Jalen Brunson: His secret superpower

The New York Knicks recently won their first NBA championship in over 50 years, and they were led by Jalen Brunson, an All-Star point guard and one of the most clutch scorers in the NBA. But Brunson wasn’t born a basketball prodigy. He didn’t have a massive growth spurt, and he wasn’t the fastest kid on the court. His superpower? An unmatched, relentless work ethic.

Growing up, basketball was practically in Jalen’s DNA. His dad, Rick Brunson, played nine seasons in the NBA and Jalen was there for every step of his grueling daily workouts. At just seven years old, while his dad trained in the blistering summer heat, Jalen would ride his bike right alongside him to keep up. When he was in high school, his parents put a six-word mantra on his bedroom mirror and inside his school lunchbox: “The magic is in the work.”

Jalen took that advice literally. In high school, even after playing a great game and getting a win, he would head straight back to the gym in his uniform to get more shots up. That legendary work ethic followed him through high school and college, and it’s the exact reason he went from being an overlooked second round draft pick to leading the Knicks to their 2026 Championship.

He proved that consistency is the ultimate cheat code. If you want to achieve something great, Jalen’s advice is simple, “I just try to be the hardest-working person in the room. You can’t control everything, but you can always control your effort.”