Jalen Brunson‘s “Saturday Night Live” monologue featured some familiar faces, as the remaining members of the Knicks starting five visited Studio 8H to roast their team captain.
But before Karl-Anthony Towns, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby appeared on screen, Kenan Thompson took the stage as ESPN pundit Stephen A. Smith.
“Let me say this, Jalen Brunson. I am man enough to admit that I was wrong,” Thompson-as-Smith said. “When the New York Knickerbockers signed you and I did not think that you were the answer, nor did I believe that you could deliver the team’s first championship since 1973, when I was only 5 years old.”
After Brunson interrupted: “How long’s this going to go?” Smith replied: “About another seven minutes.” Brunson booted his “detractor” off the stage and took questions from the audience, which just so happened to include his teammates.
“I have a question. Can you foul out of ‘SNL’?” Towns asked, referencing his dismissal from Game 5 against the Spurs. “I could be here, like, the whole show?”
After Bridges and Anunoby gave Brunson a hard time, Hart asked, “Is it true that you took a $113 million pay cut just to resign with the Knicks?” Brunson said, “Yeah, that’s pretty true,” Hart responded, “Wow, so is that money, like, still up for grabs?”
The NBA stars ribbed each other a bit more, and then Brunson welcomed his teammates onstage.
Brunson opened Season 52 of “Saturday Night Live” with musical guest Katseye. The Knicks play their first season game on Oct. 20.