Learning From Jalen Brunson
By: Yochanan Gordon
Shavuos is both the yahrzeit of King David and the yom tov on which we read the story of Ruth, the great-grandmother of Dovid HaMelech.
The story of Dovid’s rise to sovereignty is a fascinating one. The prophet Samuel arrives at the home of Yishai to inform him that one of his sons has been chosen to replace Shaul as king of the Jewish people. One by one, Yishai presents his sons before Shmuel, and one by one Shmuel rejects them.
Dovid was not even initially summoned. He was the afterthought, the child tending sheep in the field while his brothers stood before the prophet. Only after the others were rejected did Shmuel ask if there was another son. Yishai then called Dovid in from the field. The verse describes him as a redhead with beautiful eyes, and it was immediately clear to Shmuel that this was the one whom Hashem had chosen.
A friend in shul asked me over Shavuos why Hashem orchestrated Dovid’s rise in such an unlikely fashion. After all, Dovid was hardly a lightweight in Torah scholarship or leadership. Chazal derive from the words “v’Hashem imo,” that the halachah followed Dovid in every place. Chazal also describe him spending sleepless nights immersed in difficult halachic questions on behalf of the Jewish people.
Yet the Chida writes that the soul of Dovid HaMelech, the soul of Moshiach, emerged specifically from places of concealment and confusion. Perhaps it was that hidden aura that caused even Yishai himself to overlook Dovid as the obvious candidate for greatness.
The answer I offered him was that perhaps G-d is telling us to look for leadership in the most unexpected people. How often are kids in school and at home overlooked due to behavioral or cognitive issues that haven’t been worked out?
I guess somewhat autobiographically Dovid describes himself in Psalms when he says: “The stone that the builders castaway became the corner stone.”
I found myself thinking about that idea again this past week while watching the remarkable rise of Jalen Brunson and the resurgence of the New York Knicks.
Before anyone objects to comparing a basketball player to Dovid HaMelech, Chazal teach that Hashem created nothing in this world in vain. If that is true, then there must be lessons in avodas Hashem hidden within everything we encounter—even sports.
Jalen Brunson enjoyed a celebrated collegiate career at Villanova University, yet NBA scouts consistently questioned whether his size and understated athleticism would allow him to become a star at the professional level. He was selected 33rd overall in the second round of the 2018 NBA Draft and initially played in the shadow of superstar Luka Doncic on the Dallas Mavericks.
Then came the 2022 playoffs. With Doncic sidelined due to injury, Brunson was thrust into the spotlight and responded with a stunning 41-point performance. Shortly afterward, the Knicks signed him to a contract that many analysts mocked as excessive.
But over the next several years, Brunson transformed himself into one of the league’s premier players. Not through overwhelming athleticism or flashy highlight reels, but through relentless discipline, footwork, composure, and work ethic. Despite his relatively small stature by NBA standards, he became the face of New York basketball and one of the NBA’s most clutch performers.
As a lifelong New York sports fan, I can say that Knicks fans are not accustomed to sustained hope. The franchise has spent decades finding creative ways to disappoint its supporters precisely when expectations begin to rise. Yet there is something about this current team that feels different.
Not merely because of their success, but because of the manner in which they play: resilient, unselfish, composed, and utterly unafraid of the moment.
There is a berachah recited upon seeing a non-Jewish king: “Blessed is He who has given of His honor to flesh and blood.” I am certainly not suggesting reciting a berachah over Jalen Brunson or the Knicks. But I do think there is something deeply compelling about witnessing an overlooked individual rise to prominence despite every external limitation suggesting otherwise.
That, perhaps, is part of the enduring lesson of Dovid HaMelech as well. Greatness often emerges specifically from the places people dismiss. The shepherd overlooked in the field becomes the eternal king of Israel. The undersized second-round draft pick becomes the heartbeat of Madison Square Garden.
As someone who believes deeply in hashgachah pratis, I believe Hashem speaks to us in the most unexpected ways. Sometimes even through basketball.
And perhaps the deeper message embedded within the rise of an underdog team and its unlikely leader is a reminder to the Jewish people themselves: that history repeatedly underestimates those chosen for greatness.
May we witness very soon the ultimate restoration of Malchus Beis Dovid with the coming of Moshiach bimheirah biyameinu.
Yochanan Gordon can be reached at [email protected]. Read more of Yochanan’s articles at 5TJT.com.
