Knicks Star Opens Up About His Unique Relationship With Tom Thibodeau

Getty Head coach Tom Thibodeau of the New York Knicks reacts during the first half against the Denver Nuggets.

The biggest pull that gravitated Jalen Brunson to the New York Knicks during the 2022 free agency was his family.

His father, Rick, is an assistant coach. His godfather and former agent, Leon Rose, is the team president. And to top it all, he would play for Tom Thibodeau, the coach who left an indelible mark on him growing up.

“It started in Chicago, in 2010, when my dad became an assistant coach for the Bulls,” Brunson revealed in The Players’ Tribune. “That’s when I first really understood the type of man and the kind of coach Thibs was. I knew, as a high schooler, that he was a coach who really wanted to win and did whatever it took to do that.

And he knew none of that happened without sacrifices — from him, from the players, from everyone down the roster. That showed me the standard early on. That’s when I started to give this game everything I had …”

At the Heart of Jalen Brunson-Tom Thibodeau Relationship

Brunson has been doubted all his life because as he said he isn’t the biggest, the most athletic player.

Even his former team, Dallas Mavericks, doubted him.

And it did not stop there even after the Knicks signed him to the most lucrative contract — $104 million over four years — a former second-round pick has gotten.

Bleacher Report and Sports Illustrated graded Brunson’s signing as a C while CBS Sports had it worse, giving it a D+.

But Brunson learned at an early age as he watched Thibodeau coach the Bulls up close that “preparation feeds your mindset.”

“Even when you’re working as hard as you think you can, you’re going to have a little sliver of doubt,” Brunson wrote in The Players’ Tribune. “But it’s all about your concentration, your preparation and making sure that you’re putting yourself in a position to know that you did everything you could. That’s how you erase that sense of doubt.

Some of that came from my dad, some of that was seeing how Thibs operated in Chicago. Playing for a coach now that has seen me grow over the years has been a great and unique experience. I think that’s what’s really at the heart of it all when it comes to that relationship. We’ve both seen where we’ve come from.”

Preparation Meets Opportunity

While outsiders view Brunson’s free agency signing in 2022 as an overpay, it was the perfect storm for the Knicks and the player who would become their best point guard since Walt Frazier.

It was when preparation finally met opportunity.

“Once I got to New York, I understood it even more,” Brunson wrote. “It’s been special to be able to play for my dad, and Thibs, for Leon, and this organization. It’s really a dream come true. That’s all I can say.

It’s not something that you really think about on a daily basis, right? It’s not in my head when I’m out there on the court. But sometimes when I’m really sitting back and chilling on my own, the magnitude really hits me…. How much it all means, not just to be doing this, but to be doing this with family.”

Brunson has become everything the Knicks hoped for and even more.

He’s become an All-Star and by season’s end, an All-NBA player.

Brunson was preparing for this opportunity since Thibodeau set the standard for him in Chicago. It came full circle when his unique relationship with Thibodeau gave him this opportunity to finally lead his own NBA team.