Jalen Brunson on Family, Fatherhood and Life After the Knicks’ Title | Glass Half Full — Transcript

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1. 0:00Favorite nickname?
2. 0:05You You don't like the King of New York.
3. 0:07I I know that.
4. 0:09>> I don't I don't know. I My family calls
5. 0:11me JJ, but now that goes Now that
6. 0:12nickname is from my daughter, so.
7. 0:14>> Oh, no, your daughter took your
8. 0:15nickname.
9. 0:16>> Yeah, she did.
10. 0:17>> What is Sandra What Sandra What What do
11. 0:18you call him?
12. 0:21>> Son.
13. 0:21>> Son.
14. 0:22>> She She just lied. She
15. 0:24>> [laughter]
16. 0:25>> She just lied. She's She's She's being a
17. 0:26great mother right now not giving not
18. 0:28not
19. 0:29um saying her favorite nickname.
20. 0:31>> a minute. There's a secret nickname?
21. 0:32>> Mom, there's a very distinct name you
22. 0:34call me during the game where I can
23. 0:36vividly distinctly hear you and you're
24. 0:38in the stands.
25. 0:39>> Okay.
26. 0:40>> But that's what That's for us, right?
27. 0:41All right, cool. So cool.
28. 0:43Yeah.
29. 0:43>> No, no, hang [laughter] on.
30. 0:44You just said, "Ma, you got a secret
31. 0:47nickname I can hear from the stands."
32. 0:48>> Yeah.
33. 0:48>> She confirms, and that's going to be it.
34. 0:53Hey there, everyone. Craig Melvin here,
35. 0:55and a welcome to this edition of Glass
36. 0:59Half Full. Our next guest really doesn't
37. 1:02need an introduction, especially if you
38. 1:04are a New York Knicks fan. Yes, Jalen
39. 1:07Brunson, MVP of the Finals, helped hoist
40. 1:11that trophy for the first time in New
41. 1:13York in
42. 1:1453 years, but who's counting? We talked
43. 1:17about that. We talked about what it was
44. 1:19like to win the championship, what it's
45. 1:20been like since he won the championship.
46. 1:22We talked about his new children's book,
47. 1:25Jalen Plays It All.
48. 1:27But we also talked about what makes him
49. 1:30so very different than your average NBA
50. 1:35player. We talked about the unique bond
51. 1:37that he has with his dad, another NBA
52. 1:41legend in his own right, and
53. 1:43his mom as well. And yes, we talked
54. 1:46about fatherhood, too. It is
55. 1:49uh going to be a fascinating
56. 1:52and probably one of my favorite
57. 1:54conversations so far. I hope you enjoy
58. 1:57it. Jalen, welcome. Welcome, Jalen
59. 1:59Brunson to the Glass Half Full.
60. 2:02How you doing?
61. 2:02>> I'm great, man. How are you?
62. 2:04>> I'm doing well.
63. 2:05>> We always start with a toast.
64. 2:07Uh I have my traditional [clears throat]
65. 2:08bourbon. You are a world champ who's
66. 2:11training for a repeat, so you are
67. 2:12drinking what?
68. 2:14>> Coffee.
69. 2:15>> Coffee.
70. 2:15>> little iced latte with almond milk.
71. 2:17>> Iced latte with almond milk.
72. 2:19>> Yeah.
73. 2:19>> You are so comfortable in your own skin.
74. 2:21>> Hey, it is what it is.
75. 2:22>> It is what it is. Cheers.
76. 2:24>> Cheers.
77. 2:24>> Um
78. 2:25>> Cheers.
79. 2:25>> toasting?
80. 2:27>> Uh to health.
81. 2:28I'm going to say health, most
82. 2:29importantly.
83. 2:31>> Health works. That works for you and I
84. 2:32guess it works for me even though I'm
85. 2:33drinking the brown brown nectar of the
86. 2:36gods, I guess.
87. 2:38You're not a Are you a bourbon guy?
88. 2:40>> Nah. I've I've tasted, but it's not
89. 2:44>> It's not your thing.
90. 2:44>> Not my Not my first choice, but I mean,
91. 2:46I've
92. 2:47I've dabbled in it.
93. 2:48>> A wine guy? Tequila guy? Like what What
94. 2:50is your liquid vice? Or is there one?
95. 2:52>> Um
96. 2:54I would I wouldn't say wine because then
97. 2:56Josh finds a way to kind of
98. 2:59intertwine and
99. 3:01show why he understands it more than I
100. 3:03do. But um
101. 3:05you know, I'm just I'm social. So,
102. 3:07whatever whatever's there, I'll be in
103. 3:08the I'll I'll be social.
104. 3:10>> Are you
105. 3:12a glass half full guy or are you a glass
106. 3:14half empty guy?
107. 3:17>> More times than not, half full.
108. 3:19>> Okay.
109. 3:20>> I I have times where where it's half
110. 3:21empty.
111. 3:22>> Okay.
112. 3:23>> I'm half full, for sure.
113. 3:24>> I could see you being the ultimate
114. 3:26optimist. When have you been half empty,
115. 3:28though?
116. 3:29>> It's a good question. I just know that
117. 3:31I've been half empty before.
118. 3:32>> How do you know if you can't give me a
119. 3:33specific instance?
120. 3:34>> Because I have I have moments where it's
121. 3:36just like, you know what?
122. 3:36>> Okay, give me a moment. Now, listen, you
123. 3:38should know. This is one of those
124. 3:39podcasts we traffic in truth.
125. 3:41>> That's fine. That's fine. Let me think.
126. 3:43Um
127. 3:43half empty.
128. 3:46I mean I mean, there have been there
129. 3:47have been games
130. 3:48>> Okay.
131. 3:48>> for sure when it's where we're done.
