Jalen Brunson’s mom texts him before every game: “He looks forward to them”

Jalen Brunson’s mom still keeps up a tradition that started back when the NBA star was in high school: She texts him before every game.

In her first broadcast TV interview since Jalen Brunson helped lead the Knicks to victory, Sandra Brunson told CBS News’ Dr. Jon LaPook that she sends her son “words of encouragement” to keep the games in perspective and communicate that “it’s not the end of the world, it’s basketball.”

She continued: “When he got to the pros, he’s like, ‘Mom, there’s 82 games, 81 games. You don’t have to send me a message every—.’ He said, ‘You can just say I love you.’ But I still send them. I still send them. And he looks forward to them.”

The mother-son duo co-founded mental health nonprofit The Second Round Foundation, which aims to empower young people through education, sports and community. Sandra Brunson said she believes prioritizing mental health is essential to helping young people thrive both on and off the court.

Brunson said  one lesson she taught her son “is that as a leader, he has to understand that everyone has a job to do, and every one of his teammates have to feel comfortable in their role and believe in their role … no matter what it is. And that’s his role as a leader.” 

“There are going to be ups and downs of the game, but one play doesn’t make a game,” she said. “And I think that he has learned over the years that it’s not how you — it’s not what happens, it’s how you respond.”

Watch more of the interview on “CBS Mornings” on Friday, June 26.