The story

Jalen Brunson will host the season 52 premiere of Saturday Night Live on Sept. 26, with musical guest Katseye. Brunson, who just turned 30 last week, led the New York Knicks to their first NBA championship in 53 years in June and was named NBA Finals MVP. The Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs in five games.

Brunson becomes the first Knicks player and fifth NBA player to host the show. He joins Bill Russell (1979), Michael Jordan (1991 season opener after winning his first championship with the Chicago Bulls), Charles Barkley (1993 season opener and 2010, 2012, 2018), and LeBron James (2007 season opener). Other season 52 hosts announced include Dakota Johnson on Oct. 3, Shane Gillis on Oct. 10, and Inde Navarrette on Oct. 31.

The show has seen at least one notable cast departure, with Chloe Fineman announcing in June or July that she was leaving after seven seasons. Writer and Please Don't Destroy star Martin Herlihy is also set to exit after five seasons. The New York Times reported Brunson averaged 28.4 points throughout the Knicks' playoff run, while ESPN reported he scored 45 points in Game 5 to close out the series.