Kansas basketball: Brooklyn YMCA receives hefty donation thanks to Jalen Wilson

Former Kansas basketball star Jalen Wilson is quickly making an impression on the Brooklyn Nets organization with his generosity.

Jalen Wilson has one of the most storied careers with the Kansas Jayhawks under head coach Bill Self. After being selected 51st overall in this year’s NBA Draft by the Brooklyn Nets, he’ll need to rewrite a story for himself at the professional level.

A strong showing in the Summer League last month earned him a two-way contract with Brooklyn. He averaged 17.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.8 assists, finishing second in scoring and leading the team in rebounding en route to the tournament’s Final Four.

Although he was playing for a spot on the roster, there were also ulterior motives behind his impressive performances. He and Wilson Sporting Goods had previously pledged to donate $100 per point he scored and $50 per assist. The Kansas product was able to raise that number to $10,000, and he presented a check to a group of children at an event.

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The donation was made out to Dodge YMCA this Wednesday, where he surprised local Y kids in Brooklyn and hosted a basketball clinic for them to participate in. He spent the day there to mentor the kids and sign autographs.

Fellow ex-college basketball stars Jett Howard and Cam Whitmore also partook in the Summer League initiative in the respective city of their teams. Wilson Sporting Goods has raised over $1.5 million during their three-year partnership with local YMCAs in the United States.

Wilson also spoke to Stefan Bondy of Daily News about his role on the team. He acknowledges he won’t see as much playing time or be relied upon as he was with Kansas basketball, but hopes he can continue to improve his game without being the ball-dominant player he once was.

“College for sure, was different. I had the ball in my hands a lot. I had to do a lot of things for my team. Take a lot of tough shots. Now, I think as I showed in Summer League and moving forward in the NBA, I won’t have to take those tough shots at the buzzer,” Wilson said. “I won’t have to take contested shots over double teams. This isn’t Kansas. This is the Brooklyn Nets. So I feel like the load being less, my numbers will increase. And I feel like I showed that in Summer League. And I’m excited to continue to show it.”

It’s one thing to excel on the court, but it’s another when someone is making a difference in their community. These unselfish actions from Jalen Wilson reflect on the man that head coach Bill Self helped shape him into over the years.

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