Jalen Brunson’s victory lap after winning the NBA Finals with the New York Knicks continues, as he will head to Rockefeller Center to host “Saturday Night Live” later this month.
The popular NBC sketch comedy show revealed Wednesday that Brunson will host its season 52 premiere on Sept. 26. Musical guest Katseye will accompany Brunson on the episode.
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Brunson becomes the first Knicks player and fifth NBA player to host the show. He joins NBA legends Bill Russell (1979), Michael Jordan (1991 season opener after winning his first championship with the Chicago Bulls), Charles Barkley (1993 season opener; 2010, 2012, 2018) and LeBron James (2007 season opener) to lead SNL.
FIRST FOUR OF SEASON 52!!! pic.twitter.com/m8F1Hnf1gS
— Saturday Night Live (@nbcsnl) September 9, 2026
Brunson and the Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs in the 2026 NBA Finals in five games to win New York’s third championship in franchise history and first in 53 years. Brunson won NBA Finals MVP after averaging 28.4 points throughout the Knicks’ legendary playoff run that captured the city of New York and fans around the world. (In June, The Athletic’s Law Murray even suggested SNL should tab Brunson to host its season 52 opener!)
Other athletes or managers who have hosted SNL while playing for a New York professional sports team include New York Yankees manager Billy Martin (1986’s season finale), then-Yankees owner George Steinbrenner (1990), Yankees star shortstop Derek Jeter (2001) and New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (2012). Hockey star Wayne Gretzky, who later played for the New York Rangers, hosted the show in 1989 while playing for the Los Angeles Kings.
SNL won’t be Brunson’s only appearance on an NBC show, though. Mariska Hargitay, star of “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit” and a Knicks fan, confirmed last month that Brunson, who she’s friends with, will “definitely” have a role in the upcoming season. No details have been revealed.