In 2014, Jalen Brunson burst onto the Illinois high school basketball landscape when he led Stevenson High School to a second-place finish at the IHSA Class 4A State Finals as sophomore . A year later, he cemented his status as a burgeoning legend when he tallied a state final single-game record 56 points in a semifinal loss to eventual state champ Whitney Young. As a senior in 2015, Brunson finally captured that elusive state championship, as Stevenson cruised to the title behind the McDonald’s All-American.

Brunson’s national profile continued its ascension when he matriculated to  Villanova University, as he helped the Wildcats win NCAA National Championships in 2016 and 2018. He was then drafted by the Dallas Mavericks in 2018 and achieved full NBA superstar status after signing with the New York Knicks, highlighted by his first All-Star Team selection in 2024 and a 61-point outburst against the San Antonio Spurs in March of 2024.

Despite all his fame and accolade, Brunson continues to maintain a special connection with his high school and community, as the New York Knicks chronicled in the video below...