Mariska Hargitay was one of Jalen Brunson's biggest cheerleaders in celebrity row for years, and finally, the New York Knicks star had an opportunity to cheer for her from the sideline. He went to see her Broadway play recently, but it's the sweet reaction he had to the performance that has people talking.
While Hargitay was photographed beside herself and in shock during the Knicks' NBA Championship run, Brunson was all smiles as People reported he attended her Broadway show, Every Brilliant Thing. Though the superstar snuck out before the end of the performance, it was only so he could appear backstage to congratulate her on a wonderful performance. Per a bystander:
It was so sweet. He was congratulating her and telling her how much he loved the show. She was so thrilled he was there. You could see how much admiration they have for one another.
While Brunson might've already enjoyed the play because Mariska Hargitay is a gem of an actress and Every Brilliant Thing is getting rave reviews, it's also worth mentioning the show snuck in a moment honoring him. Hargitay pulls open a box that contains Jalen Brunson's jersey, and while that's been a part of the show before, her referencing it led the crowd to pause and give him a standing ovation.
It's the latest story between Mariska Hargitay and Jalen Brunson, not long after he said he wanted to take their friendship to the next level. Of course, what he meant by that was that he wanted to have a guest role on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and I'm sure she'd be up for that as well. The question is whether they'll be able to make it happen in an episode before the 2026 TV schedule is up, because the fall television season is growing closer every week.
Beyond that, he'd also have to film a guest spot before training camp starts again for the New York Knicks, who will be under more pressure as the NBA's defending champions. Realistically, teams don't begin their training camps until September, so there's a window for the show to bring him in for an episode if they can pull a script together quickly enough.
I think NBC would be silly not to move heaven and Earth to make it happen as well. With the wave of New Yorkers thrilled about the win, I can only imagine what the viewership numbers would be for that episode when it aired. Hey, with the way Christopher Meloni reacted to Brunson wanting to be on the show, maybe they could even coax him to come back again. Brunson, Benson, and Stabler in action? Talk about "must-see TV!"
Law & Order: SVU returns in the fall to NBC. The NBA season isn't officially kicking off until October, so there's plenty of time to kick back and enjoy some summer programming in the meantime.