132. 3:50Like the way we've been playing, I'm
133. 3:52just like
134. 3:53this isn't looking great.
135. 3:54>> Okay. This isn't looking great.
136. 3:56But there have been games that have
137. 3:57we've been down a lot and we found a way
138. 3:59to come back, obviously, but um
139. 4:02I don't know. I think more times than
140. 4:03not I'm half full, but I mean, I'm
141. 4:05human.
142. 4:06>> Since uh since you've become the king of
143. 4:07New York, has that changed your glass
144. 4:09half full, glass half glass half empty
145. 4:11perspective?
146. 4:12>> Uh what First of all, I'm going to I
147. 4:14don't self-crown myself that name.
148. 4:16>> You don't You didn't have to.
149. 4:17>> I know, but I'm
150. 4:17>> The people of New York did it.
151. 4:19>> I at least have to say that. I I I at
152. 4:20least have to say that.
153. 4:21>> Okay. You're You're You're not Who would
154. 4:23be the king of New York if not you?
155. 4:25>> Whoever wants to be.
156. 4:26>> Okay.
157. 4:26>> Whoever wants to be.
158. 4:27>> Okay.
159. 4:28>> Um what was your question on?
160. 4:30>> My [laughter] question was since you won
161. 4:32the ring, has that changed your view of
162. 4:35whether your glass half full or glass
163. 4:36half empty?
164. 4:38>> Oh, yeah. I would say I I majority I
165. 4:40think the way we went about winning
166. 4:43makes me a glass half full guy uh more
167. 4:46times than not just because
168. 4:48now we found a way to win some
169. 4:50pretty crazy games throughout the entire
170. 4:52run, but um
171. 4:54yeah, I I would lean more towards half
172. 4:56full.
173. 4:57>> Okay. All right. Um on the podcast, we
174. 5:00like to focus on uh some of the moments
175. 5:03in our lives that shape us uh
176. 5:07professionally
177. 5:08uh but personally as well. When you look
178. 5:11back on your journey, is there a moment
179. 5:14that you could point to that shaped you
180. 5:16the most? We'll start professionally,
181. 5:19then we'll go personally, but is there a
182. 5:21moment that you go back to and you're
183. 5:22like, yeah, you know what? That was when
184. 5:24I became Jalen Brunson.
185. 5:27>> I'll say this.
186. 5:29I feel like throughout my entire
187. 5:31professional career, I've been who I am
188. 5:33and I haven't wavered and haven't really
189. 5:34cared what people thought of me
190. 5:36throughout my entire professional
191. 5:37career.
192. 5:38There was a moment where it kind of
193. 5:40clicked for everyone else to realize,
194. 5:42oh,
195. 5:43that's who he is. Well, internally, I
196. 5:46believed I was always this person. I was
197. 5:48just starring in my role.
198. 5:49Um in Dallas, my last year in Dallas,
199. 5:52when Luka got hurt before the playoffs,
200. 5:54and um
201. 5:55I had a couple of big games in the
202. 5:57playoffs, and then
203. 5:58um we had a
204. 6:00conference finals run, and then um
205. 6:02found my way to New York. I feel I feel
206. 6:04like that run, that moment um
207. 6:07it clicked for everyone else,
208. 6:09but uh I think most importantly, um I
209. 6:11was always ready for a moment. You just
210. 6:13never know when you needed it. And then
211. 6:15um
212. 6:17yeah, I think it clicked for everyone
213. 6:18else, but not necessarily for me.
214. 6:20>> So, that was the moment professionally.
215. 6:21What was the moment personally? Where
216. 6:24looking back on it, you're like, oh,
217. 6:26okay, that's
218. 6:27that was
219. 6:28transformational in a positive way.
220. 6:30>> Yeah, it there is one it was not
221. 6:33necessarily on the court, actually. It
222. 6:35was um there was a moment
223. 6:38when I was about
224. 6:4113 years old. Um I was at a a tournament
225. 6:45or something where I I met Bobby Hurley
226. 6:47Sr.
227. 6:49And I mean, he's he's a legend,
228. 6:51obviously, and I was with my dad.
229. 6:53And um
230. 6:54I I don't remember if it was coincidence
231. 6:56or it happened, but I just remember it
232. 6:57happened.
233. 6:58And my dad was never my coach like on a
234. 7:01team, but he was always like my trainer,
235. 7:02my mentor, father, obviously, but he
236. 7:05always was pushing me on the court.
237. 7:08And uh Coach Hurley said, just know when
238. 7:10he your dad's being a dad is when he
239. 7:12when he's being a coach.
240. 7:14And I think that
241. 7:16made me realize that whatever was
242. 7:18happening on the court was never
243. 7:19personal.
244. 7:20He just wanted the best for me.
245. 7:22And so, in high school and college, I
246. 7:23had these coaches trying to like
247. 7:25like you
248. 7:26Coach Wright, for sure. Uh just always
249. 7:29like yelling and trying
250. 7:30>> Villanova.
251. 7:31>> Yeah, just trying to like push me and
252. 7:32trying to see like where my my breaking
253. 7:34point was.
254. 7:35And I realized that I had a dad who
255. 7:36pushed me to the to the limit. And so,
256. 7:39no matter what is said or going on, I
257. 7:41will always find a way to kind of
258. 7:43take the message, right? And then turn
259. 7:46it to something positive something
260. 7:48positive regardless of how it's being
261. 7:49said or whatever in the heat of the
262. 7:50moment or or whatever.
263. 7:52>> Yeah.
264. 7:52>> That was that was a big moment for me.
