New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson is heading to “Law & Order: SVU.” NBC has confirmed the guard will make a guest appearance during Season 28 of the long-running procedural, appearing in the fifth episode of the season, set to air November 5 at 9 p.m. Exact character details are being kept under wraps, leaving it unclear whether Brunson will play himself, a police officer, or something else entirely.
Season 28 premieres October 8, following the Season 27 finale, which saw Captain Olivia Benson and her squad face down an elusive serial killer known as Mr. Caine, who had been released after a mistrial. Detective Jake Griffin (Corey Cott) was shot during the pursuit but chose to arrest Caine rather than kill him. The finale also resolved a season-long power struggle between Benson and Chief of Detectives Kathryn Tynan, after Benson produced a secret recording of Tynan confessing to covering up a past murder connected to Griffin’s late father. The season closed with the squad gathered at Griffin’s hospital bedside as he recovered.
The two have already shared screen time this year. Brunson appeared opposite Hargitay in a pre-taped segment opening the 2026 Emmy Awards telecast, which Hargitay hosted, referencing the Knicks’ championship-clinching tip-in from OG Anunoby in Game 4 of the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs. Brunson is also set to host the Season 52 premiere of “Saturday Night Live” on September 26 with musical guest KATSEYE, and will be back on the court when the World Champion Knicks open their season October 20 against LeBron James and the Philadelphia 76ers at Madison Square Garden.
“Law & Order: SVU” is the longest-running primetime drama in television history, following the NYPD’s Special Victims Unit as they investigate crimes of sexual assault, child abuse, and domestic violence. Series regulars Hargitay and Ice-T return for Season 28, alongside Peter Scanavino, Kelli Giddish, Kevin Kane, Aimé Donna Kelly, and Corey Cott. Dick Wolf serves as creator and executive producer alongside Michele Fazekas, Hargitay, Kenneth Brown, Rebecca McGill, Anastasia Puglisi, and Peter Jankowski. Fazekas took over as showrunner at the start of Season 27.
Season 28 premieres Thursday, October 8, at 9 p.m., immediately followed by the Season 26 premiere of “Law & Order” at 10 p.m. Both series are produced by Universal Television in association with Wolf Entertainment.