Jalen Brunson & Josh Hart On Their Villanova Brotherhood and March Madness Hot Takes

Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart’s chemistry on the court is undeniable, but their connection runs even deeper. The former Villanova teammates-turned-Knicks duo have spent years cracking jokes, battling it out in practice, and—more recently—co-hosting a podcast that puts their friendship on full display. 

Now, they’re teaming up again, this time off the court, for AT&T’s Guaranteed Madness campaign alongside fellow Wildcats Donte DiVincenzo and Mikal Bridges. The campaign plays on the unpredictability of a basketball career—teammates may part ways, but AT&T guarantees fans the connectivity they can count on, no matter what.

In their conversation with Complex, Brunson and Hart chop it up about wild college memories, go-to NYC eats, and why they think the Big Ten is gonna stay losing come tournament time.

Our conversation, lightly edited and condensed for clarity, is below.

We’ll jump right into talking about AT&T and the Guaranteed Madness campaign. Let’s talk a little bit about the campaign and the promise of guaranteed connectivity. Why is that so important to you?

Josh Hart: I mean, definitely important in terms of, obviously, connecting all of us and all four of our teammates. We’ve shared great moments and memories, and we talk all the time.

What was it like reuniting with Dante for the campaign?

Jalen Brunson: I thought it was really cool. I have a lot of love for Dante. We were roommates my freshman year, and so we spent a lot of moments together, and I thought it was really cool to bring it back. For us to be together for this is something special, knowing what could have happened this year with our teams–obviously, things aren’t going to happen the way that we thought or the rest of our fan base thought, but everything happens for a reason. We're always connected regardless of what happens. That brings joy to my family, to his, and to all of us.

Were there any fun on-set shenanigans that the four of you got into?

Jalen: *laughs* Nothing we can truly say, but there's always shenanigans.
Josh: It's nonstop jokes.
Jalen: Sometimes so much that we don't even remember what is actually going on.

Jalen, you mentioned that you were roommates with Dante during your freshman year. Who's a better roommate? Dante or Josh? 

Jalen: Dante honestly is one of the cleanest people ever, and I'm also very similar when it comes to that, so we had the cleanest room ever. With Josh–Josh isn't necessarily dirty, he just has so much stuff that it's just everywhere, and so he's kind of like a natural-born hoarder, and so that's crazy.

Damn, Josh–catching some smoke. Do you have a favorite memory of the four of you (Josh, Jalen, Donte, and Mikal) all together?

Jalen: One of my favorite moments was when all of us were in summer school together and working out. I think this was Josh's senior year, so Josh had to have a presence of being a leader and not being a bully, but he couldn't help himself. Him and Dante got into a little tussle, and Josh started it. That's my favorite memory, Josh being a bully to our entire team.

Who's a bigger bully: Josh or Jalen?

Jalen: Absolutely, Josh. Absolutely. There's no question about it. 

Thinking back to Nova–obviously, you played for Jay Wright. Do you think he'll ever coach again?

Jalen: Coach again? No, he is done, and I'm happy for him because now instead of seeing Jerry Wright, the coach always yelling at us, I get to see Jerry the person. He's much more personable than Jerry the coach.

What's the best advice he's ever given you?

Josh: I'd probably say, “Just be yourself.” I think that was the biggest thing. We’re in these positions for a reason; we got here, and now that we are here, it makes no sense to change. So I think it was to always just be yourself no matter what and keep continuing to do what got you there.

The two of you also co-host a podcast. Is there such a thing as spending too much time together?

Josh: My wife says yes.
Jalen: *laughs* I'll say this, the amount of time me and Josh spend together–you would think we'd get annoyed at each other, but I don't think there's ever been a time where we've really gotten upset or mad or pissed off at each other. Maybe jokingly annoyed, but nothing ever too serious. So I'm going to say no. We haven't really had a problem.

That's like true brotherhood, although I get mad at my siblings.

Jalen: Yeah, but also know when to leave each other alone, so that's a plus.

Okay, I know it's not looking good for Nova, but do you have any hot takes for the tournament that you want to share?

Jalen: I have a hot take about the tournament in general.

I love it.

Jalen: I'm going to say this is going to be another year where the Big Ten does not win a national championship. Because there's been a lot of talk about how the Big Ten is always one of the best basketball conferences in the country. Well, they haven't won a national championship since 2000, so that's my take.
Josh: I actually love that take. Sticking to the conference talk. I think the Big East will make some noise. Obviously UCONN does what UCONN does, but St. John's has been having a great year, so hopefully, they can get to that Final Four for the Big East, but also New York. It'll be fun.

Speaking of New York–I have some rapid fire New York City questions for you guys as honorary New Yorkers. We're going to run through 'em super fast before we get out of here.

What's the superior street food: A dirty water dog or a pretzel?

Josh: Pretzel, I'm going pretzel. 
Jalen: Yeah, pretzel for me.

Favorite neighborhood in the city?

Josh: Ooh, I’m going to say Greenwich Village.
Jalen:  I'll say Soho.

What New York City rodent could survive the apocalypse? A rat, a pigeon, or a roach?

Josh: Definitely a roach.
Jalen: A rat–They different.

What's your go-to bagel order?

Jalen: Mine is an everything bagel, toasted, with egg and cheese–I used to be bacon, but I don't do bacon anymore–chipotle mayo, and a hash brown.
Josh: I'm simple. Bacon, egg, and cheese on everything.

Respectable. What restaurant in New York can you not get a reservation at that you're dying to go to?

Josh: There has not been one yet. 

Okay! Catch him at The Corner Store. Damn–makes sense, you’ve got the plug. Last question: What's your favorite post-game meal in the city?

Jalen: My favorite post-game meal in the city? Not going to lie. I can never go wrong with Sugarfish. It's always been reliable to me.
Josh: I would say either Avra or Milos. I love Mediterranean food, so probably one of them.