Who Is NBA Star Jalen Brunson’s Wife, Ali Marks?
Star point guard Jalen Brunson played college basketball at Villanova University, where he won two national championships. He was selected by the Dallas Mavericks in the 2018 NBA Draft. After spending four seasons with the team and one trip to the Western Conference Finals, he signed a contract with the New York Knicks, the same team his father, former NBA player Rick Brunson, is an assistant coach for.
As a member of the Knicks, Brunson set the record for most three-point shots made in a half without a miss and tied the NBA record for most three-point shots made in a single game without a miss. He also made the 2024 All-Star team for the first time in his career.
Now fans want to know more about Brunson’s life off the court, including who his wife Ali Marks is and why you may recognize her.
Brunson and Marks met in high school so he came up with the perfect proposal spot
Brunson and Marks met when they were teenagers at Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois about an hour outside of Chicago.
The two began dating then and have been together ever since. So when Brunson proposed to Marks, he decided it made perfect sense to do it at their old high school.
In September 2022, Brunson asked his longtime girlfriend to marry him on the basketball court of their alma mater following his induction into the school’s athletic Hall of Fame. The athlete got down on one knee at center court next to candles in the shape of a heart under an arch of flowers, and Marks happily accepted.
When and where they got married
The pair tied the knot on July 29, 2023, at The Ritz-Carlton Chicago.
When speaking about that day, Marks told People, “We wanted it to be a big big party: celebratory and joyful, with lights, lasers, a fun DJ, good food, good drinks.”
“We wanted to bring all of our closest friends [and] family together in a city that means so much to both of us,” Brunson explained, adding that it was “emotional to see everyone important to us in the same room.”
The bride wore a custom off-white Eva Lendel “Lika” dress for the ceremony. Then in another nod to their high school days together, she changed into her prom dress for the reception.
What Marks does for a living
Marks attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she studied kinesiology and exercise science. After graduating, she enrolled at Northwestern University and received her doctorate in physical therapy in 2021. She became a licensed physical therapist and has worked in her field in Dallas and Chicago.
If Marks looks familiar to you, that may be because you’ve seen her on TV. She was featured in a 2024 March Madness-themed commercial for AT&T with her husband.
The 30-second ad opens with the couple standing together in a kitchen when Marks asks: “Jalen, what are you wearing?” Brunson, who has on a jacket covered with smart phones all tuned to college basketball games, replies: “It’s my tournament jacket. With AT&T I can watch at home or on the go.”
