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Jalen Brunson is exactly where he’s supposed to be.
The New York Knicks All-Star point guard is sitting in White Plains, just minutes from the team’s practice facility, on a cold winter afternoon during what he calls “the dog days” of the NBA season. His team is fighting through injuries, inconsistency, and the inevitable January grind that separates contenders from pretenders. But if you’re looking for panic or frustration, you won’t find it here. Brunson carries himself with the quiet confidence of someone who has already proven doubters wrong his entire life — from being drafted 33rd overall to becoming the face of basketball’s most demanding franchise.
“Everything that is going wrong is controllable,” he tells Boardroom CEO Rich Kleiman matter-of-factly for the latest Cover Story. It’s the kind of statement that reveals everything about how Brunson operates: accountable, measured, and utterly certain that hard work is the only solution. This isn’t bravado. This is the ethos of a player who was raised in NBA locker rooms, who learned leadership from his father, and who has turned perceived limitations into fuel for one of the league’s most unlikely ascensions.
Being a Knicks star in 2025 means something different than it did even five years ago. The off-court opportunities that once felt uniquely New York—the endorsements, the media presence, the cultural cache—are now available to stars in any market. But what Brunson has discovered is that success in New York offers something money can’t buy: a connection to a fanbase so passionate, so invested, so loud that the Garden becomes an experience that, in his words, “you just have to come and find out” to understand.
“There’s no better place to do anything,” Brunson says about MSG. “Not just play basketball, to do anything, perform anything that goes on in that arena.” It’s the kind of love letter to New York that resonates differently when it comes from someone who chose to be here, who took less money to build something bigger than himself.
Jalen Brunson was built for New York.
Now, as he enters Year 3 of his Knicks tenure, Brunson is navigating the most delicate phase of his journey: evolving from underdog to franchise cornerstone while maintaining the hunger that got him here. He’s getting married to his foundation work through Second Round Foundation. He’s making history as the first men’s basketball player signed to Kobe Bryant’s brand — a connection that runs deeper than sneaker deals, rooted in family ties and shared mentality. He’s learning to balance the demands of stardom with the simple joy of being home for bedtime with his daughter.
“I want to be home. I want to be playing around with my daughter. I want to say goodnight to my daughter,” he explains, describing how fatherhood has shifted his priorities off the court. “I cherish those moments.”
But make no mistake: the chip on his shoulder remains. When asked if he’s reset the ceiling for himself, Brunson’s response is immediate and telling. “I have a different set of expectations for myself. I just want to continue to get better.”
For a player who went from second-round pick to All-Star starter, from Dallas role player to New York’s franchise savior, getting better has always been the only answer that matters. And as the Knicks fight through these dog days toward something bigger, Brunson’s unwavering belief in the process — in the work, in his teammates, in this city — might be exactly what New York needs.
This interview has been edited for length & clarity.
Rich Kleiman: What’s up, everybody? This is Rich Kleiman, and this is Boardroom Cover Story. Today, we are in White Plains, New York, very close to the New York Knicks practice facility, sitting with the one and only Jalen Brunson. Welcome to Boardroom, brother.
Jalen Brunson: What’s up, boss? How you doing?
It’s the dog days of the season. Do you feel like every year around this time, this is where you have to fight through slumps, this is where you have to fight through injuries?
Yeah, I feel like between Christmas and All-Star break, these can go really good. These can go really bad. It’s just a tough spot to be in, obviously, because we were playing well through the (NBA Cup), and since the Cup, it’s been there. It’s definitely the dog days, but I mean, you got to dig yourself out of it. You can’t just wish it to get better. You got to do something.
That’s always complicated, too, in an 82-game season, right? Where you come, and you got a game on a Wednesday vs. a team that could be at the bottom of the conference, but you’re coming off of this feeling of winning in Vegas, I would imagine it adds to it. And then from an injury perspective, obviously, you’ve been banged up. Do you see something you could point to with the team with the struggles you’ve had the last few weeks? Is there something that you’re seeing or is it just exactly what it is that the season is long?
