Clean-shaven Jalen Brunson looks unrecognizable without his signature braids and beard before Knicks explosion
Jalen Brunson is tearing it up with the New York Knicks.
Many an opposing player must fear what's coming when they see the signature beard and braids lining up across the court.
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But long before he was tearing up the NBA, Brunson was a fresh-faced kid looking to follow in his father's footsteps.
Dad Rick played nine seasons in the league and put Jalen through his paces early on in his career.
Raised in New Brunswick, New Jersey, until the sixth grade, it was at Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois, that Brunson Jr. showed signs that he could continue the family legacy.
Averaging 23.3 points in his senior year, the five-star recruit and Illinois Mr. Basketball arrived at Villanova in 2015 ranked 16th in the country by ESPN and the No.2 point guard behind Isaiah Briscoe.
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It proved to be a steep learning curve.
"So I thought I had good habits of winning, going into college. But then I realized that I had good habits, but I needed better ones because college is different," podcast in 2024.
"And so being able to be held accountable by the older guys on the team and by Coach [Jay] Wright and stuff, it definitely helped me."
Brunson averaged 9.6 points as a freshman sporting a now-unfamiliar close-cropped hairstyle and started as the Wildcats won the NCAA Tournament.
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He won another title in 2018 before declaring for the NBA Draft as the National Player of the Year. Villanova later retired his No.1 jersey.
"Learning how to be effective in a limited role my freshman year kind of taught me that I can help win in different ways," Brunson later revealed.
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"And so I don't have to be the guy I can have. I can be a person who can help to win a team, to help to win a championship.
"And then I got the chance to lead a team and win a championship my junior year.
"And so I was able to learn how to win in different roles. And I think that helped me get to the league."
The 6ft 2in, 190lb guard somehow fell to the Dallas Mavericks with the 33rd pick due to concerns over his size and defensive work.
Brunson improved every season in Dallas and broke out in 2021-2022 -- starring in the playoffs with then-Mavericks talisman Luka Doncic injured.
His father was hired as an assistant by the Knicks on June 2, 2022.
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Brunson signed a four-year, $104million deal a month later with New York later punished for engaging in talks before the free agency window.
He is averaging well north of 20 points in every season with the Knicks, emerging as one of the NBA's brightest talents.
Named Clutch Player of the Year in April, the 28-year-old said he first developed those skills as a fresh-faced youth.
"I think some people are born into it," Brunson told TNT's Inside the NBA.
"I think I had to learn back in high school, and I've gotten better and better at each stage, and here we are."
Now the two-time All-Star is looking to do what his dad never managed and win a ring.
Karl-Anthony Towns discusses with Shannon Sharpe how Jalen Brunson saved the New York Knicks $100 million
Brunson dropped 40 points on the Detroit Pistons to set up a collision with the defending champion Boston Celtics in the Conference semifinals.
After scoring 30-plus in the first four clashes of the series, he managed just 16 in a 106-103 loss on 4-of-16 shooting after hurting his ankle in Game 5.
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He rebounded in a big way in Game 6, hitting a three to seal a 116-113 victory with 4.3 seconds remaining, and will need to do so again if his team is to have any chance against the Celtics.
The Knicks are outsiders to go all the way this year, but Brunson has been written off before.
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