Mariska Hargitay and Jalen Brunson are good friends, and you may not know the story behind their bond!
If you don’t know, the 62-year-old Law & Order: SVU icon has been seen courtside at the 29-year-old NBA star’s New York Knicks games over the years. They often share a friendly hug on the court as well.
How did Jalen Brunson and Mariska Hargitay become friends?
Mariska previously explained the origin of their friendship while on Late Night with Seth Meyers, sharing, “How it started was they let me know that Jalen was a big fan, and I was so flattered and thrilled, because I was such a huge fan. 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.”
Jalen also spoke out about their friendship.
He revealed she was the only celeb to make him truly starstruck.
“I’ve never been like super, super starstruck. I saw her and I was like, ‘Oh, (wow).” he said on “The Roommates Show” podcast. “Then, the first time we met, it was awesome, we talked and everything.”
“I remember my dad always watching the [SVU] and you just hear the iconic (theme song) ‘don-don’ all the time. I always found myself watching the show. Honestly the older I got, the more I watched, the more I see now I’m like, ‘I’ve seen that episode,’ I’ve seen so many different episodes,” he explained. “At one point when I got into the league, I wanted to restart. So I started from Season 1 and watched all the way through. It’s like a pregame show for me. I watched it, before I took my nap. That’s when I was in Dallas. … I’ve always loved that show.”
If you don’t know, you can find out all about Jalen‘s wife (pictured above), who is a doctor.
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