It’s a long season, obviously. I feel like everything that is going wrong is controllable. We had great stretches; we were winning. I think a lot of things may have been obviously masked because we won games, but we’re still growing as a team. We’re still growing, we’re still learning. We’re still getting to understand everything that’s going on. I mean, there’s tough stress for us. It’s probably a good thing because we never want to be a finished product anyway by January or December. I’m happy there are things that are controllable because we’re able to fix it, but we just got to do it quickly.
Do you feel a different urgency from the crowd? That wasn’t surprising, just knowing Knicks fans, hearing them getting uneasy, but it feels like that’s just par for the course, right? When you guys get to this point, the expectations change. You could feel that in the Garden a bit.
One thing I’ve learned is that you can’t fight it. They’re going to think what they’re going to think, and you can’t feel any type of way. You can’t do it. Everyone’s going to have their own opinions regardless.
From a preparation standpoint, and just the routine of the season, does the NBA Cup throw you off at all, given your experience this year?
Not really. It was pretty fun. It was competitive basketball. It felt like a playoff game. One thing that I thought that we didn’t do a good job of as a team is kind of readjusting to the regular season games we were playing, kind of like post-season basketball, and then go right back to regular season. We didn’t adjust well and fast enough, and so we got to get back on track.
All-Star starter, though.
I don’t take it for granted, man. It’s special. So I’m thankful. I’m thankful for obviously the fans, thankful for my team, for pushing me, and also my personal team of making sure that I do everything to help get myself there, so I don’t take it for granted.
As a born and raised New York kid watching the Garden during a playoff series, especially the later you go in the playoffs, you almost feel like if I could be anyone in the world at this very second, I would want to be one of the New York Knicks playing in front of that crowd. That shit looks like complete euphoria. … You’re so stoic though, so it’s hard to see it. How incredible is that? What is MSG culture from someone as on the inside as you are?
It’s unexplainable. Yeah. You can sit here and talk about how crazy it is and how it’s jumping and how you’re going to feel the energy, good or bad. You’re going to feel the energy. You can’t just explain it. You have to experience it. That’s what I’ve been saying, that people when they ask me what’s it like playing at the garden, I’m like, you just have to come and find out because me explaining to you it won’t do you any justice. It’s insane. There’s no better place to do anything, not just play basketball, to do anything, perform anything that goes on in that arena.
Your place in New York, you talk about legacy, and it’s so early in your career to talk about it, but you understand the magnitude of what you’re building here.
Yeah, but I know, like you said, I know I got a lot more to do, a lot more. This is cool and all, but my goal is to win. I want to win. I’m going to do whatever it takes, and I’m going to die trying.
Talk about the moment in Detroit, the shots you hit.
That was crazy. I didn’t really think about that. I think that night, honestly. Seeing the highlight of it was really cool, but I didn’t really think about that until the summer after the season. That was a cool moment. That was a really cool moment because their crowd, not going to lie, their crowd was loud. Detroit and the playoffs was crazy. That’s unexplainable.
What do you think makes Cade so special?
I think the way he leads that team, because he’s not loud. He’s not sitting there pounding his chest in front of the crowd. He’s a guy who gets the job done. He gets his teammates involved. He does everything that you ask of him, and then he goes home.
How did you get drafted 33rd, bro?
I don’t know. I did everything I possibly could have to put myself in a great position. I couldn’t do any more than what I did. And so I knew that it was out of my hands at that point.
You’re not the underdog anymore. Has your motivation shifted?
I think that’s who I am. I still try to play with the chip on my shoulder. I’ll always have a mindset that’s different from most players and people just because of how I was raised and what I’ve been through.
Have you reset the ceiling for yourself a bit?
