As if they needed any burnishing after shepherding the New York Knicks to their first NBA championship in 53 years, Jalen Brunson’s “King of New York” superstar bona fides are about to get another boost: the kind that can only come from standing at home base to deliver a monologue at Studio 8H at 11:30 p.m. ET.
That’s right: The New York Knicks’ captain, All-Star and All-NBA point guard, and freshly minted NBA Finals Most Valuable Player will punctuate his magical summer by hosting the first episode of Season 52 of “Saturday Night Live” on September 26, joined by musical guest KATSEYE. (The odds of a Karl-Anthony Towns “KAT’s-eye” appearance somewhere in the show are currently off the board.)
The 30-year-old Brunson becomes the latest New York athlete to parlay a starring role in delivering a championship to the Big Apple into a chance to host NBC’s iconic live sketch comedy show, joining New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, who hosted in December 2001, and New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, who did so in May 2012. He also becomes one of only a handful of NBA players ever tapped for hosting duties, an exclusive list of all-time greats that includes Bill Russell, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley and LeBron James.
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Brunson will be the first active athlete to host “SNL” since Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce did it in March 2023. He’s the first active NBA player to host in nearly 20 years, since James did it in 2007.
Jalen Brunson is about to join a very short list of NBA players to host NBA’s long-running iconic live sketch comedy show. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Fanatics)
(Kevin Mazur via Getty Images)
While he’s much better known for splashing jumpers than selling jokes, Brunson has displayed some on-camera and on-mic performance chops, making multiple appearances on WWE programming (oh, man, Tyrese Haliburton’s going to interrupt a sketch, isn’t he?) and acting as one of the co-hosts of the “Roommates Show” podcast (oh, man, Josh Hart’s going to appear in like five sketches, isn’t he?).
After beginning his summer being feted in a ticker-tape parade through the Canyon of Heroes in lower Manhattan, Brunson — who’s expected to be ready to go in time for training camp after undergoing surgery on his left wrist in July — will cap it with the kind of Q-score-raising, celebrity-stamping showcase that cements his newfound status as a crossover cultural figure. The Knicks are scheduled to hold their season-opening media day session two days after the episode, on Sept. 28 — one suspects the New York press corps might have a few notes on Brunson’s performance on a very different kind of big stage — before opening their preseason schedule against the new-look Philadelphia 76ers on Oct. 5.
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