Jalen Brunson

Profile Overview

Jalen Marquis Brunson (born August 31, 1996), nicknamed "Captain Clutch" and the "King of New York", 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 played college basketball for the Villanova Wildcats, earning national player of the year honors as a junior and winning two national championships. Brunson was selected 33rd overall in the 2018 NBA draft by the Dallas Mavericks and played his first four NBA seasons with them. He signed with the Knicks as a free agent in 2022, subsequently leading the franchise to its first NBA championship in 53 years.
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 was named 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. After being selected by the Mavericks, Brunson spent four seasons with Dallas, culminating in a run to the Western Conference Finals.
Since joining the Knicks in 2022, Brunson has been named an NBA All-Star three times (2024–2026) and received three All-NBA Second Team selections in the same period. 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 appearance in 25 years. In 2026, he led the franchise to its first NBA Finals appearance since 1999 and its first NBA championship since 1973, earning both the Eastern Conference Finals MVP and the NBA Finals MVP. He also tied Michael Jordan’s record for most points scored in a title clinching road finals game (45) which Jordan set back in 1998 against the Utah Jazz.