Jalen Brunson Pulls Up to Support Ben Shelton in US Open Final a Day After Getting Shoutout From Harry Styles

Jalen Brunson joined the packed stands as Ben Shelton tried to end a 23-year American men’s major drought.


Jalen Brunson Pulls Up to Support Ben Shelton in US Open Final a Day After Getting Shoutout From Harry Styles

Jalen Brunson (Image credits - ABC15 Arizona)

A number of big names and celebrities turned up for the US Open Men’s Final between Ben Shelton and Alexander Zverev on Sunday night. However, the biggest attraction in the stands from the NBA world was Jalen Brunson.

Over the past three months, Brunson has rarely missed the headlines. After leading the New York Knicks to their first championship in 53 years, the fans of New York have put him on a pedestal.

And why wouldn’t they? The Knicks fans are one of the most passionate and loyal fanbase in the NBA and Brunson has led them to the pinnacle of the sport.

It was a historic championship run that saw them record clean sweeps over the Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers before beating the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals in five games.

The US Open Men’s Final was always going to be a big draw with an American playing in it. Brunson was also seen in attendance as he showed support for Shelton.

Ben Shelton was looking to make history on Sunday. It had been 23 years since an American male player won a Grand Slam. Unfortunately for the fans, Zverev registered his second Grand Slam title as he won the final 6-3, 7-6, 5-7, 6-2.

Brunson’s presence in the stands caught many people’s attention. The Knicks guard was present for the semifinals between Shelton and Frances Tiafoe on Friday and was even name-dropped by the tennis star after the match.

Brunson linked up with Shelton after the game and assured him that he would be there to show his support on Sunday.

His presence at the Arthur Ashe stadium comes just a day after he was seen attending Harry Styles’ concert at the Madison Square Garden. The singer gave a huge shoutout for the Finals MVP winner and received a loud cheer from the crowd.

Knicks players and WAGs show out for US Open final

While Brunson may be the “King of New York”, his Knicks teammates also grabbed some of the spotlight as they all showed up on Sunday night with their WAGs.

With history on the line, the likes of Josh Hart, Landry Shamet and Karl-Anthony Towns were all in attendance for one of the biggest sporting events in New York.

Before the final, Hart even tweeted, “We all Ben Shelton fans today” on X. The support was hardly surprising given the scale of what Shelton was trying to accomplish.

Not only was Shelton trying to be the first American to win the US Open since 2003, he also became the first black American man to reach the US Open singles final since Arthur Ashe in 1972.

The Knicks are enjoying their offseason and making most of their summer. All of them were seen together when Towns tied the knot with Jordyn Woods last month. While they were not seated together at the Arthur Ashe, their presence grabbed a lot of eyeballs.

The Knicks have been the center of attention in New York over the last three months. However, several of their stars were happy to hand the spotlight over on Sunday. Shelton had the opportunity to have a moment like the Knicks experienced back in June, but he fell short in the final.

Mariska Hargitay Hosting Emmys with NBA Star Jalen Brunson in Opening

Since winning the championship in June, Jalen Brunson has been at the top of the NBA world. With still over a month left for the new season to get underway, he is doing the most he can to enjoy his summer.

Jalen Brunson and Mariska Hargitay
Jalen Brunson and Mariska Hargitay (Image credits – Variety)

It was recently announced that Brunson would host the season premier of SNL later this month. It also meant that he will become the fifth-ever NBA player to host the show, joining the likes of Bill Russell, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley and LeBron James.

However, it looks like Brunson is going to have some more screen presence. American actress Mariska Hargitay and Brunson are set to appear via a pre-tape at the start of the telecast of the Primetime Emmy Awards.

Hargitay is a huge fan of the Knicks. She shares a good relationship with Brunson and even credited him for uniting the city of New York after their championship victory. Knicks fans will be more than happy to see more of their favorite superstar on screen.

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