265. 7:54>> You know, it's interesting you bring
266. 7:55that up because I've heard Steph Curry
267. 7:56talk a little bit about growing up
268. 7:59um the son
269. 8:01of of of a player and a coach. And it
270. 8:04would seem as if for a lot of you guys
271. 8:06it goes one way or the other. Sounds
272. 8:07like you might have had it harder than a
273. 8:09lot of guys on the team.
274. 8:10>> Yeah, it's it's definitely difficult.
275. 8:12>> Um what makes it so?
276. 8:13>> Well, because my dad he's he's my dad
277. 8:16first and so he wants the best for me.
278. 8:18And so when you have a a guy who is so
279. 8:21has been invested for you for 29 years
280. 8:23like he he's going to
281. 8:25put everything he has not into your
282. 8:27craft. I think the best part about it he
283. 8:29lets me be myself. When he wasn't
284. 8:32coaching me on the team, he let the
285. 8:33coach coach me. It wasn't like oh, your
286. 8:36coach said this but I disagree you
287. 8:37should be doing this. He it was always
288. 8:38like if this is how your coach is
289. 8:40coaching you this is how you can be the
290. 8:42best player with that system. So he was
291. 8:44always trying to make sure that I was
292. 8:45never veering off or doing anything
293. 8:47different. Um but uh he held me
294. 8:49accountable still holds me accountable
295. 8:51every single day and it's something that
296. 8:53yeah, it can be tough but if you
297. 8:56I mean I think obviously this year it
298. 8:57shows that when you want to do something
299. 8:58you want to be the best you can be you
300. 9:00can
301. 9:00you do whatever it takes. And so
302. 9:02um
303. 9:03it didn't matter to me. I just I just
304. 9:05wanted to win.
305. 9:05>> It's one of the things that uh that a
306. 9:08lot of folks have observed uh since you
307. 9:11and and and the Knicks brought the
308. 9:13trophy back to New York City for the
309. 9:14first time in 53 years
310. 9:17um is how generous
311. 9:20you and the team have been with the
312. 9:23championship. Like making the
313. 9:26championship approachable to New
314. 9:28Yorkers, taking the trophy like it's you
315. 9:30guys have been on a tour
316. 9:33for months now. And it's it but it but
317. 9:35it seems deliberate. It seems like you
318. 9:37guys are hell-bent on making sure that
319. 9:39everyone who's ever been a Knicks fan
320. 9:41feels a part of it.
321. 9:42>> Yeah, I'm okay with that. I mean, I feel
322. 9:44like the people deserve it. The people
323. 9:45have
324. 9:46talked about 53 years for 53 years. But,
325. 9:50um
326. 9:52I'm just excited to see the energy of
327. 9:53the city has and what it's
328. 9:55um what it's gave my family and
329. 9:57everything. So, it's it's been special.
330. 9:59>> What are some of the stranger places
331. 10:01you've seen the trophy?
332. 10:02>> Um I mean, the amount of times where
333. 10:05I've I've gone like to dinner to
334. 10:07restaurants and
335. 10:09a waiter or somebody comes out and say,
336. 10:10"Hey, your dad brought the trophy." I'm
337. 10:11like I'm like
338. 10:13>> [laughter]
339. 10:13>> I'm like, "What?" He said, "Yeah, here's
340. 10:15a picture of it." I'm like,
341. 10:17All right. So, I mean, trophy's been
342. 10:19literally been everywhere. It's been to
343. 10:20Puerto Rico. It's been uh
344. 10:22New York. Um
345. 10:24RJ probably brought it back to London. I
346. 10:26mean,
347. 10:27it's been everywhere.
348. 10:28>> The trophy's made the made the rounds,
349. 10:30too.
350. 10:30>> Yeah, it's made its rounds.
351. 10:31>> This this this temperament that you
352. 10:34have,
353. 10:36I want to I want to choose my words
354. 10:38carefully here because I don't want to
355. 10:39offend other people. Um
356. 10:42but much has been made of the fact that
357. 10:46in so many ways,
358. 10:48you aren't like a typical NBA star.
359. 10:52You've heard this.
360. 10:53>> Yeah.
361. 10:54>> What does that mean?
362. 10:56>> I have no idea.
363. 10:58I don't I don't know like
364. 11:01for me, it doesn't matter, honestly,
365. 11:02because I I've
366. 11:04I know what I come into this. I know
367. 11:05what I do. I know
368. 11:07um
369. 11:09what it takes to make sure my mind is
370. 11:10right. And um there's certain things
371. 11:12that you worry about, certain things you
372. 11:13care about, and there's certain things
373. 11:14that you don't. Like, I don't care for
374. 11:16that title of star or superstar or
375. 11:18whatever. Like, that doesn't drive me.
376. 11:20Like, I wanted title as champion. And
377. 11:22so, um
378. 11:24now that I have that,
379. 11:25I mean, can I can I do it again? Can I
380. 11:27Like, that's that's what I worry about.
381. 11:29So, I mean, I don't
382. 11:30People say what they want to say.
383. 11:32>> Sure.
384. 11:32>> Um I've always been the person to
385. 11:34realize that you can't listen to the
386. 11:36things that are positive said about you
387. 11:38because
388. 11:39it's going to be impossible to ignore
389. 11:40the negative. So, to you you have to
390. 11:42kind of block out both, like the
391. 11:44positive and negative, just be able to
392. 11:45block it out. Kind of like keeps you
393. 11:47level-headed. So,
394. 11:48>> Can't be too high because you can't be
395. 11:50too low.
396. 11:50>> Yeah.
397. 11:51>> Have you always been like that?
398. 11:53>> For the most part, for long It's because
399. 11:55of my parents. It's because of my
400. 11:56parents. They um
401. 11:58they've battle-tested me
402. 11:59on and off the court and as a kid to
403. 12:01make sure I was mentally tough.
404. 12:03>> And it's serving you well.
