We all figured Jalen Brunson’s SNL episode was going to feature cameos from other Knicks players. That’s a common theme with athlete hosts, and given the overwhelming popularity of the Knicks inside the city after their first championship since the 70s, those cameos were always going to make particular sense in this case. Well, I’m happy to report they did happen, and to the surprise of absolutely no one, it’s OG Anunoby that fans are all talking about.
The understated forward is extremely popular in New York, partly for basketball excellence and partly for his almost comically low-key persona. The SNL writers played into that reputation during a brief cameo within Brunson’s monologue, and hilariously, OG himself played into that reputation when he was the only Knicks player not to return to the stage during the closing credits.
The initial appearance included not only Anunoby but also the other three Knicks starters: Karl-Anthony Towns, Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges. During his monologue, Brunson took questions from the audience and eventually called on his teammates. They each asked a cute little question and had their own moments before Brunson called them up to join him on stage. In that initial instance, all four followed his lead and played along. You can watch the footage below, which has been widely posted by Knicks fans all over social media…
You can tell how much the crowd loves all four of the guys but also the affinity they have for Anunoby in particular. People just cannot get enough of how calm and slow to excitement he is in almost all instances. His blank star during an interview on Good Morning America went viral earlier in the summer, and you can tell by how quickly he sits down after he gets his lines out during the monologue that he’s not exactly looking for extra attention.
That shyness became extra clear later in the show, however, when all of the Knicks players made another appearance and Anunoby was just gone. It’s standard SNL protocol that any celebrity who makes a cameo during the live show joins the host and the cast during the closing credits. At the end of this episode, however, Brunson was joined by Towns, Bridges and Hart, but Anunoby was nowhere to be found.
No one involved in the show acknowledged his absence, but fans immediately started laughing and speculating on social media about what happened. Did he leave the studio after his lines during the monologue? Did he just not feel like being on camera again? Was he in the bathroom? We have no idea. You can watch the goodbyes below…
Thank you, KATSEYE, Ramy Youssef, Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Josh Hart. Goodnight! pic.twitter.com/BH9MKWOIWFSeptember 27, 2026
Even if you set aside the championship, fans, both randoms and celebrities, have really fallen in love with this team and this group of players. Obviously some of that is because they’re the best group to represent New York City in decades, but some of it is also because they all have such fun and distinct personalities. Hart, Bridges and Brunson all went to college together at Villanova and clearly have a close personal bond. Towns is a larger than life character who had his moment earlier this year during a WWE event where he showed off the best chokeslam this side of the Undertaker. And Anunoby is, well, Anunoby, doing Anunoby things, at his own pace and in his own way. Something about the five guys just works together, and they’re all quite clearly huge fans of each other.
Don’t expect to see any of them next week though. Saturday Night Live will return for its second episode of Season 52, and it’ll feature Dakota Johnson on hosting duties. In her case we may get another cameo, but rather than Knicks players, I’d expect maybe her Verity co-stars, her 50 Shades Of Grey partner Jamie Dornan or some of her famous family members.
