[7] That year, Brunson led Stevenson to the March 16, 2013, IHSA Class 4A championship game against Jabari Parker and Kendrick Nunn's three-time defending state champion Simeon Career Academy, where he got the Simeon backcourt in foul trouble in the first half before being held to one point in the second half of a 58–40 loss.

[10][16] Two members of his high school team were National Football League athletes' offspring: Matt Morrissey and Cameron Green.

[17] Following the season, Associated Press named him as the only non-senior on the Class 4A All-state first team that also included Okafor, Cliff Alexander, Tyler Ulis and Sean O'Mara.

[22] On June 25—the day after Jalen won a gold medal at the 2014 FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship—Rick Brunson received an offer as an on-bench assistant coach from Temple.

[10] The team rattled off 11 straight victories to start the season before losing 88–81 to Chaminade Prep and its star Jayson Tatum in the Cancer Research Classic in Wheeling, WV, despite 48 points from Brunson.

[35] Findlay, who was led by Arizona signee Allonzo Trier's 27 points, held Brunson to 26 in the second loss of the season for Stevenson,[36] who had been 15–1.

[37] On January 28, he was named to the 2015 McDonald's All-American Boys Game roster,[38] becoming the second player from Lake County to earn such recognition.

[40] On February 21, Stevenson lost to Simeon as Brunson posted 25 points on 9–24 shooting, ending a 22-game in-state streak in a game that featured the top two teams in the state.

[41] The Simeon frontline featured three Big Ten Conference signees: D. J. Williams (Illinois), Ed Morrow (Nebraska) and Isaiah Moss (Iowa).

[43] On March 17, Brunson helped Stevenson qualify for a third consecutive appearance in the IHSA final four with a victory over Riverside Brookfield High School.

[39] Brunson finished his senior season with averages of 23.3 points, 5.2 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game and with shooting percentages of 38% on three-point shots and 83% on free throws.

[52][53] Brunson was a first-team Parade All-American,[54] as well as a third-team USA Today All-USA high school basketball team selection.

[98][99][100][101] Brunson led Villanova to the championship of the 2017 Battle 4 Atlantis, earning the MVP of the tournament and being recognized on November 27 as the Big East Player of the Week.

[124][non-primary source needed] Villanova won the National Championship Game of the 2018 NCAA men's basketball tournament.

[129][130] Brunson did not sign until after he completed his 2018 NBA Summer League play and was accorded a 4-year contract similar to a first round selection with 3-years guaranteed.

[132] After coming off the bench for his first four NBA games, Brunson started in place of the injured Dennis Smith Jr. on October 26, against the Toronto Raptors, scoring eight points, four assists and three rebounds.

[140] On March 12, 2019, Brunson improved upon his career high with 34 points with five rebounds, four assists and a steal in a 105–112 loss to the San Antonio Spurs.

[149] On May 15, Brunson scored 24 points and grabbed six rebounds in a 123–90 Game 7 blowout win against the overall one-seed Phoenix Suns, securing the Mavericks a place in the Western Conference Finals.

[150] On May 20, during Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals, Brunson recorded 31 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists in a 126–117 loss against the Golden State Warriors.

[161][162] On February 4, Brunson scored 41 points on 14-of-19 shooting, 5-of-7 from three, 8-of-10 from the free throw line, along with five rebounds and seven assists in a 134–128 overtime loss against the Los Angeles Clippers.

He joined Walt Frazier and Patrick Ewing as the only players in Knicks history to put up at least 30 points and 10 assists in a playoff game.

[171] On November 20, 2023, Brunson earned his second NBA Player of the week award as the Knicks went 3–1 while he averaged 28.5 points and 6.5 assists, including back-to-back 32-point performances.

[178][179][180] It was the first 50-point performance in NBA history without a missed three-point shot (minimum 8 attempts),[181][a] helping snap a 13-game losing streak by the Knicks against teams with Kevin Durant.

The April 14 season finale 40-point performance against the Bulls also tied him with Ewing for second on the Knicks single-season 40-point game list with 11 (behind King, 13).

[208] On April 15, Brunson earned Eastern Conference Player of the Week for averaging 38.5 points, 7.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds and shooting 50 percent on three-point shots, while leading the Knicks to a 4–0 record and a number two playoff seeding.

[209] Brunson finished 5th in the NBA Most Valuable Player Award voting and was named to the All-NBA Second Team for the first time in his career.

This is a result of a style of play that evolved out of necessity due being equipped with strength and agility, but not the height, length or verticality to differentiate himself off the ground.

[234] On August 16, Brunson was named to the Nike Global Challenge USA All-Tournament team along with Stephen Zimmerman, D. J. Hogg, Malik Monk, Jaylen Brown and Bam Adebayo.

[242] Brunson was one of the first commitments to Team USA for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, according to a June 4, 2023, tweet from Marc Stein,[243] that was referenced by CBS Sports.

[256] On June 28, 2024, Brunson appeared in WWE SmackDown at Madison Square Garden, alongside Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton.