Jalen Brunson To Host SNL Season Opener September 26

Brunson speaks to the crowd during Stevenson Athletic Hall of Fame induction in 2022.

Stevenson High School alum Jalen Brunson, fresh off helping the New York Knicks win the NBA Finals with an MVP performance, will try something new as host of “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) in the show’s season opener Saturday, Sept. 26.

Brunson isn’t the first NBA player to host the famous late-night TV show, joining other stars like Michael Jordan (Sept. 28, 1991), Bill Russell (Nov. 3, 1979), LeBron James (Sept. 29, 2007) and Charles Barkley (Sept. 25, 1993; Jan. 9, 2010; Jan. 7, 2012; March 3, 2018). He is the first active NBA player to host SNL since James in 2007 and the first athlete to host since Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce hosted in 2023. Before that, the last athlete to host was J.J. Watt (NFL) Feb. 1, 2020.

The musical guest will be Katseye, a global group with performers from the U.S., Philippines (born in U.S., raised in Philippines), South Korea and Switzerland. They have performed since 2024.

Brunson, a 2015 Stevenson alum, is a three-time NBA All-Star and three-time All-NBA selection, who is coming off his best season to date. Nicknamed “Captain Clutch,” he earned the In Season Tournament MVP honors, along with the Eastern Conference Finals MVP and NBA Finals MVP honors during the 2025-26 season for the Knicks. In the 2024-25 season, he earned the Clutch Player of the Year award.

Brunson, who turned 30 on Aug. 31, is set to start his ninth NBA season shortly. In his first eight seasons, he played 561 regular season games with 411 starts between the Knicks and Dallas Mavericks. Brunson has 10,748 career points to go with 1,796 rebounds, 2,952 assists, 408 steals and 56 blocks in his career (regular season). He also made 973 career 3-pointers.

In 86 career playoff games, Brunson has 2,240 points, 320 rebounds, 476 assists, 71 steals and 9 blocks. Led by his play, the Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs 4-1 in the 2026 NBA Finals.

Brunson’s family moved to Lincolnshire in 2010, which allowed him to attend Stevenson.

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