Ben Stiller is a proud New York Knicks superfan — so much so that he doesn’t mind playfully calling out other fans of the NBA team.
During an appearance on the latest edition of the Roommates Show with Jalen Brunson & Josh Hart, Stiller, 59, hilariously revealed why he believes Mariska Hargitay is the “envy” of every Knicks fan.
“I know Mariska, I know Mariska a lot. The love that Mariska Hargitay gets from you postgame is the envy of every other Knicks fan, Knicks celebrity fan. She gets a hug after a loss,” Stiller told Knicks guard Jalen Brunson.
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Ben Stiller at a Knicks game on March 6, 2025
After some laughter and joke-filled banter from Brunson’s co-host, Josh Hart, Brunson, 28, shook his head and agreed.
He explained that he always feels the need to say hi to the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit star, 61, after Stiller asked him, “What’s the deal?”
“I just remember my dad always watching the show,” said Brunson. “It was like, you just hear the iconic [theme song] ‘don-don’ all the time in the house. My dad also watches the TV incredibly loud, so you hear it throughout the house.”
“And so, [I] always found myself watching the show and 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 added.
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NEW YORK KNICKS/X
Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni at a New York Knicks game
According to Brunson, the current captain of the Knicks, when he joined the NBA, he rewatched Law & Order: SVU, beginning with the first season.
“I watched all the way through. It’s like a pregame show for me. I watched it before I took my nap, whatever. That’s when I was in Dallas [with the Mavericks]. Being in New York, I’m kind of on a time constraint, so I kind of have to get my nap in,” he said.
The basketball star also recalled his and Hargitay’s first meeting.
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Mariska Hargitay, Jalen Brunson at a Dallas Mavericks vs New York Knicks game on February 8, 2024
“I’ve never been like super super like starruck — super star struck. I saw her, I was like ‘Oh s—.’ The first time we met, it was awesome. We talked and everything.”
Brunson has just as much respect for Stiller, however. Last August, he candidly recalled meeting the actor in an exclusive conversation with PEOPLE at Fanatics Fest in New York City.
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“My first interaction was at a Knicks game and he was talking about just how much of a Knicks fan he was. And I was just like, in awe. That was it,” said Brunson.
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