405. 12:04>> It is.
406. 12:05>> You mentioned the pressure to repeat.
407. 12:06We're a couple of months now into the
408. 12:08NBA season. Do you feel more pressure?
409. 12:12>> Um to be honest with you, I don't
410. 12:14I don't feel pressure at all.
411. 12:16>> No, no, wait a minute.
412. 12:17>> I don't.
413. 12:18>> That
414. 12:19That's a great sound bite. It sounds
415. 12:20good.
416. 12:20>> a I'm a I'm a I'm a explain.
417. 12:23So,
418. 12:25I I've said in the past that that
419. 12:27pressure for me is defined differently.
420. 12:29And so, um being able to see my dad play
421. 12:33in the NBA for 9 years,
422. 12:35um
423. 12:36about eight unguaranteed contracts in
424. 12:38those 9 years. So,
425. 12:40um you you know, you never know when
426. 12:42you're it could be your last day. You
427. 12:43could be starting next day. You could be
428. 12:45You just never know. You could be
429. 12:46traded. And so, for my dad being on
430. 12:48unguaranteed contracts, you just
431. 12:50it's just a constant worry of is this my
432. 12:51last day? Is this my last day? And then
433. 12:53um seeing him work out three times a day
434. 12:56in the summertime, just like being as
435. 12:59seeing that as a kid that I didn't
436. 13:00really understand it until it was my
437. 13:02time to actually start putting more work
438. 13:04into my game, and all those memories
439. 13:05came flooding back.
440. 13:07It It made sense to understand what
441. 13:09pressure actually was. It wasn't
442. 13:11the like down to the minute left. It
443. 13:13like it wasn't like Like those are
444. 13:15moments that you work for, that you put
445. 13:16in the time for. Like pressure is just
446. 13:18not knowing because things aren't in
447. 13:19your control. And so, um
448. 13:22So, when it comes to like pressure, like
449. 13:24if I fail, I'll learn. And and it is
450. 13:26what it is.
451. 13:27>> Are there moments where you're anxious?
452. 13:29>> Oh, absolutely. I mean, anxious, yeah.
453. 13:31I'm more anxious like
454. 13:33like first game of the season, get the
455. 13:34season going. Like, I'm ready to play.
456. 13:36I'm like you're doing all this practice,
457. 13:37you're ready to go out there and play
458. 13:38against another team.
459. 13:39Um
460. 13:40uh that happens, but I mean, the
461. 13:42pressure part is just
462. 13:44Yeah.
463. 13:45>> No pressure.
464. 13:46>> Pressure's different for everybody.
465. 13:48>> Let's let's talk about the the state of
466. 13:50the league right now.
467. 13:51Um
468. 13:52uh
469. 13:53of course, in the off season, there was
470. 13:55that that LeBron fella that came from
471. 13:58uh LA, uh now playing for Philadelphia.
472. 14:01Philadelphia's got quite the stacked
473. 14:02squad. Um the Knicks, quite the stacked
474. 14:06squad. Miami,
475. 14:09quite the stacked squad. Now, you got
476. 14:10the Greek Freak down in Miami playing
477. 14:12with Bam. Um how would you characterize
478. 14:16the state of the NBA as we sit here
479. 14:18right now? Just in in terms of parity.
480. 14:22>> I think it's going to be fun.
481. 14:23I think it's going to be interesting.
482. 14:25It's a a lot of different faces and uh
483. 14:27new places. It's um
484. 14:31It's always something. It's always
485. 14:33something in the NBA, and there's always
486. 14:34something that
487. 14:35there are changes that make you think,
488. 14:37"Oh, they could do it."
489. 14:38It's always going to be a new narrative,
490. 14:42but I think the best part about it is
491. 14:43like
492. 14:44um
493. 14:45the competition's there. Uh the
494. 14:46competitive spirit's going to be there.
495. 14:48And so, um
496. 14:50it's going to be fun. It's going to be a
497. 14:51lot of fun to see all these guys in new
498. 14:53places, and um
499. 14:55I can't wait to see if they're up for
500. 14:55the challenge or not.
501. 14:57>> But besides your your your teammates,
502. 15:00who else do you enjoy watching play?
503. 15:03>> I miss my boy Donte. Hopefully he was he
504. 15:05was recovering fast.
505. 15:06Um
506. 15:07one of my teammates from college, for
507. 15:08sure. All my Nova guys. But uh one
508. 15:11player that, you know, obviously is is
509. 15:12amazing to watch is my is my guy Luka.
510. 15:15Um
511. 15:16being being drafted together and um
512. 15:18seeing his journey, just how it is and
513. 15:20everything. It's it's always a pleasure
514. 15:21watching him.
515. 15:23>> Let's Let's go to back to Nova for a
516. 15:25second here cuz so much has been been
517. 15:28made of of of the the Nova Knicks and
518. 15:31the fact that
519. 15:32three of the guys from from Jay Wright's
520. 15:34team back in the day have gone on to
521. 15:36become NBA champions.
522. 15:39When you when you look back on that
523. 15:41particular time in your professional
524. 15:43career,
525. 15:45what what are the fondest memories that
526. 15:46stick out?
527. 15:48>> Um obviously winning.
528. 15:51>> [laughter]
529. 15:52>> Obviously winning.
530. 15:53>> Obviously the championship.
531. 15:55>> Obviously. Uh
532. 15:59There There a lot of moments that I wish
533. 16:01I could tell the story,
534. 16:03but we've had moments where as a as a
535. 16:06team where we were battle tested where
536. 16:09things weren't looking well and then we
537. 16:10find a way to
538. 16:11now come out on top, but um
539. 16:14I think the moments behind closed doors
540. 16:16where um
541. 16:18coaches pushing us where we have
542. 16:20where it's easy for us to kind of give
543. 16:21up and just be like whatever like
544. 16:23practice was always harder than the
545. 16:25games, always.
