Jalen Brunson Makes Mariska Hargitay Cry During Knicks Championship Parade

In any other time, Mariska Hargitay is the star attracting droves of New Yorkers while filming “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” as Olivia Benson on the streets.

But after her beloved New York Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs to win the 2026 NBA Finals, the franchise’s first NBA title since 1973, Hargitay took on the role of a fan - a role she takes very seriously.

Hargitay tagged along with Jalen Brunson, the Finals MVP and newly anointed King of New York, and his family at the Knicks’ championship ticker-tape parade on Thursday. Monica McNutt asked Hargitay how the scenes at the parade compared to Madison Square Garden.

“I don’t think there is any comparison,” Hargitay said. “I’ve never in my life seen anything like this. I’ve burst into tears, like, ten times! It’s just so beautiful. It’s insanity. It’s magnificent.”

McNutt then asked Hargitay about her bond with Brunson, and Hargitay burst into tears again: “I think that Jalen embodies the heart, the grit, and the fight of this city. And it is so beyond profound his unification qualities. The way he’s unified all of us, it’s so extraordinary to be here with him, but his family! And to be among them is just the most extraordinary feeling I think I’ve ever had.”

Brunson and Hargitay’s friendship was born out of Brunson’s lifelong love of “SVU,” as Hargitay told Seth Meyers last June.

“They let me know that Jalen was a big fan, and I was so flattered and thrilled because I was such a huge fan," the Emmy winner said. “I think Jalen grew up on ‘SVU.’ That’s what his dad, Rick, [told me]. So I think he felt this, as many people do, that intimacy and safety that one does growing up on ‘SVU.'”

Moments after capturing the Knicks’ first championship in 53 years, Brunson said his next goal is to “try to go on ‘SVU.'” Something tells me Hargitay can make that happen.

2026 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.

This story was originally published June 18, 2026 at 4:45 PM.