Ranking the Funniest Moments From Jalen Brunson Hosting ‘SNL’

Jalen Brunson took the spotlight in New York City again on Saturday night.

But instead of hearing his name announced as part of the Knicks’ starting five—which he will Oct. 20 when New York receives its 2026 championship rings—Brunson took the stage at 30 Rockefeller Plaza to host the season opener of SNL.

He crushed it.

Brunson was involved in every sketch aside from the cold open, which depicted New York City mayor (and proud Knicks fan) Zohran Mamdani, uh, hanging out with President Donald Trump. A few minutes later, Brunson walked onto the stage for his monologue. Rocking a white T-shirt and black button-down jacket, Brunson was his stoic self and showed off his dry humor from the start. Or as we say in hoops, the opening tip.

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“It’s great to be here. I’m very excited, as you guys can tell from my voice and face,” Brunson dead-panned to the live studio audience.

Let’s get into the funniest moments and best sketches of the night:

6. Brunson picks on Troy Bolton character in High School Musical parody

SNL spoofed the 2006 Disney Channel classic High School Musical in a pretaped sketch starring Jeremy Culhane as “Jake,” the Troy Bolton character who has talents in both basketball and music. Or so we thought.

In the sketch, Brunson—wearing a Corbin Bleu-like wig—walks into a basketball practice as the new kid at North High. As anticipated, a song breaks out in practice until Brunson puts a stop to it by repeatedly blocking Jake’s shot. At the end of the sketch, Brunson shoves Jake out of the way and steals his crush, played by Veronika Slowikowska.

5. Brunson nearly breaks character during airport sketch with Mikey Day

The closest Brunson was to breaking all night was during a bit called “Airport Massage Chairs,” which is all you need to know, really, about the five-minute sketch. Brunson was “David,” stuck in a long layover at the airport with “Patrick,” played by Mikey Day. The two guys enjoyed the massage chairs ... a bit too much. Brunson didn’t fully break character—but he cracked a couple of smiles throughout the ridiculous sketch.

4. Brunson plays the part of Shark Tank investor

On a panel with two other “sharks” on the hit entrepreneurial show Shark Tank, Brunson—rocking a giant top hat—heard a pitch from “Dimitri Dinkle” and “Diedrich Poomfant” on what they insist was a very feminist-minded invention dubbed “Respectables.” Brunson wasn’t in at first, but he spun his own take on the product and eventually offered $50 million for the other side of the business.

3. Brunson opens up at men’s support group

The Knicks’ star played one of six guys at a men’s support group who all witnessed their wives and girlfriends be called up on stage at the Chris Brown and Usher tour. Nothing more needs to be said about this sketch, we’ll let Brunson take it from here:

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2. Brunson’s SNL monologue

“Tonight I’m going to approach hosting the same way I approach a Knicks Finals game—the first three quarters are going to be godawful; the last sketch is going to be amazing,” Brunson joked during his SNL opening act.

Nailed it.

Throughout the five-minute monologue, Brunson also joked that all he’ll be able to think of during ring night at Madison Square Garden is the fact that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce got married there a few months prior. He also encountered Stephen A. Smith (played by Kenan Thompson), who apologized for doubting him when he first signed with the Knicks in 2022.

For the rest of the monologue, Brunson dished to his teammates:

1. Cameos from Knicks teammates

The best part of the episode, without a doubt, was the cameos from the rest of the Knicks’ starting five—Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby and Josh Hart—during Brunson’s opening monologue.

It started with Towns, who asked Brunson if it’s possible to foul out of SNL. “So I could be here, like, the whole show?”

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Bridges fished for a compliment on his wingspan, and Anunoby made sure to remind Brunson about what happened at the end of Game 4 of the Finals: “Remember in Game 4 when you took that shot at the end, and you missed it?”

Hart, of course, closed it out. Brunson brought up the viral clip of Hart getting a bit too close and personal during their NBA Cup championship celebration, and he also reminded Hart of his missed layup in the closing minutes of Game 4.

“AI be looking so real these days, bro!” Hart quipped.

Jalen Brunson, KAT, OG, MIKAL & JOSH HART ON SNL😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/b5Jsb53IaP
— MAL (@MindOfBron) September 27, 2026

Brunson closed out the night on stage next to his teammates, the SNL cast and musical guest Katseye—with most wearing Knicks gear.

“I’m going to get back to my real job pretty soon,” Brunson said. “Have a great night, ya’ll. Appreciate ya’ll.”

Thank you, KATSEYE, Ramy Youssef, Karl Anthony-Towns, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Josh Hart. Goodnight! pic.twitter.com/ohjGsP4W8q
— Saturday Night Live (@nbcsnl) September 27, 2026

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