New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson speaks during a ceremony at New York City Hall after the championship parade. Brunson was the finals MVP.
Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Jalen Brunson took a break from basketball on Friday to catch one of the biggest tennis matches of the year. The Knicks point guard was spotted in the stands at Arthur Ashe Stadium for the all-American US Open semifinal between Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton, seated near longtime Knicks superfan Ben Stiller as the two Americans battled for a spot in Sunday's final.
Brunson and Stiller were part of a star-studded crowd that packed Flushing Meadows for the occasion. Tennis legend Serena Williams was in attendance, as were actors Salma Hayek and Rami Malek, along with US women's soccer star Trinity Rodman, who is Shelton's girlfriend. The atmosphere matched the stakes, with an American guaranteed a spot in the championship match regardless of the outcome.
They got their money's worth. Shelton came back from a set down to beat Tiafoe 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5, reaching his first career Grand Slam final and putting himself one win from ending a 23-year drought for American men at the majors. The No. 8 seed finished with 20 aces and 47 winners, turning the match on a grueling 19-point game to break Tiafoe and close out the third set. He will face top seed Alexander Zverev on Sunday with the title on the line.
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For Brunson, the appearance comes during a well-earned offseason. The Knicks captured the 2026 NBA championship in June, the franchise's first title in 53 years, beating the Spurs 4-1 in the Finals. The 30-year-old was named Finals MVP after averaging 28.4 points in the postseason, and he underwent left wrist surgery in July to address a tendon issue. He is expected back for the start of training camp as New York begins its title defense under Mike Brown alongside Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby and Josh Hart.
Stiller, meanwhile, is one of the most recognizable courtside regulars at Madison Square Garden and a fixture at New York sporting events. Seeing him alongside the reigning Finals MVP at a marquee US Open match was a fitting snapshot of a city still riding the high of a championship summer, with an American now on the verge of making more history just a few miles from the Garden.