Mariska Hargitay Tells Nitecast Media Who She'd Boot From the SVU Squad for Jalen Brunson and KAT
When Nick Hamilton of Nitecast Media asked Mariska Hargitay which SVU squad members she'd cut to make room for Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, the iconic Law & Order actress delivered an answer that was both hilarious and completely on-brand for New York's most devoted Knicks superfan.
Mariska Hargitay Tells Nitecast Media Who She'd Boot From the SVU Squad for Jalen Brunson and KAT
When Nick Hamilton of Nitecast Media caught up with Mariska Hargitay, the iconic actress behind Law & Order: Special Victims Unit's Captain Olivia Benson, he came prepared with a question no one else had thought to ask: if two NBA superstars were going to join the SVU squad, who gets the boot to make room? The answer, delivered with Hargitay's signature warmth and competitive New York energy, was both hilarious and revealing.
A Knicks Superfan With Courtside Credentials
To understand why the question even makes sense, you need to understand how deep Hargitay's love for the New York Knicks runs. On June 8, the 62-year-old actress was courtside for Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden, and she was not about to let a referee's obstructed sightline stop her from watching every second. A video that went viral on X showed Hargitay repeatedly craning her neck around a ref standing directly in her line of vision, refusing to miss a single play.
She was joined by her 19-year-old son, August Miklos Friedrich Hermann, whom she shares with her husband, Peter Hermann, and sat alongside none other than her former SVU co-star, Christopher Meloni. The Spurs defeated the Knicks 115-111, but Hargitay's passion for her team was undimmed. For context, courtside seats at Madison Square Garden for Game 4 were listed on StubHub for as much as $108,000, underscoring just how rarefied the air is in those front-row seats.
The Brunson Bond: SVU Brought Them Together
Hargitay's relationship with the Knicks goes well beyond cheering from the stands. She has formed a genuine friendship with Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson, and the origin story is one that only New York could produce. As it turns out, Brunson grew up watching SVU and became a devoted fan of the show, and of Hargitay's portrayal of Olivia Benson specifically.
"I was so flattered and thrilled, because I was such a huge fan. I think Jalen grew up on SVU; I think he felt this, as many people do, intimacy and safety that one does growing up on SVU." — Mariska HargitayBrunson himself has been equally candid:
"It's a pregame show for me. I've always loved it. I've never been super starstruck, [but when] I saw her, I was like 'Oh shit.'" — Jalen BrunsonThe friendship has become something of a New York celebrity folklore moment. Talk show host Seth Meyers once noted, with obvious delight, that Ben Stiller, also a famous Knicks fan with premium seats, had revealed that all the celebrities at courtside are envious because Brunson reserves his postgame hugs exclusively for Hargitay. "This was a choice Jalen Brunson made," Meyers quipped. "You didn't storm the court and hug him!"
The Nitecast Media Question: Who Gets Cut for JB and KAT?
It was against this backdrop that Nick Hamilton posed his playful but pointed question to Hargitay: if Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns were going to join the SVU squad, which two members of the team would she cut to make room?
Hargitay's answer was immediate, spirited, and completely on-brand for someone who has spent decades playing one of television's most fiercely loyal team leaders.
"Who would I kick off for Jalen? Probably anyone. No, there's no one — they're all additive. But I guarantee you that if Jalen was coming on, nobody would leave. I think it would be the more the merrier. Kat is the Man, Towns — all of them." — Mariska HargitayIt is quintessentially Hargitay: generous, inclusive, and completely unwilling to throw any of her colleagues under the bus even in a hypothetical. Just as Olivia Benson would never sacrifice a member of her unit, Hargitay wasn't about to cut anyone from the SVU family to accommodate even her closest NBA friends. The squad stays together.
More Than a Fan: A Symbol of New York's Spirit
What makes Hargitay's connection to this Knicks team so compelling is how naturally it mirrors the show she has anchored for more than two decades. SVU is, at its core, a story about loyalty, resilience, and New York, three things this Knicks team has embodied on its journey to the NBA Finals. Brunson's relentless clutch performances, KAT's transformation into a two-way force, and the city's collective roar behind them echo the kind of gritty, never-quit DNA that has defined Captain Benson for 26 seasons.
For Nick Hamilton and Nitecast Media, the exchange captured something that stats and highlight reels can't: the human threads that connect sport, art, and a city's culture. Mariska Hargitay isn't just a celebrity sitting courtside. She is, in her own words, all in. Nobody leaves. The more the merrier. That's New York.
