Knicks guard Jalen Brunson to host Saturday Night Live premiere
NBA champion Jalen Brunson will host the season 52 premiere of Saturday Night Live on Sept. 26, with girl group Katseye as the musical guest.
New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson is set to host the season-52 premiere of Saturday Night Live on Sept. 26. The announcement comes after Brunson helped lead the Knicks to their first NBA championship since 1973, a title secured with historic comebacks in the Eastern Conference finals and the NBA Finals.
The comedy show listed Brunson as the first of four weekly hosts, followed by actress Dakota Johnson, actor Inde Navarrette and comedian Shane Gillis. Katseye will perform as the musical guest for the episode.
Brunson, 30, was praised for his leadership during the Knicks’ playoff run, including a 38-point effort in a fourth-quarter rally against the Cleveland Cavaliers and a key role in a 29-point comeback in Game 4 of the NBA Finals. He told NBC News that the team treats each game as if the series were tied at 0-0, adding that “whatever’s being said, positive or negative, you can’t really think about or worry about too much.”
Known for his stoic on-court demeanor, Brunson also shows a lighter side on his podcast with teammate Josh Hart, a trait that producers say makes him a good fit for the sketch-comedy format. It remains uncertain whether Hart or other celebrities who attended the Knicks’ championship games will appear on the SNL episode.