Jalen Brunson's mom on teaching him to be a leader: "It's how you respond"

Long before her son Jalen Brunson led the Knicks to an NBA championship — with her husband Rick on the coaching staff — Sandra Brunson was a Division I volleyball player at Temple University. She told "CBS Mornings" that playing volleyball taught her "a lot about myself." "It really opened my eyes to possibilities," Sandra Brunson said. Those possibilities now include The Second Round Foundation , the nonprofit Sandra co-founded in 2022 with her son, Jalen. Its mission is to empower young people by providing educational opportunities, access to sports, healthy nutrition and other critical resources. "The Second Round Foundation was born out of Jalen's journey," Sandra Brunson told "CBS Mornings." "So, he was the 33rd pick in the NBA draft and for some people who don't know, the 33rd pick is in the second round. I wanted him to understand that just because he wasn't viewed as a top 10 pick in the NBA didn't mean that he couldn't succeed." Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks rides on a float with his family, including his mother, Sandra, far right, during the New York Knicks 2026 championship parade on June 18, 2026, in New York City. Wang Fan/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images Sandra Brunson took the stage fresh off the Knicks' title run at Aspen Ideas: Health , a conference in Colorado exploring the future of medicine, wellness and science. …