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New York Knicks teammates Jalen Brunson and Isaiah Hartenstein were not originally scheduled to wed their beautiful fiancées on the same weekend, one day apart across the country.
But Brunson’s Team USA commitment got in the way.
“Originally, the wedding was supposed to be Labor Day, I think that’s September 2nd,” Brunson told PEOPLE. “That was the original date of the wedding, but my fiancée was so great helping move it because now it allows me to play for USA basketball this summer.”
The Labor Day weekend will run smack with Team USA’s 2023 FIBA World Cup campaign in Manila, Philippines, which will be played from Aug. 25 to Sept. 10.
Knicks players Julius Randle, Derrick Rose, RJ Barrett, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo attended Brunson’s wedding to his high school sweetheart Ali Marks in a lavish affair at Chicago’s Ritz-Carlton last Saturday.
The next day over at the West Coast, Hartenstein tied the knot with model Kourtney Kellar in a more intimate, “dreamy California wedding.” No Knicks players were reported or spotted at Hartenstein’s wedding.
Hartenstein’s trainer Pierre Russell posted a video montage of Hartenstein’s wedding on Instagram.
While Hartenstein has the whole summer to bask on his newly married status, Brunson will not have that luxury as he is set to join Team USA’s training camp in Las Vegas on Thursday ahead of a series of tuneup games.
Team USA plays against Puerto Rico on Monday before flying to Spain to face Slovenia (Aug. 12) and Spain (Aug. 13) and to Abu Dhabi for another pair of tuneup games against Greece (Aug. 18) and Germany (Aug. 20).
RJ Barrett’s Workout Video Goes Viral
RJ Barrett was spotted working on his game with his trainer Drew Hanlen and the video has gone viral, racking up 1.6 million views as of posting time.
Barrett is seen on the video working on his drive-to-the-basket moves and midrange game.
The 23-year-old Barrett is set to play for Canada. He could face his teammates Brunson and Josh Hart in the knockout stages of the 2023 FIBA World Cup should Canada and Team USA make a deep run to the medal rounds.
ESPN Fires Ex-Knicks Guard Mark Jackson as TV Analyst
A month after Jeff Van Gundy was laid off, ESPN shockingly fired Mark Jackson, too.
Van Gundy and Jackson formed a New York trio with Mike Breen as the network’s top NBA broadcast team.
After news of his firing ran like wildfire, Jackson immediately issued a heartfelt “Thank you” message to ESPN and now his former colleagues.
“It has been an honor to sit beside two LEGENDS in the business, who are like brothers to me, Mike Breen and Jeff Van Gundy, and learn so much from them. Lisa Salters is a GOAT and like a sister to me and I’m so proud of the work she continues to do,” Jackson wrote.
Replacing the former Knicks coach-and-player duo are Doris Burke, set to become the first woman analyst on an NBA Finals coverage, and Doc Rivers.
Interestingly, Rivers also replaced Jackson as the Knicks’ point guard after the 1991-92 season in a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers. Rivers was recently fired from his post as Philadelphia 76ers head coach.
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