Shortly after leading the New York Knicks to their first NBA title in 53 years, after winning NBA Finals MVP and earning New York immortality, Jalen Brunson had one wish.
“Try to get on SVU!” Brunson said.
That might seem like a random choice for someone with the entire world newly at his fingertips, but Brunson has loved Law & Order: Special Victims Unit since childhood. He’s also besties with Mariska Hargitay, Olivia Benson herself, whom he regularly hugs after games. (Much to the envy of Ben Stiller.)
“They let me know that Jalen was a big fan, and I was so flattered and thrilled because I was such a huge fan,” Hargitay said on Late Night with Seth Meyers in June 2025. “I think Jalen grew up on ‘SVU.’ That’s what his dad, Rick, [told me]. So I think he felt this, as many people do, that intimacy and safety that one does growing up on ‘SVU.'”
Hargitay was often courtside for the Knicks’ magic carpet ride to the championship and tagged along with the Brunson family at the Knicks’ ticker-tape parade. Later in June, Brunson rooted on Hargitay in Every Brilliant Thing on Broadway. After being each other’s No. 1 fan for so long, they’re about to become co-stars.
At the HBO Max Emmy Nominee Celebration, Variety‘s Marc Malkin asked Hargitay if she’s written a script for Brunson.
“Not quite yet! But it’s in the works!” Hargitay said. “Oh, it’s happening. It’s definitely happening.”
“He’s kind of magnificent that way,” Hargitay added when asked whether Brunson requested to play any particular type of character. “He is just open and ready. I don’t think there’s much that Jalen can’t do.”
Mariska Hargitay confirms that Knicks star Jalen Brunson is getting a role in “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.”https://t.co/yz0p8LLEXS pic.twitter.com/5IqBIxlXQ2
— Variety (@Variety) August 16, 2026
Earlier this month, Hargitay appeared on TODAY and similarly teased Brunson’s upcoming SVU star turn.
“I’m hoping that we might — don’t tell anyone — see him on SVU,” Hargitay playfully whispered. “Don’t tell anyone, but we’ve got some things in the works.”
Hargitay will host the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sept. 14 before Season 28 of SVU premieres on NBC on Oct. 8. If all goes accordingly, Brunson and Hargitay may return to the Emmys as nominees next year.
About Megan Armstrong
Since first getting published as a student by the Kansas City Star in 2013, Megan Armstrong has gone wherever curiosity and stories have taken her, specializing in sports, media, music, and culture coverage. She also has an extensive background in interviewing and profiling public figures. Her work has appeared in Billboard, Boardroom, Bleacher Report, Esquire, GQ, GRAMMY.com, NYLON, Newsweek, Teen Vogue, The Hollywood Reporter, UPROXX, and elsewhere.