The King of New York Hosts SNL Premiere
BY: MADELYN DIBIASE / CHIEF SPORTS EDITOR
Coming off of the New York Knicks’ historic playoff run at the end of the 2025-26 season, Jalen Brunson traded the Garden for 30 Rock on Saturday Night. He headlined the premiere of the 52nd season of Saturday Night Live, and, in true Brunson fashion, it was a slam dunk.
The point guard hosted the episode with musical guest KATSEYE on Sept. 26, along with an assist from his Knicks teammates. Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Mikal Bridges made cameos during their teammate’s monologue, with Anunoby poking fun at Brunson for his clutch Game 4 tip-in following a miss from the Finals MVP.
Brunson is the fifth-ever NBA player to host Saturday Night Live. His appearance comes approximately 19 years following LeBron James’ hosting stint, where he hosted the season 33 premiere with musical guest Kanye West.
In the 2026 NBA Finals, Brunson led the Knicks to hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy by averaging 32.6 points per game, 4.6 assists per game, and 4.2 rebounds per game. He was named the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP for his contribution to the team's successful and historic win–the first championship New York has seen in 53 years.
On SNL, hosts normally play a plethora of characters during the 90-minute sketch show. Brunson did this and even had the opportunity to play himself in a sketch.
The sketch was in an office setting, where Brunson was present as himself, however under an alter ego with the name Darius Barcelona. He is repeatedly attempting to make a shot into a trash can, and he repeatedly misses.
The dramatic ending to the sketch takes place when “Darius” reveals himself as Jalen Brunson, and he takes the shot and makes it. The cast members in the sketch with him, along with the fans in the studio audience cheered when he sank the wrapper into the trash.
SNL Writer Dan Bulla took to his Instagram story to reveal the magic behind that signature Brunson show-stopping moment. “Fun fact: there was a blower in the garbage can, making it literally impossible for Jalen to score until the final shot…We had two sets of cue cards for the ending – one if he made it, and one if he missed. He missed at dress [rehearsal] but hit the shot ON AIR… because @jalenbrunson1 is BUILT FOR THE MOMENT!!!”
Brunson also starred in a High School Musical inspired sketch, playing a transfer student who shows up to battle it out with SNL cast member Jeremy Culhane for a spot on the school basketball team. The sketch featured songs and dances, in true High School Musical fashion.
Writers at the show took every opportunity to capitalize on Brunson’s basketball background, as well as his off-court charisma that many fans may not realize he has. For a basketball player with a comedic background that is slim-to-none, it was a highly entertaining episode.
Other than the signature Jalen Brunson magic during the show, two new cast members made their debuts. Saidah Belo-Osagie and Grace Reiter began their respective SNL journeys in an early sketch about a reality competition show looking for a new girl group, inspired by KATSEYE.
Saturday Night Live airs again this Saturday, Oct. 3, with host Dakota Johnson and musical guest Turnstile. Johnson will be promoting her new film Verity, where she stars alongside Anne Hathaway and Josh Hartnett. It will be her third time hosting SNL.
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