In the New York Knicks fan system, separating Jalen Brunson and Mariska Hargitay is considered especially heinous. The dedicated duo formed a special Emmys unit on Monday night to open NBC’s coverage of the 2026 awards ceremony. This is their story.

Well-regarded for his closing abilities, Brunson helped get Monday’s Emmy Awards off to a sterling start: the Knicks point guard and 2026 NBA Finals MVP helped fellow metropolitan captain Hargitay ring in the presentation in a pre-recorded segment that united the Manhattan icons.

The scene opens with Hargitay fashionably prepping for hosting duties and asking an unseen party if they’ve ever felt like they had “millions of eyes” on them when it “all comes down to one night.” Briefly hidden behind his No. 11 Knicks jersey, Brunson reveals himself and remarks, “Seriously?”

The “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” star doesn’t take kindly to Brunson’s incredulousness, saying she’s on her own on stage and that “[she] doesn’t have anyone to tap it in for [her].” That, of course, is a reference to OG Anunoby’s clean-up of a late Brunson misfire at the end of the Finals’ fourth game against the San Antonio Spurs, one that completed the largest comeback in the championship series’ history.

Hargitay, one of many celebrities that occupied Madison Square Garden’s courtside seating during the Finals run, then runs out with her opening number, a parody of Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock and Roll” that pays tribute to the best of the small screen, underway. That leaves Brunson to perplexingly look into the camera in a way that would make fellow NBC star Jim Halpert proud.

The friendship between Brunson and Hargitay has become a beloved inside joke of sorts among Knicks fans: Brunson has been a fan of Hargitay’s long-running “Law & Order” spin-off and frequently chats with her when she’s in attendance for the Knicks’ latest endeavors.

Hargitay, who went viral for her Game 4 courtside reactions next to pop music sensation Taylor Swift, also appeared on Brunson’s float at the Knicks’ championship parade in June.

Fellow actor and Knicks fan Ben Stiller even said that Hargitay was the “envy” of celebrity row during a May 2024 appearance on Brunson’s “Roommates Show” web series because she always gets a postgame hug from the 2025 Clutch Player of the Year.

“I’ve never been like super, super starstruck. I saw her, (and) I was like ‘oh, s***,”‘ Brunson said. “The first time we met, it was awesome, we talked and everything.”

Monday will be far from the last time that Brunson appears on NBC’s peacock-branded airwaves: he is set to host the season premiere of the long-running sketch comedy series “Saturday Night Live” on Sept. 26, and the first game of the Knicks’ upcoming title defense will tip off the network’s 2026-27 NBA slate on Oct. 20.

Hargitay, who has earned both an Emmy and a Golden Globe for her portrayal of Captain/Detective Olivia Benson, previously confirmed that Brunson will also appear on “SVU” in some way, shape, or form.