Jalen Brunson has hit plenty of big shots in his life. Most have been into a basketball hoop. Thanks to SNL, he can add one that went into a trash can. The NBA star swished a Pizza Hut wrapper from a good distance during an office sketch, and it’s a good thing he did because apparently the entire ending to the sketch was going to be changed if he missed.
Saturday Night Live’s Dan Bulla, who co-wrote the sketch, hit up social media after the episode and said he wrote two different versions of the ending. One had lines for everyone if he made the big shot, and another had separate lines for everyone if he missed the big shot. Apparently in dress rehearsal, he missed, and they all did the sad lines. To the surprise of absolutely no one, however, when the big moment hit during the live show, he swished it. Here’s what Bulla said on Instagram…
We had two sets of cue cards for the ending -- one if he made it, and one if he missed it. He missed at dress but hit the shot ON AIR... because Jalen Brunson is BUILT FOR THE MOMENT!!!
Saturday Night Live hosts (and even some cast members) often talk about the pressure they feel performing on the show. Many of them aren’t natural comedians, and they’re not used to having to memorize lines and get everything correct in one take. I’m sure Brunson was nervous about doing all of that (as well as his teammates who cameod), but I have to know what kind of nerves he felt before throwing that pizza hut wrapper. Yes, he’s used to making big shots, but there’s a special kind of pressure that comes with everyone expecting you to come through with something entirely in your skill set.
The sketch in question was about a group of office workers who finished their lunches and threw the wrappers into the trash. Brunson missed his first attempt but then kept derailing the meeting to shoot again because there was still time left on the clock. He eventually revealed himself to be the Jalen Brunson and was given one last chance to make the big shot, which he, of course, nailed. You can watch the sketch in all its glory below…
One of my favorite things about SNL is the diversity of its hosts. I like seeing a mix of actors, musicians, athletes and comedians. Thankfully, showrunner Lorne Michaels and company are giving us exactly that at the beginning of this this season. 52 started with Jalen Brunson and is going to move into Dakota Johnson, Shane Gillis and Inde Navarette. That should guarantee a wide variety of sketches with different subject matters and comedic sensibilities. I can’t wait.