546. 16:26>> Always.
547. 16:27>> Always. There There are a couple tough
548. 16:28games 100% like especially the ones we
549. 16:30lost, but like coach Wright made it um a
550. 16:34priority to make practice harder than
551. 16:36the games cuz we had a bunch of guys who
552. 16:37played in the NBA in prac- in practice
553. 16:39every single day going at it and so uh
554. 16:42um those were a lot of fun.
555. 16:44Now those were a lot of fun looking back
556. 16:46on them now, but like
557. 16:47>> you looking back?
558. 16:47>> Dur- during they were they were it was
559. 16:50tough.
560. 16:51It was tough.
561. 16:51>> It would seem as if looking from the
562. 16:53outside in you have had
563. 16:55um a lot of
564. 16:56solid mentors uh personally and
565. 16:59professionally.
566. 17:00>> Mhm.
567. 17:01>> Um and I always hear you talk about
568. 17:02them. I hear you talk about your mom and
569. 17:04your dad a lot and coach Wright
570. 17:06um as well a lot. Is there someone else
571. 17:08who's who comes to mind who's top of
572. 17:09mind? Like someone else that you could
573. 17:11attribute some of the success to that we
574. 17:13haven't talked about?
575. 17:14>> Coaching-wise for sure I would say
576. 17:18um
577. 17:20my high school coach, Pat Ambrose, New
578. 17:22South coach,
579. 17:23um Carl Brown,
580. 17:25um coach Roy, obviously,
581. 17:27um
582. 17:30I mean, I also give credit to Rick
583. 17:32Carlisle,
584. 17:33um Jay Kidd.
585. 17:35>> You've had a lot of good ones.
586. 17:36>> Yeah, I had a
587. 17:36>> You've had a lot of good ones.
588. 17:37>> I had a lot of good ones. They've all
589. 17:38had an impact on me, and um
590. 17:41I still keep in touch with most of them.
591. 17:44>> I also heard that one of the things that
592. 17:45that may have helped you early on
593. 17:48was your mother's insistence
594. 17:52that if you're going to play a video
595. 17:53game,
596. 17:55you were going to spend equal time doing
597. 17:57something productive.
598. 17:58>> Yeah.
599. 17:59>> Explain.
600. 18:00>> But, there's a loophole.
601. 18:01>> Go. What was the loophole?
602. 18:02>> The loophole is that there was a friend
603. 18:03over. There was There was no There was
604. 18:05no time for that.
605. 18:06>> limits.
606. 18:06>> No, we were
607. 18:07>> So, if you played with a friend, you
608. 18:08could play as long as you want.
609. 18:09>> good. Yeah, so we were good. And it was
610. 18:11only on weekends, too. It was only on
611. 18:12weekends, too.
612. 18:12>> Oh. So, you were play So, you were a
613. 18:14gamer like on the weekends.
614. 18:16>> Yeah, I mean Yeah, for sure. That was
615. 18:19That was pre like online where your your
616. 18:21friend could be at home at his house
617. 18:23playing, and I could be at my house
618. 18:24playing the
619. 18:25>> What did you play back in the day?
620. 18:26>> I mean, I played a lot. Like, I played
621. 18:28I'm trying to think of all the PS2
622. 18:29games.
623. 18:30>> Were you playing Grand Theft Auto? You
624. 18:31don't strike me as a Grand Theft Auto
625. 18:33>> Nah, my mom was Mom didn't let me play
626. 18:34Grand Theft Auto.
627. 18:35>> Of course she didn't. Of course she
628. 18:36didn't. Cuz that's [laughter] why we
629. 18:37love Sandra.
630. 18:37>> But, I'mma say this, Mom This isn't
631. 18:40video game related. Mom
632. 18:43uh bought Family Guy, one of my favorite
633. 18:46uh cartoons.
634. 18:47>> Of course it is.
635. 18:48>> Mom bought me and my sister, at the time
636. 18:50she was
637. 18:51What was I? 10 or 9? My sister was 5.
638. 18:54Bought us like the first season of
639. 18:56Family Guy. I think it was just a
640. 18:56regular
641. 18:57>> [laughter]
642. 18:58>> a regular cartoon.
643. 19:00>> Sandra?
644. 19:01>> Yeah.
645. 19:01>> Bought Family Guy?
646. 19:02>> Yeah.
647. 19:03>> How old were you?
648. 19:04>> Probably like
649. 19:06before I was 10.
650. 19:06>> That might be Child Protective Services
651. 19:08>> [laughter]
652. 19:09>> online, too. Like, that's But, but cuz
653. 19:11she didn't know.
654. 19:12>> She didn't know.
655. 19:13>> She didn't know.
656. 19:13>> So we're watching it and I guess she
657. 19:14walks by the living room and
658. 19:17yeah.
659. 19:18>> [laughter]
660. 19:19>> She didn't buy season 2.
661. 19:21>> No, she didn't.
662. 19:22>> No.
663. 19:22>> She didn't buy season 2, but uh
664. 19:24it became a staple for me and my sister.
665. 19:26>> Are you still a gamer? Do you still
666. 19:27play?
667. 19:28>> I play a little bit, yeah.
668. 19:29>> What do you play?
669. 19:30>> Play a little uh little FC right now.
670. 19:32>> Really?
671. 19:33>> Yeah.
672. 19:34>> FIFA 26?
673. 19:34>> Yeah.
674. 19:35>> You don't play NBA 2K?
675. 19:37>> There's a reason. There's a reason. I I
676. 19:39never played 2K cuz I play a lot of
677. 19:40basketball anyway.
678. 19:41>> Well, no, what's the reason?
