Knicks Star Jalen Brunson’s Jewish Wedding and Family Story Comes Into Focus

Jalen Brunson, now being called “the king of New York” as he stands one win from an historic NBA championship with the Knicks, is being supported throughout the run by his wife, Dr. Alison Marks-Brunson, a Jewish physical therapist. The couple have a daughter, Jordyn, and their relationship began in high school at Adlai E. Stevenson High School in the Chicago suburbs, when Alison was 16 and Brunson was 15.

Their courtship continued through college, with Alison studying in Illinois while Brunson played at Villanova in Pennsylvania. Seven years later, Brunson returned to their old high school gym, got down on one knee under a floral arch and proposed. He later said in their wedding video that Alison “sacrificed a lot without knowing what was waiting for her next” and that she “always pushed me to get better.”

The couple married in July 2023 at the Ritz-Carlton in Chicago, in a ceremony held according to Jewish tradition. Alison was escorted to the chuppah by her mother, and the service included signing a ketubah, standing under a flower-decorated chuppah and ending with the traditional hora dance. The wedding was also meaningful for Alison’s family, after her father, James Marks, died in 2010 at age 49 following pancreatic cancer.

That loss became central to Alison’s life. She runs marathons and raises money for Project Purple, which supports research and families dealing with the disease. On July 31, 2024, the couple’s first child, Jordyn James Brunson, was born, with her middle name honoring her late grandfather. Jordyn recently went viral after interrupting her father’s press conference with a shout of “Dada!”, and she is now a frequent presence at Madison Square Garden, often seen with celebrity fans like Ben Stiller or riding on Brunson’s shoulders after games. While her husband stars in the NBA, Alison also maintains her own career, earning a doctorate in physical therapy from Northwestern University in 2021 and now running an independent clinic in New York.