The most powerful object in New York City, a Key to the City from the mayor, couldn’t open a door at 30 Rock. Jalen Brunson found that out in the promo for his Saturday Night Live hosting debut, which led into Saturday’s (Sept. 26) Season 52 premiere with KATSEYE as musical guest.
In the promo, cast member Ben Marshall catches up with Brunson backstage and asks him to sign his back so he can turn the autograph into a tattoo. Brunson has other priorities. With the key from Mayor Zohran Mamdani around his neck, he tries to unlock Studio 8H, then forces the door with his body, a sledgehammer and a chainsaw. The problem, Revolt reports, is that the door pulls open instead of pushing. Consider it Brunson’s first lesson at SNL.
The joke works because the credentials are real. Brunson led the Knicks to their first NBA championship in 53 years and was named 2026 Finals MVP after averaging 32.6 points over the five-game series, per Billboard. The city honored him with its Key to the City earlier this year.
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He is also the first Knick to host. Revolt notes that he is the first active NBA player to host in nearly 20 years, following LeBron James, who hosted the Season 33 premiere in 2007, and joins a short list of NBA greats that includes Bill Russell, Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley.
On the night, the best bit leaned into the day job. In the “Office MVP” sketch he played Darius, a Knick who took a modest job so he could hit a big shot in front of coworkers. He tries to “shoot” a sandwich wrapper into the garbage at the buzzer, misses, then insists the game isn’t over because there’s still time on the clock. “Guys, it turns out it wasn’t the last shot of the game,” he says. After a coworker (Sarah Sherman) says, “Looks like you’re all out of wrappers,” he holds up a basket full of them, per Rolling Stone.
Darius eventually comes clean that he’s a Knick and laments that he’s only famous inside the NBA. “I don’t care about that. I want to be known as an office shooter,” he says. Then the spotlights come on, a smoke machine blasts and he drills the shot from his desk chair, and the “MVP” chants start.
KATSEYE made their own SNL debut as the season’s first musical guest, after a year in which their EP WILD gave them a first No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
- Episode
- Season 52 premiere, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026
- Host
- Jalen Brunson, first Knicks player to host
- Musical guest
- KATSEYE (SNL debut)
- Brunson’s title run
- First Knicks championship in 53 years; 2026 Finals MVP
Added to the High Grailed archive on October 12, 2026.
