Jalen Brunson and Ali Marks.Photo: Austin and Jenna
New York Knicks starJalen Brunsonis engaged!
Brunson, 26, and his fianceéAli Marksannounced their engagement Wednesday with photos onInstagramfrom the big moment, which took place on the basketball court at Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois.
The two first met as students at the high school before Brunson made it to the NBA. Marks now works as a physical therapist, according toTMZ.
Brunson simply captioned his engagement photo post with, “forever,” whileMarks wrote"you are a lifetime" as her caption. She also commented “forever” on Brunson’s post.
Jalen Brunson and Ali Marks.Austin and Jenna
The newly engaged couple visited their alma mater for Brunson’s induction into the high school’s Hall of Fame, according to TMZ, which cited a photo Marks shared to her Instagram Stories that has since been deleted.ESPNranked Brunson No. 16 on its 2015 Top 100 recruiting list when he finished his high school basketball career.
Several NBA and basketball figures, including Dallas Mavericks ownerMark Cuban, commented on Brunson’s post to congratulate him on his engagement.
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Brunson played his first four NBA seasons with the Mavericks before he signed a four-year, $104 million contract with the New York Knicks in June, according toESPN.
Knicks player RJ Barrett complimented Brunson ahead of their first season as teammates at a recent season-ticket holder event livestreamed onTwitter.
“Jalen’s great, he’s really smart. He’s a really hard worker,” Barrett, 22, said. “He works on his game a lot, so I think with that — and he has natural leadership ability, too, just being around him, guys gravitate towards him as well. I think him and I work together very well, especially us being lefties.”
Jalen Brunson and Ali Marks.Jalen Brunson/Instagram
As the Knicks look to rebound from a 37-45 record last season, former NBA playerMark Jacksontold PEOPLE in August thatNew York’s basketball scene is all about"the grit, the grind, the edge, the competitiveness, the swag, the confidence, the struggle, the embracing of the bright lights."
The 1988 NBA rookie of the year, who was born in Brooklyn and played for the Knicks from 1987-1992 and returned to the club from 2000-2002, said playing in New York City “forces you to mature ahead of your time and puts you in position to be ready to conquer anything in the world, including ultimately, which we all face, is some sort of adversity.”
source: people.com
