Jalen Brunson's wish to land a guest role on Law & Order: SVU might just come true.
On June 20, Christopher Meloni told TMZ Sports that he "absolutely" supports Brunson starring in the show, pointing to the championship-winning Knicks point guard's status as all the justification needed.
"I don't know if you've heard, but he's a world champion," Meloni said. "He can do whatever the hell he wants. So what, so because he's the world champion, yes, he has a chance. He's got the force of will."
Meloni framed the endorsement around what Brunson's title actually means for New York. The Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs in five games to end a 53-year championship drought, with Brunson dropping 45 points in a 94-90 road clincher in Game 5 and being named Finals MVP.
Brunson first floated the SVU ambition right after the final buzzer. When reporters asked what was next following the Game 5 win on June 13, he answered simply: "To try to get on SVU."
And the wish is much more than just wanting to get some screen time. Brunson grew up watching the hit investigative show with his father Rick Brunson, a former Knicks star and the team's current assistant coach. "I remember my dad always watching the show, and you just hear the iconic (theme song) 'dun-dun' all the time," Brunson said, per The Sporting News. He has since called SVU "a pregame show for me."
Another SVU star who supports Brunson to the fullest is Mariska Hargitay, who’s made it clear how much of a fan of Brunson she is — and how much she wants him on the show.
During a May appearance on TODAY, Hargitay named her two dream SVU guest stars. "Two people, and they both start with 'J' — Jamie Lee Curtis and my Jalen Brunson,” she said.
Brunson and Hargitay have also built a genuine friendship, which the latter revealed happened because he was a longtime SVU fan.
At the Knicks’ championship parade, Hargitay shared her perspective on what makes Brunson such a great athlete for New York City. "I think that Jalen embodies the heart, the grit, and the fight of this city," she said in a video that was shared by the NBA. "And it is so beyond profound, his unification quality. The way he's unified all of us is so extraordinary."
"To be here with him [and] his family, and to be among them, is just the most extraordinary feeling I think I've ever had,” she added.
Law & Order: SVU has been renewed for Season 28 and will return to NBC this fall. Who knows, maybe we’ll see Brunson in the premiere.
