Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart’s Central Park event shows how ex-Villanova stars have ‘transformed’ the Knicks

NEW YORK — Jon Stewart sat next to Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart, looking out to a crowd of roughly 5,000 fans who had tolerated periodic rain showers to see them all onstage.

Then, the host of The Daily Show called it a “legendary” night.

“You guys are like [bleeping] Simon and Garfunkel,” Stewart told Brunson and Hart, the New York Knicks who previously starred at Villanova. “You’re playing Central Park. Look at this.”

They were at the Roommates Show Block Party, a live version of Brunson and Hart’s podcast launched earlier this year. Stewart headlined a flashy guest list that included Mikal Bridges, the newest “‘Nova Knick” following a summer blockbuster trade from the Brooklyn Nets; actor and comedian J.B. Smoove; and former Knicks standout Stephon Marbury. And the event further illustrated how Brunson and Hart have captivated their current basketball home with their gritty playing style and mounting victories, on the cusp of a 2024-25 season with massive expectations.

“What do they always add in front of Knick fans? ‘Long-suffering,’” said Stewart, widely known as one of the team’s most passionate celebrity supporters. “‘Suffering’ no more, my friends. We are filled with admiration. … What you guys have brought is unbelievable.”

The banter between the longtime teammates — perhaps aided by Hart downing a bottle of red wine as the night progressed — was also on display Saturday.

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Brunson trash-talked Bridges’ typically elite on-ball defense, saying, “I’ve busted your [butt] for years. … I’m 6-2 and you can’t guard me in the post.” Bridges and Hart, meanwhile, called Brunson “fat head” and “big head,” in reference to the actual size of his skull and face. Brunson and Hart naturally roped in Donte DiVincenzo, the other ‘Nova Knick who was not present Saturday, by retelling stories about when he infamously missed a group FaceTime call after Bridges was traded, or when he may or may not have swung a free weight at Hart while they were at Villanova.

According to Hart, “I said, ‘If you swing that weight and hit me, you better knock me out. Because if you don’t, I don’t even curse like that, but I’m gonna [bleep] you up.’

“But, you know, water under the bridge, Donte. We love you, bro.”

Bridges was an appropriate first guest Saturday, following a candid Roommates conversation with Brunson and Hart released in February about Knicks fans taking over the Barclays Center when Bridges was a Net. When asked Saturday about his immediate reaction to the late-June trade to the Knicks, Bridges said he was “in shock” and “super geeked” to reunite with his college teammates who together won the 2016 and 2018 national championships.

“You see how [Hart] will get 100 rebounds,” Bridges said. “You’ll see how [Brunson] will score 60, and Donte will shoot 70 [percent] from three. I’m paired up with a lot of psychos, and I’m happy to be here.”

Marbury, a Brooklyn native who frequented playoff games at Madison Square Garden last season, told Brunson and Hart that he also recognizes the “magnetic” chemistry between the longtime friends. Smoove, who is best known for his work on Curb Your Enthusiasm and Saturday Night Live, echoed the enthusiasm by saying, “This is y’all’s moment, right here.” In between segments, fans threw jerseys and hats onstage for the players to autograph and broke into “MVP!” chants for Brunson, who finished fifth in voting for that award last season after averaging 28.7 points and 6.7 assists per game.

“The captain!” Hart yelled to the crowd. “Everybody salute!”

Now the ‘Nova Knicks’ goal is to spearhead a deep playoff run, after a slew of injuries significantly contributed to a second-round exit following a 50-win regular season in 2023-24.

Bridges has played in 474 consecutive regular-season games, and continued to expand his offensive game as a Net by averaging 19.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.6 assists last season. Brunson took an extreme discount on a contract extension he signed earlier this summer, an effort to keep this core together long-term. Yet the Boston Celtics are the defending NBA champions after rolling through the 2023-24 regular season and playoffs, and the 76ers are poised to be a legitimate challenger after adding perennial All-Star Paul George in free agency.

And Saturday’s event was, unsurprisingly, peppered with Philly references.

The viral photo of a stunned Stewart reacting to Tyrese Maxey’s nuclear finish to the Sixers’ Game 5 win at the Garden was projected onto the video boards, with Stewart acknowledging, “I was very angry.” When Bridges was asked about his career highlights, somebody in the crowd mockingly yelled, “playing with Ben Simmons,” the former Sixers All-Star whose career has been torpedoed by injuries since forcing a trade out of Philly in 2022. Hart egged on fans who started a chant of “[expletive] Embiid!’”, which serenaded Sixers 2023 NBA Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid during last spring’s fabulous first-round playoff series. Stewart half-jokingly called Philly a “terrible city” and a “hell hole,” then noted it is his wife’s hometown.

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Then, when announcing their favorite NFL teams, Brunson — who spent much of his childhood living in South Jersey — proudly stood and reaffirmed his Eagles fandom. The superstar guard “politely” asked Stewart if he would make a wager on the Oct. 20 matchup between the Eagles and New York Giants, the team Stewart fervently supports.

If the Eagles win, Brunson posed, Stewart must sit courtside at the Garden wearing a jersey with the name and number of Saquon Barkley, the star running back who left the Giants to sign with the Eagles. If the Giants win, Brunson would walk into the arena before a game in any jersey Stewart chooses.

Stewart took the bet. It capped a night in Central Park that illustrated the ‘Nova Knicks’ Philly roots — and the way they continue to captivate their current basketball home on the verge of a fascinating season.

“I’m telling you — you guys have transformed this city,” Stewart said. “I love it.”