NBA Champion Jalen Brunson Become Equity Owner And Partner In Fast-Casual Restaurant Chain Just Salad

NBA champion Jalen Brunson’s competitive spirit will fuel his next business move.

Science/Technology Jul 2, 2026 0 5 Add to Reading List

NBA Champion Jalen Brunson Become Equity Owner And Partner In Fast-Casual Restaurant Chain Just Salad

NBA champion Jalen Brunson’s competitive spirit will fuel his next business move.

According to a press release shared with AFROTECH, Brunson is investing in Just Salad. He is now an equity owner and partner in the New York-born fast-casual restaurant chain, which offers salads, wraps, warm bowls, soups, and smoothies and has expanded to more than 125 locations across New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Washington, D.C.

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Just Salad was founded in 2006 by Nick Kenner, who also serves as its CEO. According to the news release, Brunson and Kenner were aligned in their commitment to making health more accessible. As AFROTECH previously reported, Brunson, through a nearly $300,000 initiative with his foundation, Stevenson High School Foundation, provided students and their families with healthy food, nutrition information, athletic wear, and other resources in 2025.

“As a born and raised New Yorker who started and grew Just Salad in my hometown, there is no greater privilege than welcoming Jalen Brunson into the Just Salad family as a key partner,” Kenner said in the news release. “Jalen embodies everything Just Salad stands for: discipline, authenticity, and a relentless commitment to doing things the right way. Having just celebrated our 20th anniversary, Just Salad is on a strong growth trajectory — and having Jalen alongside us will only accelerate that further.”

Just Salad plans to open 30 new locations in 2026 alone, and Brunson has a direct role in that expansion as an equity owner and partner. He will visit different locations and work with the company’s leadership and culinary teams, per the news release.

“When I started thinking about owning equity in a restaurant brand, I knew I wanted it to be more than just putting my name on something. I wanted to partner with a company whose values matched mine, and that was making a real impact in the communities it serves,” Brunson explained in the press release. “As someone who’s proud to call New York home, it means a lot to partner with a brand that started here and continues to invest in this city.”