679. 19:42>> I was I was I was made right-handed in
680. 19:45the first game I was in and
681. 19:47that was
682. 19:48that was all she wrote.
683. 19:49>> Let me get this straight.
684. 19:51Because the makers of the video game
685. 19:53>> Got me right-handed.
686. 19:55>> Got your got your hand wrong.
687. 19:57>> Yeah.
688. 19:57>> You boycotted the game?
689. 19:58>> boycott. I just
690. 19:59>> Sounds like you boycotted.
691. 20:01>> I don't I I get the game every year. I
692. 20:02just don't play it.
693. 20:03>> But if they got your cuz I I'm pretty
694. 20:06sure they're going to get the hand right
695. 20:07now.
696. 20:08>> I mean, I would hope, yeah.
697. 20:09>> And you'll you'll start playing?
698. 20:11>> I mean, I
699. 20:12most of my friends don't play 2K. I some
700. 20:14of them do, but majority of us play
701. 20:17other games or I like to play video
702. 20:18games with others.
703. 20:19>> Okay.
704. 20:20>> So.
705. 20:20>> You pretty mad?
706. 20:22>> A little bit. Not not really.
707. 20:23>> So is it just FIFA?
708. 20:25>> I'll play like college football. I'll
709. 20:27play college football.
710. 20:28>> Who's your team? Who you who you play?
711. 20:29>> Um I've been playing with Oregon.
712. 20:32>> The Ducks.
713. 20:33>> I mean, Villanova's not in it. It's not
714. 20:34in it in not in the game.
715. 20:35>> Yeah, but I mean, that's still a long
716. 20:36way to go to pick a team.
717. 20:37>> Yeah, well, we we we played a uh
718. 20:40we played it was like a group of 20 of
719. 20:42us. We all picked teams. We all made a
720. 20:44different a conference or two
721. 20:45conferences and I I'm in Oregon.
722. 20:47>> You a fantasy football guy?
723. 20:49>> No.
724. 20:49>> Okay. All right. I've wasted a lot of
725. 20:51our time. I apologize.
726. 20:52>> No, hey, it's been it's been great.
727. 20:53>> We got to talk about the children's book
728. 20:55here.
729. 20:55>> Yeah.
730. 20:56>> Um what was the impetus behind the
731. 20:57children's book with all that you have
732. 20:59going on in the world? Why would you
733. 21:01like, you know what? You know what I
734. 21:02need? I need a children's book in my
735. 21:04life.
736. 21:05>> Yeah, it was
737. 21:06it was something I always thought about
738. 21:07doing, but after having
739. 21:10my first child, Jordan,
740. 21:13well, after my wife had our first child,
741. 21:15uh I got to
742. 21:17>> Good clean up.
743. 21:17>> Yeah, great clean up. Great clean up.
744. 21:19>> It was something that I thought it was
745. 21:20very important and um
746. 21:23I'm excited to
747. 21:24start this journey as well.
748. 21:25>> Yeah. What do you want folks to take
749. 21:27away from Jaylen Plays It All?
750. 21:29>> Uh most importantly that you know, you
751. 21:32don't have to have it all figured out at
752. 21:34such a young age. You don't have to know
753. 21:36your life story at age
754. 21:38you know, between 6 through what am I
755. 21:41now? 29.
756. 21:43Your end goal can always change.
757. 21:44>> Yeah.
758. 21:45>> You get things can always change for
759. 21:46you. You don't have to always have it
760. 21:47figured out, but it's important for me
761. 21:49it's important to kind of finish what
762. 21:50you start and then as soon as you get to
763. 21:52that point where you're
764. 21:54you cross that finish line, you can
765. 21:55reassess to figure out if you want to
766. 21:56continue or you want to move on to
767. 21:57something else.
768. 21:59>> You mentioned your daughter. How old is
769. 22:00two now?
770. 22:01>> She's two now.
771. 22:01>> She's two.
772. 22:02>> Yeah.
773. 22:02>> How how would you describe yourself as a
774. 22:04father?
775. 22:06>> I mean, she hasn't she hasn't me
776. 22:07wrapped. She has me wrapped and she's
777. 22:11running the house. So,
778. 22:13um
779. 22:14I try to be that voice of reason. Um
780. 22:19and when she looks to you and gives you
781. 22:21kind of the side eye or the smile, you
782. 22:23can't help but laugh. So, um
783. 22:26she can do whatever she wants for now.
784. 22:27>> Yeah.
785. 22:28>> For now.
786. 22:28>> By by the way, you say for now, I'm
787. 22:30predicting that'll be the case forever.
788. 22:32That'll be the case forever.
789. 22:33>> I sure she'll she'll definitely have a
790. 22:34little leeway, but um
791. 22:36we'll see.
792. 22:37>> You know what they say when you have
793. 22:38one, as you probably know, anytime you
794. 22:40have a child, after you have your first
795. 22:41child, everyone's like, "Hey, when are
796. 22:43you having another child? When are you
797. 22:44going to do it again? You can't you
798. 22:45can't Have you have you thought about
799. 22:47this?"
800. 22:47>> I thought about it. Um
801. 22:50that's all I've done is thought.
802. 22:51>> [laughter]
803. 22:51>> That's all all I've done is thought
804. 22:53about it. So,
805. 22:54>> Okay.
806. 22:55>> uh I guess that's a conversation needs
807. 22:56to be had, but um
808. 22:58cross that bridge when we get to it.
809. 23:00>> Good answer. Good answer. When you look
810. 23:01at her, sometimes even at the age of
811. 23:03two, when you look at her, you're like,
812. 23:06"I could see her dribbling. My I could
813. 23:07see I could see her being a I could see
814. 23:09her being a point guard. Maybe maybe a
815. 23:11forward. Maybe a forward."
