Jalen Brunson has come a long way from being a second-round pick of the Dallas Mavericks to becoming an All-Star and bona fide leader of the resurgent New York Knicks.
Even though the left-handed guard is only playing in his sixth season in the league, he’s been around the NBA since he was a kid, alongside his father, former NBA guard Rick Brunson.
The elder Brunson was a career reserve point guard who played for eight NBA teams. Jalen often accompanied his father to his games, and it was during a game against the Washington Wizards that he met the Greatest of All Time (GOAT) Michael Jordan.
Speaking on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” the All-Star guard recounted his meeting with the Chicago Bulls legend, who was then playing for the Wizards. After the game, his father took him to meet Jordan.
Seeing that Jalen was wearing his Wizards jersey, Airness offered to autograph it. But much to MJ’s surprise – and the entire locker room for that matter – Jalen refused.
“He said, ‘Hey, you have my jersey, do you want me to sign it?’ I said, ‘No, you’re going to ruin everything,’” Brunson shared.
“The whole locker was going crazy, laughing.”