Jalen Brunson didn’t host the “Saturday Night Live” season premiere alone. Midway through his opening monologue Saturday night, the Knicks captain announced he would take audience questions, and the camera found four familiar faces waiting in the crowd: Karl-Anthony Towns, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby, the rest of New York’s starting five.
Towns went first, asking whether Brunson could foul out of “SNL.” Told he couldn’t, the center brightened immediately. “So I could be here like the whole show? Nice!” Bridges followed by fishing for a compliment about his wingspan, prompting Brunson to confirm his arms were, in fact, long. “Yet I’ll never fly,” Bridges replied.
Anunoby set up a lighter bit, walking Brunson through his missed shot late in Game 4 of the Finals before reminding him that Anunoby’s tip-in saved the possession. Hart delivered the sharpest question of the night, asking whether Brunson really took a $113 million pay cut to re-sign with the Knicks. When Brunson confirmed it, Hart deadpanned, “Wow, so is that money, like, still up for grabs?” Brunson answered by playing a clip of Hart poking him during the team’s championship trophy ceremony and demanding an explanation. “Because it was funny,” Hart said. “That question was a layup, bro.”
Jalen Brunson's monologue! pic.twitter.com/FnPKYkGcu7
— Saturday Night Live (@nbcsnl) September 27, 2026
All four players joined Brunson onstage once the bit wrapped, closing out a monologue that arrived weeks after the Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs to capture the franchise’s first NBA title since 1973. Brunson, who earned both Eastern Conference Finals MVP and Finals MVP honors for the run, became the fifth basketball player to host “SNL” and the first since LeBron James in 2007.
Before the teammates appeared, Kenan Thompson opened the segment in character as ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, delivering an exaggerated mea culpa over having doubted Brunson’s ability to deliver a championship. Brunson cut the bit short before pivoting to the audience Q&A that brought his teammates into the spotlight. KATSEYE served as the night’s musical guest, marking the group’s first “SNL” performance.
