Jalen Brunson to Play Detective in Law & Order: SVU Episode
The Knicks point guard will guest star in the fifth episode of Season 28, airing November 5.
By Robert Marshall ·
New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson will trade his basketball uniform for a detective badge when he appears in an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. The broadcast is scheduled for Thursday, November 5, at 9 p.m. ET on NBC. The episode is titled Forsaken and serves as the fifth installment of the show's 28th season.
In the storylines of the episode, Mariska Hargitay’s character, Olivia Benson, enlists the help of Brunson’s character, Detective Madison. A promotional clip for the broadcast shows the two characters working together on a case. The episode will be available on the streaming platform Peacock the day after the initial television airing.
The collaboration stems from a personal connection between the athlete and the actress. Brunson signed with the Knicks in 2022, and Hargitay is a well-known supporter of the team. They developed a close friendship after Hargitay learned that Brunson was a devoted viewer of the series. Brunson described watching the show as part of his regular pre-game routine.
Brunson discussed his fandom on his podcast, The Roommates Show. He noted that he was starstruck when he first met Hargitay. Hargitay expressed similar sentiments during an appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers last year. She stated, "I was so flattered and thrilled, because I was such a huge fan."
The two have supported each other's public appearances throughout the past year. Hargitay attended the Knicks' championship ticker-tape parade in June. Brunson attended the Broadway premiere of Hargitay’s play, Every Brilliant Thing, during the summer. He also attended the premiere of her documentary, My Mom Jayne, which received two Emmy Awards in 2026.
In September, the pair performed a prerecorded sketch to open the 98th Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Awards ceremony. Hargitay hosted the event. Ahead of that broadcast, she shared a video message from Brunson during an interview on the TODAY show. This SVU appearance follows Brunson's hosting of the Season 52 premiere of Saturday Night Live, which took place more than a month earlier.
