Three months after he led the New York Knicks to their first NBA title since 1973, Jalen Brunson is getting the television assignment he requested before the champagne had even dried.
Asked what came next after New York closed out the San Antonio Spurs in five games, the Finals MVP smiled and said he wanted to try to get on Law & Order: SVU.
NBC confirmed on Thursday that the point guard will guest star in the fifth episode of the series’ 28th season, scheduled for November 5 at 9:00 p.m. ET. His role has not been disclosed.
The booking is less a stunt than the payoff of a long-running New York crossover. Brunson grew up watching the show with his father, Rick Brunson, a former Knick and current team assistant. He has called Mariska Hargitay, who plays Capt. Olivia Benson, his favorite celebrity Knicks fan.
Hargitay sat courtside for Game 4 of the Finals, when the Knicks erased a 29-point deficit at Madison Square Garden, then hugged Brunson on the floor. She later rode on his championship parade bus.
They already shared a bit of airtime this month. Brunson appeared in the prerecorded opening of the Emmy Awards, which Hargitay hosted. On Jimmy Kimmel Live earlier in September, Hargitay was asked whether Brunson would turn up on the show this season. After a pause, she said it was looking like it.
The episode arrives in a busy stretch of his offseason. He hosts Saturday Night Live on September 26 and opens the Knicks’ title defense October 20 against the Philadelphia 76ers. The November 5 air date does not conflict with a game.
Christopher Meloni, Hargitay’s long-time co-star as Det. Elliot Stabler, had already signed off in June. A world champion, Meloni said, can do whatever he wants.
