WATCH: Knicks' Jalen Brunson Goes Home, Gives Back, Looks Forward
Jalen Brunson knows you're talking about him ... frankly, he doesn't care.
The New York Knicks point guard has spent the past 11 months dodging and denying claims that he's unworthy of his teams' primary attention and responsibilities. At this time last season, some were questioning whether he was worthy of the four, $104 million contract the Knicks granted him over the summer, a supposed reward for fulfilling his duties as Luka Doncic's sidekick in Dallas. Brunson responded with a career-best season that produced the Knicks' first postseason series victory in a decade.
If there are any doubters left, Brunson made it clear in video from the Knicks that he's not heeding their words.
"I don't really care what the outside world thinks of myself or my teammates," Brunson said. "It is what it is what they think, but, for me, it's just all about how can I get better, how can I be more consistent. How can I help my team win?"
Brunson perhaps chose the perfect locale to talk about gossip: a high school, namely his alma mater Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, IL. A setting from his youth perhaps provides Brunson with a sense of peace after an eventful year, but he's continuing to put the work in and pave the way for a new generation of Patriots.
In the Knicks' video, Brunson is shown conducting a basketball clinic on the court where he first introduced himself to the national basketball scene. On-screen text toward the end reveals that Brunson had rewarded the work of 15 graduating seniors with scholarships and that his Second Round Foundation (referencing where the Dallas Mavericks chose him out of Villanova during the 2018 draft) established the "Jalen Brunson Patriot Wellness Initiative" to the tune of a $300,000 donation. The latter contribution is said to have provided resources and opportunities to more than 300 financially under-resourced students and their families."
"Having someone to look up to and understanding what is possible if you put in the work that is life-changing," Linda Knapp, the executive director of the Stevenson Foundation says of Brunson's efforts.
In addition to looking at the past and future, Brunson also has his mind on the present, namely his second season with the Knicks. The last campaign's debut placed heightened expectations upon Manhattan, ones that some feel could either put the Knicks among the Eastern Conference's final two or attract marquee talent to assist Brunson in the endeavor.
Brunson believes that internal motivation, even the ones that dwell in the civilian sections of Madison Square Garden, will assist the Knicks better than any outside commentary.
"I'm really excited for year two," Brunson said. "I think the motivation comes from within. The fans are a really big part of what we do. They're going to give us everything when we're on the court, whether we're playing in The Garden or if we're on the road. Now we're everywhere. But that motivation has to start with a focus in."