816. 23:13>> Um
817. 23:14I could see that. I could 100% see it. I
818. 23:16think the one thing I see the most
819. 23:18is seeing how stubborn she is.
820. 23:21And so I just know that whatever she
821. 23:23does, she's going to put her mind to it
822. 23:24and she's going to she's going to find a
823. 23:26way to succeed.
824. 23:27>> You can tell already.
825. 23:28>> I can tell.
826. 23:28>> This is a section of the podcast.
827. 23:31They're called Craig's Curiosities.
828. 23:33>> Uh-oh.
829. 23:34>> These are rapid fire.
830. 23:35>> All right.
831. 23:35>> So you don't have to be your textbook
832. 23:37thoughtful here. You just go fast.
833. 23:40>> All right.
834. 23:40>> Uh which Justin Bieber song was your
835. 23:42go-to pre-game during the playoffs?
836. 23:44>> I shuffle, but I'll say Company.
837. 23:46>> How did you become a Justin Bieber fan?
838. 23:47>> My sister.
839. 23:48>> Are you ashamed of being a Justin Bieber
840. 23:50fan?
841. 23:50>> Absolutely not.
842. 23:51>> Uh your go-to pre-game meal?
843. 23:54>> Don't have one.
844. 23:56>> You have to eat before the game.
845. 23:57>> have a go-to pre-game meal.
846. 23:59>> Well, what do you eat?
847. 24:00>> Food.
848. 24:01>> More specifically.
849. 24:02>> Whatever is on the menu.
850. 24:03>> You just eat whatever they put in front
851. 24:05of you?
852. 24:06>> Sometime I mean sometimes.
853. 24:07>> You're an NBA champion.
854. 24:09>> Well, everything's thought out. Like
855. 24:10there's a we have a plan throughout the
856. 24:12week. It's not just random.
857. 24:13>> You don't make special requests?
858. 24:15>> I mean sometimes, but that's more for a
859. 24:17post-game.
860. 24:18>> There's a pre-game meal and you have a
861. 24:19post-game meal?
862. 24:21>> After you work out, aren't you hungry?
863. 24:22>> I am.
864. 24:23>> Okay. So yeah, there's a post-game meal.
865. 24:24>> Well, I'm not an NBA champion.
866. 24:26What's your post-game go-to meal?
867. 24:28>> Um I switch it up, but I I I love sushi.
868. 24:31>> Sushi.
869. 24:31>> I love sushi.
870. 24:32>> You would love sushi.
871. 24:34Like one of five NBA players eating
872. 24:35sushi after a game, I assure you.
873. 24:38Um uh which of your player-exclusive
874. 24:42Kobe sneakers has been your favorite
875. 24:43this past season?
876. 24:44>> The Jordan ones, my daughter's.
877. 24:47For sure. The all pink ones with the
878. 24:48hearts.
879. 24:49>> Are you designing your own shoes these
880. 24:50days?
881. 24:51>> For the most part, yeah.
882. 24:52>> What are you working on now?
883. 24:54>> I can't I can't disclose right now.
884. 24:56>> You could characterize in broad terms.
885. 24:58>> I got some Kobes coming out. That's very
886. 25:01characterized. [laughter]
887. 25:03>> Are they
888. 25:04different colorways?
889. 25:05>> Yeah, they're different. They're
890. 25:06different. I got a couple
891. 25:08um
892. 25:09New York type type shoes. So, uh we'll
893. 25:12see.
894. 25:12>> Growing up, what was your favorite pair
895. 25:14pair sneakers looking back on?
896. 25:15>> Uh the What The Kobe 9s was my favorite
897. 25:18shoe that I wore in high school.
898. 25:19>> You've always been a Kobe sneaker guy.
899. 25:21>> For I I've switched around, but it's
900. 25:23I've always found my way to Kobe, 100%.
901. 25:25>> Favorite nickname.
902. 25:28You You don't like the King of New York.
903. 25:30I I know that.
904. 25:32>> I don't I don't know. I My family calls
905. 25:34me JJ, but now that goes Now that
906. 25:36nickname's from my daughter, so
907. 25:37>> Oh, no, your daughter took your
908. 25:38nickname.
909. 25:39>> Yeah, she did.
910. 25:40>> What does Sandra What Sandra What What
911. 25:41do you call him?
912. 25:44>> Funny.
913. 25:45>> Funny.
914. 25:45>> She She just lied.
915. 25:47>> [laughter]
916. 25:48>> She just lied. She's She's She's being a
917. 25:50good mother right now not giving not not
918. 25:52um
919. 25:53saying her favorite nickname. Oh.
920. 25:54>> wait a minute. Is there a secret
921. 25:55nickname?
922. 25:56>> Mom, there's a very distinct name you
923. 25:57call me during the game where I can
924. 25:59vividly distinctly hear you and you're
925. 26:01in the stands.
926. 26:03>> Okay.
927. 26:03>> That's what That's for us, right? All
928. 26:04right, cool. So cool.
929. 26:06Yeah.
930. 26:06>> No, no, hang on.
931. 26:08You just said, "Ma, you got a secret
932. 26:10nickname I can hear from the stands."
933. 26:12>> Yeah.
934. 26:12>> She confirms, and that's going to be it.
935. 26:14>> Yeah, because then uh people start
936. 26:15saying it, and then I'm not going to
937. 26:17know who it's her.
938. 26:17>> Can you characterize the nature of the
939. 26:20nickname from the stands?
940. 26:22Is it one syllable?
941. 26:23>> It
942. 26:23>> No.
943. 26:24>> It's a It's a It's a food.
944. 26:26>> But if I characterize it,
945. 26:27>> It's a food.
946. 26:28>> It's a food.