I have a different set of expectations for myself. I just want to continue to get better. Every single year, it’s been my thing. I find a way to get better.
Leadership has always followed you.
It was taught to me. I had to learn it from my parents. Whatever I do on the court, I’m going to do off the court. I’ve always tried to be a leader.
Playing with Luka Dončić early on. … You loved your time in Dallas.
He was so good, so fast. I was questioning myself, but every time I questioned myself, I was like, all right, that’s just another night in the gym. … I love Dallas. I loved it. The city, the organization, the team. I loved everything about it and very thankful.
So when someone signs with the Knicks or if you’re a free agent, you’ll always hear about off the court, and I think that’s a bit exaggerated in terms of what the rest of the league offers you at this point. If you’re a star playing in any market, the opportunities are endless. But coming into New York and having this success, what would you say has been your new approach to how you look at your business?
Year 1 and 2 were completely different from the last two years. Off the court-wise, I feel like I was really excited to do certain things and be a part of certain things, but I think now, having a little one too, I like my time, and I realize my time is a lot more valuable now than it was a couple of years ago. Off the court has been great for me and I’m thankful, truly. But now I know I want to be home. I want to be playing around with my daughter. I want to say goodnight to my daughter. I cherish those moments, and so it’s a little different now, but if it’s right for me, I’ll do it.
What are those things that interest you? As you start to put the framework around your business and being one of the most marketable athletes in the sport and being in this city, what are some of the objectives you want to build?
I’m starting to think more long-term. I’m starting to think more long-term to see where I can go for life after basketball.
Is coaching something that you could see yourself doing as well?
Possibly. Possibly at some level. I don’t know what level. It could be high school, could be college. Well, actually, I don’t know about college anymore.
I have my ear to the street a little bit, and this isn’t public, but I know that you are basically the first men’s basketball player on the Kobe brand. And that’s something that should be out there, so I’m putting it out there.
It started when I was younger because my dad was in the NBA. I’m around all these great athletes. I’m in the locker room as a kid. I’m thinking this is normal. And then if I bring a friend to that game, I bring whoever to a game. It’s like, oh, that was so cool. I’m like, yeah, it was becoming normal. And then obviously, as I got older, I started to realize, all right, yeah, it’s not normal that I’m meeting some of these players the way I’m meeting and all the time. I’ve always been around the game. I’ve always been around stuff like that where it seems normal, but it’s not like meeting Kobe a couple of times and then realizing Kobe’s sister and my mother were college teammates and roommates, and it’s just like I’m more connected than I realized, but I’m very thankful.
It’s got to be incredible, right? To have your shoe under Kobe’s brand and just see the response.
Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. To be a part of that shoe, that brand means more to me than people I think realize. Yeah, it’s tough to get a pair of them joints though.
The community’s been big for you. I know you’ve done a lot in your time here. What are some of the objectives or things that you want to start doing to impact this city?
Second Round Foundation, my foundation, our goal is to kind of impact, obviously, the youth with education, sports. I think it’s big time just to go out there and just give back. Regardless of what I’m able to accomplish, regardless of who I am, I always wanted to get back to the community. Wherever I stepped foot, where I went to high school, outside a Philly area, going to Nova, and being from South Jersey and obviously New York, and I still do things with Dallas, things in Dallas, wherever I’ve been, I try to kind of give back to a place that means a lot to me. I kind of want to instill a mindset in kids and the youth and say, ‘Hey, no matter what people say and what people think of you, you can do what you want to do. If you believe in yourself and you work hard and you do all the right things to achieve your goals, you’re going to be right where you want to be.’ And so, instilling that mindset is what I’m trying to do with this foundation.
Jalen, good luck the rest of the year, my brother. Appreciate you coming on Boardroom. This is Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks’ All-Star starting point guard. My name is Rich Kleiman, and this is a Boardroom Cover Story.
Appreciate it.
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Interviewer – Rich Kleiman
20 2020