Jalen Brunson Foundation Donates $328,000 In Free School Meals To New York Schools

Jalen Brunson took a massive paycut while signing his extension with the Knicks last year and is showing even more magnanimity now.

Jalen Brunson Foundation Donates $328,000 In Free School Meals To New York Schools

Jalen Brunson and Rick Brunson (Image by FirstSportz)

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The city of New York may not have signed a better sporting star than Jalen Brunson in recent memory. A bench player during his first four seasons, Brunson has grown into one of the NBA’s most dependable players on offense. The Villanova product has spearheaded their rise to becoming a top team in the league after years spent in the doldrums since the days of Carmelo Anthony leading the team at Madison Square Garden.

The Knicks have won at least one playoff series in each of the three seasons that he’s played there. The team has risen from being outsiders in the championship conversation to becoming a team that can beat the best of them. The Knicks reached their first Eastern Conference Finals in 25 seasons last year with Brunson leading the way. The spirit of winning basketball is well and truly back in New York with their run recently.

The basketball side isn’t all that Jalen Brunson has changed. He is also a leader of the culture of the city. He has shown how much he loves the organization and New York by taking a steep pay cut – one that could cost him a whopping $113 million in unrealized NBA salaries. It is clear that he is a New Yorker for the long haul. Brunson’s desire to win a championship for the Knicks trumps all his other priorities.

His love for New York has also propelled him to be a philanthropist and do work that benefits his community. In the past, he has invested the princely sum of $3.6 million to transform a Manhattan house into a homeless shelter. Named “The Second Chance House,” it will serve youth between the ages of 16 and 24. The shelter houses up to 40 individuals at a time. It includes job placement services, GED programs and more.

He recently also pledged a sum of $328,000 in free school meals for New York public schools. His foundation, appropriately named the ‘Second Round Foundation’ – as he was a second round pick in 2018 – released his statement, which says

Not having to worry about your next meal is a luxury everyone needs.

Jalen Brunson will have a golden chance to win the NBA title with the Knicks next year

The Eastern Conference will have three of its contenders out of commission for the 2025-26 NBA season. The Milwaukee Bucks will try to recover from losing Damian Lillard, while the Celtics and Pacers will wait on their franchise stars Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton to stage recoveries from the Achilles tears that they suffered in this year’s playoffs.

This leaves a wide open window of opportunity for head coach Mike Brown, Jalen Brunson and the Knicks to capitalize on. The team already has a deep roster and can put together a mean run this year in the absence of these three contenders. While the Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks and Orlando Magic have made moves to try and consolidate, the Knicks’ 2025 playoff run should place them above these teams.

If Jalen Brunson can bring home a championship for the Knicks, the pandemonium in the streets of New York will be a true sight to watch. The city already went berserk after the team’s Conference Finals appearance this year, taking over the streets in jubilation. A championship might just lead the residents of New York to a week long, government mandated holiday for everyone as they recover from drunken stupors.

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