Mariska Hargitay Knicks: Brunson Inspiration Leads Broadway Debut
Mariska Hargitay said Jalen Brunson inspired her Broadway debut in Every Brilliant Thing, and she plans to be at Game 3. The mariska hargitay knicks connection has moved from postgame hugs at Madison Square Garden to her first turn on Broadway.
Brunson and Hargitay
Hargitay called Brunson “My friend, my inspiration,” on Today and said she thought about his humility and work ethic when she was afraid to take on her show. She added, “I love him. I was so terrified to do my show—I just thought about him, and his inspiration, and his humility, and his work ethic, that I [reminded myself]: You can do hard things. He is so singular, and magnificent. He’s a magnificent human.”
The two have built a warm friendship around Knicks games at Madison Square Garden, where Hargitay always gives him a big hug. Brunson said last year that he had never been starstruck until he met her, and he later called their first meeting awesome after seeing her and thinking, “Oh shit.”
SVU in Brunson’s house
The bond runs through Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, the show Hargitay has long starred in and the one Brunson said he grew up hearing in his house. He said his father always watched it, that the theme song was always on at home, and that SVU became a pregame show for him.
Hargitay said last year that she was flattered and thrilled to learn he was a fan of SVU, adding, “I think Jalen sort of grew up on SVU...I think he felt this, as many people do, intimacy and safety that one does growing up on SVU.” Brunson and his wife Alison Marks also attended the premiere of My Mom Jayne at the Tribeca Film Festival last year.
Game 3 and Broadway
Her latest comments tied that friendship to a live sports night. Hargitay said she would not miss Game 3 “for the world,” putting her right back in the building while her Broadway debut in Every Brilliant Thing unfolds.
For Knicks fans, the detail is simple: the celebrity courtside ritual has turned into a crossover story with a stage debut attached to it. Hargitay’s praise for Brunson now sits next to her ticket for Game 3, keeping the focus on both the player and the actress who says he pushed her to do something new.
