Jalen Brunson has spent plenty of nights performing in front of a New York crowd. Saturday brought a very different assignment, with no basketball in his hands and no fourth-quarter heroics needed.
The New York Knicks star traded Madison Square Garden for the “Saturday Night Live” stage and gave fans something completely different to judge. As it turned out, his comedy game sparked almost as much debate as his basketball did.
Jalen Brunson Earns Praise for ‘Saturday Night Live’ Debut but Can’t Win Over Every NBA Fan
The Knicks captain took over Studio 8H for the Season 52 premiere, handling hosting duties after helping New York end its long championship drought. Brunson’s opening monologue included some fun at Stephen A. Smith’s expense, with Kenan Thompson playing the ESPN personality.
The 2026 NBA Finals MVP got plenty of love for his night on “SNL.” The reviews weren’t all glowing, though, especially once fans started grading his acting.
“The fact that Jalen Brunson learned all of his lines for snl and didn’t read off cue cards is incredibly impressive. Cast members haven’t even done that since early 80s. Dude was legit funny. Need him an Charles Barkley to Co host next year,” one fan wrote.
“This is so painful to listen to holy (expletive). The fake laughter, the predictably awful acting, (expletive) is a microcosm of (expletive),” another fan countered.
Those two reactions pretty much covered the range of reviews the All-Star guard received.
Some thought he looked surprisingly comfortable outside basketball, while others weren’t exactly asking NBC to clear space for him on next season’s cast.
“Somebody tell the knicks their point guard found a second career,” an X user joked.
“Jalen Brunson has NO IDEA what he just did,” the Hater Report posted.
The former Dallas Mavericks guard certainly had supporters willing to endorse career No. 2. Not everyone was ready to let one night of sketch comedy interfere with his day job, though.
“Sports figures are the worst SNL hosts. They have no comedic chops. SNL knows better. Can’t follow why they keep making the same mistake,” one viewer complained.
“He is an amazing athlete and MVP but he is not a comedian or even a funny actor,” another added.
The tougher reviews weren’t really about the Knicks star’s basketball credentials. His jump from running New York’s offense to delivering punchlines on live television simply didn’t work for everyone.
And he wasn’t the only Knicks player getting reviewed.
“Give OG (Anunoby) the Emmy,” one fan joked.
The New York captain probably won’t lose much sleep over the rough reviews. Getting NBA fans to agree on anything was always going to be the harder assignment.
RELATED: Knicks Star Jalen Brunson Clowns ESPN’s Stephen A Smith on ‘Saturday Night Live’ Debut
For one night, Brunson gave comedy a shot and survived live television. Now he can get back to the NBA, where the hecklers are usually sitting courtside.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.