Three months after leading the New York Knicks to their first NBA Championship in 53 years, Jalen Brunson is ready to check off another big accomplishment on his bucket list by hosting Saturday Night Live.
Season 52 debuted Saturday night with KATSEYE as the musical guest, and Brunson kicked the evening off with his opening monologue.
He cracked jokes about having the honor of playing on the court where Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift got married. He even watched as Stephen A. Smith played by Kenan Thompson apologized to him for doubting the Knicks acquiring him.
Brunson adds audience interaction by opening the floor for questions, only to have Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Josh Hart for some back-and-forth ribbing.
Office MVP
His first sketch is him acting as a regular guy with an office job, balling up paper and shooting it into the garbage can, named Darius Barcelona. He refuses to stop the game and get back to work, so his boss slaps him. Eventually, he rips off his glasses and reveals his real identity to his shocked coworkers.
Dream Academy
To bring KATSEYE into the fold, he’s got a quick cameo as a bewildered choreographer.
Men’s Support Group
Brunson is part of a support group for men whose partners went to a Chris Brown and Usher concert. His trauma includes seeing the viral TikTok video of his wife “strapped to a pole, spinning like shawarma” in front of a topless Chris Brown. And yes, he splurged for the meet-and-greet.
North High
Brunson’s a new kid at the school, and when he tries out for the basketball team, he meets High School Musical wannabes who turn everything into a dance routine. Before showing off his vocal range, Brunson crosses over the whole team and pantses a few players, too.
Airport Massage Chairs
Brunson and a coworker get a little too comfortable in massage chairs in the airport, and there’s more hilariously suggestive moaning than lines.
Parent-Teacher Conference
Lulu Jones is his name. Brunson plays one of the four lovers of a woman at her son’s parent-teacher conference. Inexplicably, he’s got a top bun and bangs, and another guy she’s sleeping with, Kenan Thompson, has two puffs in his hair.
Shark Tank: Respectacles
Brunson is a top-hat-wearing Shark Tank judge with wandering eyes and deep pockets that keep setting off alarms.
Old Friend
For the last skit, the NBA champ plays himself, exhausted after a long game, when Kenan Thompson storms into the locker room, posing as an opportunistic alcoholic ex-coach looking for a handout.
See how social media is reacting to Brunson’s performance below.
