why wouldn’t you pay attention to the study guide if I’ve already taken the test?” he would ask. This was no ornamental metaphor. It was an order. It characterized their father-son relationship—a mentorship based on personal experience, infused with firm affection and purposeful direction.

Sandra, on the other hand, contributed a distinct yet no less important energy. She had played volleyball for Temple University before meeting Rick in college, and their mutual athletic background soon became a defining characteristic of their parenting style. Sandra served as Jalen’s accountability officer in addition to being his emotional support system. She instilled mental toughness in her son and maintained order in the home. Jalen once remarked admiringly, “She was the general.” “I couldn’t quit if I said I was going to do something.”

In order to find balance between athletics and academics, the Brunson family moved frequently during Jalen’s early years, from Cherry Hill, New Jersey, to Illinois. Jalen was already displaying signs of elite focus by the time they arrived in Lincolnshire, Illinois. At the age of four, he packed his own gym bag and insisted he had a game, even though it was just down the hall. His precision—his unrelenting drive to get better—was carved by repetition, as his parents had intended, but his passion was clear.

Amazingly successful as a training team, Rick and Sandra’s different but complementary methods produced a developmentally balanced environment. Under the blazing summer sun, Rick would push Jalen by saying things like, “If you can shoot here, you can shoot anywhere,” and insisting on repetitions while wearing a weight vest. Sandra was cooking, keeping an eye on homework, and making sure her son realized that hard work in one area should reflect hard work in all others.

A second-generation player renaissance accompanied Jalen’s rise to prominence in the NBA. Like Devin Booker and Klay Thompson, he was a product of both nature and nurture. The dynamic symmetry of the Brunson family, however, makes them unique. In a rare combination that has garnered national attention, Rick now coaches Jalen on the Knicks’ bench. Although it could have gone wrong, the move from domestic coach to professional coach has been remarkably successful. When asked if it was ever hard to tell “dad” from “coach,” Jalen acknowledged that it was initially, but that eventually the roles blended together well.

When Jalen was inducted into the Stevenson High School Hall of Fame, their family’s unity was publicly honored. There, Jalen proposed to his high school sweetheart, Ali Marks, in a gesture that was both symbolic and sentimental. Some of his early victories had taken place in that same gym, frequently with Sandra cheering from the stands and Rick pacing the sidelines. The past and the future came together in that one instant.

Rick’s career path as a coach has been equally unrelenting. From being a respected voice on the Knicks bench to serving as an assistant in Denver and Chicago, his impact has grown beyond his own son. However, there’s an unspoken fluidity with Jalen—a nod, a knowing look, a quiet readjusting. It’s the kind of chemistry that can only be experienced; it cannot be taught.

Sandra has also applied her knowledge to broader service. She is collaborating with her son as the co-founder and CFO of the Second Round Foundation, which promotes youth empowerment and educational equity. The Patriot Wellness Initiative, their flagship program, is a powerful example. It embodies the same principles that Jalen was taught as a child: self-control, perseverance, and health—but they are now reflected externally, which is especially advantageous for marginalized communities.

The mother and son’s emotional bond is still as strong as ever. Jalen has referred to her as his “best friend,” and their friendship has significantly enhanced his ability to lead and empathize both on and off the court. Sandra says their relationship is “unbreakable and a blessing.”

Jalen’s story is representative of a larger trend in sports where parents are actively participating in their children’s education instead of just providing silent support. The Brunsons have combined generational talent with mentorship that is both intensely personal and incredibly professional, much like Venus and Serena Williams’ relationship with their father Richard or Tiger Woods’ formative years with Earl Woods. Their narrative, however, seems less transactional and more about developing a person rather than merely an athlete.

In addition to being a superb point guard, Jalen was named the Knicks’ Clutch Player of the Year by April 2025. It felt like a tribute to both parents to earn that title through mental toughness and late-game accuracy. He got the instincts from Rick. He got the nerve from Sandra. Together, they created the player who would step up and perform steadily and calmly under duress.