Bill Text: IL HR0978 | 2025-2026 | 104th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Congratulates Jalen Brunson on being awarded the Bill Russell Trophy as the 2026 NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) and for leading the New York Knicks to the 2026 NBA Championship. Commends the arc of his championship-winning career, transcending the courts of Adlai E. Stevenson High School and Villanova University to Madison Square Garden.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2026-07-22 - Added Chief Co-Sponsor Rep. Sharon Chung [HR0978 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2025-HR0978-Introduced.html
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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION | ||||||
| 2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
| 3 | Representatives wish to congratulate Jalen Brunson on being | ||||||
| 4 | awarded the Bill Russell Trophy as the 2026 NBA Finals Most | ||||||
| 5 | Valuable Player (MVP) after leading the New York Knicks to the | ||||||
| 6 | team's first NBA championship since 1973; and | ||||||
| 7 | WHEREAS, Jalen Brunson attended Adlai E. Stevenson High | ||||||
| 8 | School in Lincolnshire, where he became one of the most | ||||||
| 9 | decorated players in Illinois high school basketball history, | ||||||
| 10 | earning the Gatorade Illinois Player of the Year award in each | ||||||
| 11 | of his final two seasons, being named Illinois Mr. Basketball | ||||||
| 12 | as a senior, and earning three Associated Press Boys | ||||||
| 13 | Basketball All-State Team selections; and | ||||||
| 14 | WHEREAS, Jalen Brunson led the Adlai E. Stevenson High | ||||||
| 15 | School Patriots as a senior to the Illinois High School | ||||||
| 16 | Association (IHSA) Class 4A State Championship in 2015, | ||||||
| 17 | delivering the program's first-ever state title and cementing | ||||||
| 18 | his legacy as one of the greatest players in the school's | ||||||
| 19 | history; and | ||||||
| 20 | WHEREAS, Jalen Brunson continued his championship | ||||||
| 21 | excellence at Villanova University, where he helped the | ||||||
| 22 | Wildcats win national titles in NCAA men's basketball in both | ||||||
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| 1 | 2016 and 2018; he was also named the National College Player of | ||||||
| 2 | the Year as a junior in 2018, received the John Wooden Award, | ||||||
| 3 | the Naismith Award, and the Bob Cousy Award, and earned | ||||||
| 4 | All-Big East Conference honors three times across his | ||||||
| 5 | collegiate career; and | ||||||
| 6 | WHEREAS, Jalen Brunson was selected by the Dallas | ||||||
| 7 | Mavericks in the 2018 NBA Draft before signing with the New | ||||||
| 8 | York Knicks in 2022, and he quickly became the franchise | ||||||
| 9 | cornerstone, earning his first NBA All-Star Game selection in | ||||||
| 10 | 2024 and leading the Knicks on a historic championship run in | ||||||
| 11 | 2026; and | ||||||
| 12 | WHEREAS, In the 2026 NBA Finals against the San Antonio | ||||||
| 13 | Spurs, Jalen Brunson delivered one of the most dominant | ||||||
| 14 | performances in the history of the league's championship | ||||||
| 15 | series, averaging 32.6 points, 4.6 assists, and 4.2 rebounds | ||||||
| 16 | per game across five games, with all 11 members of the media | ||||||
| 17 | voting panel unanimously selecting him as NBA Finals MVP; and | ||||||
| 18 | WHEREAS, In Game 5 of the 2026 NBA Finals, Jalen Brunson | ||||||
| 19 | scored 45 points, including 15 points in the final eight | ||||||
| 20 | minutes of regulation, leading the Knicks to a 94-90 road | ||||||
| 21 | victory and to securing the championship, a performance that | ||||||
| 22 | matched Michael Jordan's record for the most points scored on | ||||||
| 23 | the road in a title-clinching game; and | ||||||
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| 1 | WHEREAS, Jalen Brunson's journey from the hardwood of | ||||||
| 2 | Adlai E. Stevenson High School to an NBA championship embodies | ||||||
| 3 | the values of dedication, resilience, and excellence that make | ||||||
| 4 | all Illinoisans proud, and his achievement in winning | ||||||
| 5 | championships at the high school, collegiate, and professional | ||||||
| 6 | levels places him in the most elite company in the history of | ||||||
| 7 | basketball; and | ||||||
| 8 | WHEREAS, Jalen Brunson's remarkable career has brought | ||||||
| 9 | extraordinary pride to the Adlai E. Stevenson High School | ||||||
| 10 | community and the State of Illinois, and his accomplishments | ||||||
| 11 | will inspire young athletes across the State for generations | ||||||
| 12 | to come; therefore, be it | ||||||
| 13 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
| 14 | HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
| 15 | we congratulate Jalen Brunson on being awarded the Bill | ||||||
| 16 | Russell Trophy as the 2026 NBA Finals Most Valuable Player | ||||||
| 17 | (MVP) and for leading the New York Knicks to the 2026 NBA | ||||||
| 18 | Championship, and we commend the arc of his | ||||||
| 19 | championship-winning career, transcending the courts of Adlai | ||||||
| 20 | E. Stevenson High School and Villanova University to Madison | ||||||
| 21 | Square Garden; and be it further | ||||||
| 22 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
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| 1 | presented to Jalen Brunson as a symbol of our esteem and | ||||||
| 2 | respect. | ||||||
