The road for Jalen Brunson becoming one of the best point guards in the NBA wasn’t an easy one. It took plenty of tribulations through college and the NBA to reach where he is today. Brunson’s basketball journey began as a child and his first obstacle was none other than his very own father.
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Luckily for Jalen, his father, Rick Brunson, had nine years of NBA experience. The 6-foot-4 point guard was far from a star but possessed enough skill to play for eight teams in his career. Rick learned the game of basketball in the inner city of New York in the 1980s and 90s. As a result, his competitive fire was extremely high.
After Jalen was born, Rick was ecstatic that his son found a love for basketball. Although he was only a child, Rick ensured he taught Jalen at a young age that there’s no such thing as handouts.
“I was always trying to teach him a lesson,” Rick revealed on the Roommates Show. “You guys just play basketball. For me, when I played, you always kept score.”
Of course, the core behind playing basketball for Rick was how fun the sport is. Aside from that, whenever Brunson laced up his sneakers, his main goal was to win. He had to make that message clear to Jalen, even if it required some unethical measures.
“He’d be winning, 4 to 2 in a game up to 5. I’m like, ‘I’m up 3-2.’ He’s like, ‘Alright.’ He never knew the score,'” Rick said.
The two-time All-Star is aware of his father’s antics now, but back then, he didn’t even bat an eye. His father must’ve seemed like an impenetrable Goliath during his youth. The reality is that Brunson may have more victories against his father under his belt than he realizes.
“He probably beat me more than what he caught cause he didn’t know the score and I just cheated,” Rick said.
Eventually, Rick’s reign over Jalen would come to an end, even with his habit of cheating. Once Jalen reached his junior year of high school, his skill set reached a point his father couldn’t read. From that point on, Jalen continued to reach higher and higher.
The past two seasons, Brunson has earned All-NBA Second Team honors, an accolade his father didn’t have the opportunity to receive. It may have taken years building himself into the player he is today, but Brunson now stands as the face of the New York Knicks’ franchise.
Certainly, if the two were to go against each other now, it wouldn’t be a competition. But that’s exactly how Rick would want it to go.
