You'll never guess Jalen Brunson's favorite celebrity Knicks fan

Kathleen PerriconeThu, June 11, 2026 at 1:57 AM UTC

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Jalen Brunson shoots a 3-pointer in front of Mariska Hargitay and Christoper Meloni on June 8, 2026Credit: Joe Murphy/NBAE via GettyKey Points -

New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson has revealed his "number one" favorite celebrity fan.

Brunson is also a fan of the TV actress and watches her popular crime procedural as part of his pregame ritual.

The three other famous fans who make up his "Mount Rushmore" are Ben Stiller, Spike Lee, and Tracy Morgan.

Madison Square Garden's "Celebrity Row" is a who's who of New York Knicks fans: Timothée Chalamet, Ben Stiller, Jay-Z, Spike Lee, even Martha Stewart.

But there's one courtside regular who's a slam dunk to point guard Jalen Brunson.

"My number one, love her to death, she knows it… Mariska Hargitay," he revealed on The Richard Jefferson Show in a resurfaced clip.

'Law & Order: SVU' stars Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni attend the NBA Finals on June 8Credit: Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty

The Law & Order: Special Victims Unit actress has been a longtime staple at home games — before Brunson was even in the NBA.

But ever since he signed with the Knicks as a free agent during the 2022 off-season, the two have forged a friendship built upon New York basketball and New York's "most heinous" crimes.

Brunson is such an SVU superfan, he's admitted that watching the NBC police procedural is part of his pregame ritual.

"I've always loved that show," Brunson admitted on his Roommates Show podcast in 2025 when explaining to guest Ben Stiller why he shows more "love" to the SVU actress than him at games. "I've never been super super starstruck. I saw her and I was like, 'Oh, s---.' The first time we met, it was awesome. We talked and everything."

It was the beginning of an unlikely friendship that has gone beyond the basketball court.

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Brunson, his wife Alison, and father Rick — a Knicks assistant coach and the person who introduced his son to SVU — all supported Hargitay on the red carpet at the 2025 premiere of her documentary My Mom Jayne.

Alison Marks, Mariska Hargitay, and Jalen Brunson at the premiere of 'My Mom Jayne'Credit: John Nacion/WireImage

Earlier this week, Hargitay gushed about Brunson, "my friend, my inspiration," during an appearance on Today With Jenna & Sheinelle. The actress revealed that as she made her Broadway debut in the one-person play, Every Brilliant Thing, she evoked the NBA all-star to find the courage to step onstage.

"I was so terrified to do my show," Hargitay said. "I just thought about him and his inspiration and his humility and his work ethic to say, 'You can do hard things'... But he is so singular and magnificent. He's a magnificent human."

Ben Stiller and Spike Lee attend a Knicks gameCredit: James Devaney/GC Images

After the SVU actress, the other three celebs on Brunson's "Mount Rushmore" of famous Knicks fans are Ben Stiller, Spike Lee, and Tracy Morgan.

Perhaps the biggest snub is Martha Stewart, who had her toe broken by Brunson during a May 2025 game. The 84-year-old was sitting courtside — and wearing open-toed sandals — when the 190-pound athlete dove out of bounds for a ball and crashed into her.

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"You jumped up really fast," Stewart recalled to Brunson on the Roommates Show in March. "And I remember saying to you, 'It's okay.' You had no idea that you had hurt me. I didn't say you hurt me, but I said, 'It's okay.' It wasn't okay at all."

on Entertainment Weekly

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