947. 26:29>> You realize what's going to happen next
948. 26:30season. You're going to have a slew of
949. 26:32fans screaming, "Sushi!"
950. 26:34>> I promise you I promise you it was not
951. 26:36sushi.
952. 26:36>> [laughter]
953. 26:36>> I promise you.
954. 26:37>> Sushi!
955. 26:38>> Uh favorite podcast guest on The
956. 26:40Roommates so far.
957. 26:42>> That's a tough one.
958. 26:43Uh
959. 26:45I'm just saying my dad.
960. 26:46>> Smart answer.
961. 26:47>> Smart great answer.
962. 26:48>> Smart answer. Uh best lesson that Mom
963. 26:50taught you that still sticks with you
964. 26:52today.
965. 26:53>> The best lesson she's taught me. Sorry
966. 26:55for the rapid fire. This is
967. 26:57>> Well, you're not a rapid fire guy. Like
968. 26:58I can see your wheels like your wheels
969. 27:00spinning. You're
970. 27:01>> that she's
971. 27:03It's one thing when my dad tells me to
972. 27:05like impose my will on something.
973. 27:09But when my mom looks at me
974. 27:11and she kind of gives me that look like
975. 27:13there's no there's no prisoners today.
976. 27:16Um
977. 27:19that's one thing that will will always
978. 27:21stick with me cuz I know when she's like
979. 27:24I've I've I've raised you to be the
980. 27:25politically correct um
981. 27:28thoughtful person. But today I don't
982. 27:30give a
983. 27:31Do what you got to do.
984. 27:33>> Sound like the Knicks might need to hire
985. 27:35another Brunson.
986. 27:36>> No, no, no. I'm good. I'm good.
987. 27:37>> You got free
988. 27:38>> Well, you you can you can take the other
989. 27:39one though.
990. 27:40You [laughter] can take the other one.
991. 27:41We can swap them. We can swap.
992. 27:43>> Two questions for the road. Then after
993. 27:45this I I know you've got to run. Uh what
994. 27:47is one moment that Jalen Brunson is
995. 27:49still chasing? One moment.
996. 27:51>> One moment that I'm still chasing.
997. 27:55Um
998. 27:57I guess just winning again, honestly.
999. 27:59>> Another championship.
1000. 28:00>> Yeah, that's that's Yeah. I I can't It's
1001. 28:03honestly great that I've won the one
1002. 28:05one. It's something I've worked for my
1003. 28:06entire life, but um
1004. 28:09I've always been a person to see
1005. 28:12how can I improve? How can I grow? And
1006. 28:14so um
1007. 28:15we'll see if we can do it again.
1008. 28:17>> We're going to exempt the championship
1009. 28:19because that would be an easy answer. Um
1010. 28:22because I feel like if you're a New York
1011. 28:23Nick and you again you hoist the trophy
1012. 28:26for the first time in 53 years um that's
1013. 28:28an easy moment to be remembered for.
1014. 28:30Besides that what is a moment
1015. 28:34personally or professionally that you
1016. 28:35would like to be
1017. 28:37remembered for?
1018. 28:39>> I would like to be remembered for
1019. 28:42a person who's given back. A person who
1020. 28:44is um
1021. 28:46not just let a championship define them.
1022. 28:48Um
1023. 28:50to be able to give back to the city
1024. 28:52that's given me a lot.
1025. 28:53Um
1026. 28:55would be remarkable. It's something I
1027. 28:56would I love to do. And um not just this
1028. 28:58city, but everywhere I've left a
1029. 29:00footprint. Um to be able to give back uh
1030. 29:03is something that I've been able to do
1031. 29:05and would love to continue to do.
1032. 29:06>> I would say objectively
1033. 29:08um that that you have and you will be.
1034. 29:12So, well done.
1035. 29:13>> Appreciate you.
1036. 29:14>> Well done. Enjoy your iced coffee.
1037. 29:16>> Thank you.
1038. 29:17>> Have a great season.
1039. 29:18>> Thank you.
1040. 29:19>> And uh thanks for all that you've meant
1041. 29:21to the city of New York, all that you've
1042. 29:22meant to basketball, and uh all that
1043. 29:24you've meant to a lot of folks so far.
1044. 29:26Keep going.
1045. 29:27>> Thank you.
1046. 29:27>> Well, there you have it. Jalen Brunson,
1047. 29:30not
1048. 29:31the king of New York, apparently. Um in
1049. 29:34his own words, it's it's always
1050. 29:35interesting to hear
1051. 29:37from people who have undeniably made it.
1052. 29:41Um
1053. 29:42it's it's interesting to hear
1054. 29:46how reluctant they are to sort of accept
1055. 29:48the fact that they have made it and
1056. 29:51share that joy and triumph uh with the
1057. 29:54the folks who matter most to them. I
1058. 29:56thoroughly enjoyed that [music]
1059. 29:58conversation. Looking forward to seeing
1060. 30:00what the Knicks do the rest of this
1061. 30:02season. Um as always, my glass is half
1062. 30:06full, not with iced coffee, with a slew
1063. 30:08of milk. Um
1064. 30:10and I I want you to
1065. 30:12comment, share, like, download, and
1066. 30:16subscribe. Um the corporate bosses here
1067. 30:18at 30 Rock always encourage that. I
1068. 30:20think I had all five. I did. So, yes,
1069. 30:23we'll see you back here for the next
1070. 30:25episode of Glass Half Full.
1071. 30:35>> Hey, thanks for watching. And don't
1072. 30:36forget you can catch the Today show
1073. 30:38every morning on NBC or take today when
1074. 30:42you're on the go. Just follow the today
1075. 30:43podcast on Apple podcast, Spotify, or
1076. 30:47wherever you listen.