Did you know NBA star Jalen Brunson is helping Jamaican and Caribbean athletes pursue their dreams? The New York Knicks captain has become a supporter of Team Jamaica Bickle, using his Second Round Foundation to help provide resources for young athletes competing at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia. His support comes at a time when Brunson is also reaching the highest points of his own basketball career.
Through the foundation, Brunson has helped Team Jamaica Bickle provide housing, meals and athlete welfare support to hundreds of young people who travel to the United States for the annual track and field competition.
For Irwine G. Clare Sr., O.D., chairman of Team Jamaica Bickle, the partnership is about more than money.
“Jalen Brunson and the Second Round Foundation represent the very best of what sports philanthropy can and should be,” Clare told Jamaicans.com. “Their support of Team Jamaica Bickle is not simply a financial contribution; it is an investment in young people, their potential, and the opportunities that sport and education can provide.”
Brunson Reaches the Top of the NBA
Brunson’s support for young athletes comes as he enjoys the biggest season of his basketball career.
In the 2026 NBA Finals, he led the New York Knicks to their first NBA championship in 53 years. Brunson was named the unanimous NBA Finals MVP after averaging 32.6 points per game in the series.
He scored 45 points in the title-clinching Game 5 victory over the San Antonio Spurs, earning the Bill Russell Trophy as Finals MVP.
The championship added to a list of major awards Brunson collected during the 2025 to 2026 season. He was also named Eastern Conference Finals MVP after helping the Knicks reach the NBA Finals and won NBA Cup MVP earlier in the season.
His success stretches back to his college days. At Villanova University, Brunson helped the Wildcats win NCAA championships in 2016 and 2018. He was named National Player of the Year during the 2018 championship season.
His career now includes NCAA championships, NBA success and multiple MVP awards.
His Family Has Jamaican Roots
Brunson’s connection to Jamaica is personal.
His mother, Sandra Brunson, is the daughter of Jamaican parents from St. Ann and Mandeville. That makes Brunson the grandson of Jamaican immigrants.
Sandra Brunson has also supported Team Jamaica Bickle. In 2025, she was the keynote speaker at the organization’s fundraising brunch and made a US$15,000 donation to support its work.
The family’s connection to Jamaica has added another link between Brunson’s foundation and the organization that supports Caribbean athletes at the Penn Relays.
Helping Athletes at the Penn Relays
Every year, Jamaican and Caribbean student athletes travel to Philadelphia to compete at the Penn Relays, one of the major track and field meets on the North American calendar.
Team Jamaica Bickle works to address some of the basic needs athletes face while they are there. Its services include accommodation, meals, transportation, medical care and other welfare support.
Earlier in 2026, Team Jamaica Bickle raised US$150,000 with support from the Second Round Foundation, Resorts World New York City, Tower Isle Patties and VP Records.
The money helped provide housing for more than 560 athletes from Jamaica and other Caribbean countries. It covered about 1,250 room nights during the 2026 Penn Relays.
Clare said the support from Brunson’s foundation has helped the organization address some of those needs.
“Through its partnership with Team Jamaica Bickle, the Second Round Foundation has helped us provide critical support to Jamaican and Caribbean student-athletes competing at the Penn Relays, including assistance with our meals and athlete-welfare programs,” Clare said.
He explained why those services matter to the athletes.
“Proper nutrition, care and a supportive environment allow these young athletes to concentrate on what they came to Philadelphia to do, compete, represent their schools and countries with pride, and pursue their dreams.”
Giving Young People a Chance
The work also connects with the mission of Brunson’s Second Round Foundation, which focuses on creating opportunities for young people.
For Clare, that part of the relationship is especially important.
“What resonates deeply with us is the Foundation’s commitment to giving young people an opportunity and, where necessary, a second chance to succeed, regardless of the obstacles, disadvantages or circumstances they may face,” he said.
Clare said young people can sometimes face barriers that have nothing to do with their ability.
“Too often, talent and potential are limited not by ability, but by circumstance. Sometimes all a youngster needs, is someone willing to believe in them, open a door, and provide the support necessary for them to walk through it.”
Brunson Understands the Athlete’s Journey
Brunson’s own path from youth basketball to Villanova and eventually the NBA gives him a personal understanding of what it takes to develop as an athlete.
His journey included two NCAA championships before he entered the NBA and began his professional career with the Dallas Mavericks. He joined the New York Knicks in 2022 and eventually became the team’s captain and one of its leading players.
Clare believes that experience helps Brunson understand the work behind an athlete’s success.
“Jalen understands the journey of an athlete, the discipline, sacrifice, family and community support behind every success,” Clare said. “For someone who has reached the highest level of professional sport to reach back and help create opportunities for the next generation speaks volumes about his character.”
A Relationship Built Over Time
The relationship between Brunson’s foundation and Team Jamaica Bickle has also included recognition of Clare’s own work.
In 2025, the Second Round Foundation honored Clare with its Visionary Award for his decades of service to Caribbean student athletes.
Team Jamaica Bickle has supported young athletes for more than three decades. Its work has included athletes who went on to compete at the highest levels of track and field.
The organization is also working on a legacy project at GC Foster College in Jamaica focused on long term athlete development.
Clare said the organization’s relationship with Brunson and his foundation fits with its wider goal.
“For more than three decades, Team Jamaica Bickle has worked to remove barriers and create opportunities for our young athletes,” he said. “That is why our relationship with Jalen Brunson and the Second Round Foundation is so meaningful.”
He added that both sides share a belief in the ability of young people to overcome difficult circumstances.
“We share a fundamental belief: a young person’s circumstances or challenges should never determine the limits of their potential. Given an opportunity, support and sometimes that all-important second chance, they can succeed.”
A Different Side of an NBA Champion
Brunson’s 2026 championship and Finals MVP award have placed him at the center of the basketball world. But his work with Team Jamaica Bickle shows another part of his story.
His family’s Jamaican roots, his mother’s involvement with the organization and the support provided through his foundation have created a connection to young athletes from Jamaica and the wider Caribbean.
For those athletes, the help is practical. It can mean a place to stay, a meal, welfare support or the resources needed to compete.
And for Team Jamaica Bickle, Brunson’s involvement represents something larger: an opportunity to help young athletes overcome barriers and keep moving toward their goals.
Photo – Jalen Brunson IG
