“Saturday Night Live” got its 52nd season underway on Saturday night (duh), and the iconic New York City-based show went with a perfect host in New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson.
The NBA Finals MVP led the team to its first championship in decades, which makes him Big Apple royalty and a natural choice to host alongside musical guest KATSEYE (who had never heard of, but is apparently massively popular).
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But athletes are a mixed bag when getting thrown on “SNL.” Some turnouts have some comedy chops, while others are proven to have teh acting ability of a traffic cone.
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New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson got the honor of kicking of the 52nd season of “Saturday Night Live.” (Rosalind O’Connor/NBC via Getty Images))
So what was the case for Brunson?
Well, the first big hurdle was the monologue (after the requisite Trump-centric cold open), which I would argue is probably the hardest part of the gig for someone who isn’t a regular performer.
Brunson did well, but it helped that he brought back up in the form of teammates Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Brunson also did a solid job in his first crack at a sketch in which he played a guy in the office who simply can’t accept that he failed to shoot a wrapper into the trash from across the office.
Of course, there was plenty of basketball, and one of the best examples was a funny pre-taped sketch parodying “High School Musical.”
The NBA star also had a role in a great “Shark Tank” parody about two entrepreneurs trying to get backing for a pair of glasses that sound an alarm any time the wearer looks at a woman’s breasts. It was exactly the kind of weird sketch that always gets a laugh and often ends up being hilarious.
New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson will host the season premiere of “Saturday Night Live.” (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
All in all, I think it’s pretty safe to say that Brunson will easily go down as one of the better athletes to ever get the hosting gig. Maybe not on the level of Peyton Manning (who, for my money, is the best athlete host of all time), but certainly held his own.
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Hey, maybe if the Knicks can go back-to-back, they’ll bring him in again.
New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson speaks during a ceremony at New York City Hall on June 18 after the championship parade. Brunson was the Finals MVP. (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)