Jalen Brunson and Ali Marks: The Love Story Behind the Knicks Superstar

Jalen Brunson’s rise from a high school basketball player to the face of the New York Knicks has been one of the NBA’s most impressive stories. But away from the bright lights, packed arenas and pressure of being an NBA superstar, Brunson has had one person beside him for much of the journey: his wife, Ali Marks Brunson. ❤️🏀

Their relationship began long before Brunson became one of the biggest names in basketball. The couple met while attending Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois, and began dating in 2013. They were teenagers when their relationship started, meaning Ali has been part of Brunson’s life through some of the biggest stages of his basketball career.

From High School Sweethearts to Life Partners

While Brunson was making a name for himself on the basketball court, Ali was building her own path. The two eventually had to navigate the challenges of being apart when they went to different colleges.

Brunson attended Villanova University, where he became a two-time national champion and established himself as one of the most accomplished college basketball players of his generation. Ali attended the University of Illinois before going on to earn her doctorate in physical therapy from Northwestern University.

Their relationship survived the distance and the demands that came with Brunson’s rapidly developing basketball career. When Brunson entered the NBA after being selected by the Dallas Mavericks in 2018, Ali continued to support him as he began adjusting to professional basketball.

The journey eventually brought them to New York. Brunson signed with the Knicks in 2022, and his career exploded to another level. Around the same time, he and Ali reached an important milestone in their personal lives.

Brunson’s Special Proposal

After nearly a decade together, Brunson proposed to Ali in September 2022. But the location made the moment particularly meaningful.

Rather than choosing a glamorous vacation destination or another typical celebrity proposal setting, Brunson returned to the place where their story began: their high school gymnasium.

The proposal took place at Stevenson High School after Brunson had been inducted into the school’s athletic Hall of Fame. It was a fitting way to celebrate a relationship that had started when they were teenagers.

For fans, the proposal was another reminder that Brunson and Ali’s relationship was about much more than his NBA success. She knew him before the fame, before the Knicks captaincy and before he became one of the league’s most recognizable stars.

Their Wedding Was Another Full-Circle Moment

Jalen and Ali officially became husband and wife on July 29, 2023, at the Ritz-Carlton in Chicago. The wedding brought together family, friends and several people from Brunson’s basketball world.

The timing of the wedding even had to change because Brunson was selected to play for Team USA at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup. Instead of allowing the scheduling conflict to derail their plans, the couple moved their wedding forward.

That decision showed another side of their relationship. Basketball has always been an enormous part of Brunson’s life, but so has his relationship with Ali, and the two have continued finding ways to support each other through the demands of his career.

One of the sweetest details from their wedding came when Ali changed into the dress she wore to her senior prom in 2015. After starting their relationship as high school sweethearts, the moment gave their wedding an emotional connection to where everything began.

Building a Family Together

The couple’s story entered another chapter in July 2024 when they welcomed their daughter, Jordyn James Brunson.

Becoming parents has added another dimension to their life together. Ali has spoken about how motherhood helped her connect with other mothers in the New York area, while continuing to balance her own professional life as a physical therapist.

For Brunson, meanwhile, the family moments provide a different perspective from the intensity of the NBA season.

A Relationship Fans Continue to Love

Part of what makes Jalen and Ali’s relationship so appealing to basketball fans is how far back their story goes.

They were together before the NBA fame, before the Knicks spotlight and before Brunson became one of the league’s most celebrated stars. They experienced long-distance college years, the transition into professional basketball, a major move to New York, marriage and parenthood together.

Ali has also continued to appear alongside Brunson at important events and support him throughout his career. In 2026, the couple were among the Knicks families attending Karl-Anthony Towns and Jordyn Woods’ wedding in Malibu, another reminder of the close relationships within the Knicks community.

For Knicks fans, Brunson may be the man leading the team on the court. But behind the scenes, his relationship with Ali represents something much more personal — a love story that started when they were young and continued through every major chapter of his basketball journey.

From high school sweethearts to husband and wife and now parents, Jalen Brunson and Ali Marks have built a relationship that has grown alongside his remarkable NBA career. ❤️🏀💙🧡