New York Knicks stars Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and co-host Matt Hillman hosted their first live event for their podcast, “Roommates Show,” in front of thousands of fans and celebrities on Rumsey Playfield at Central Park on Saturday.
Including multiple guest appearances and a musical performance by Action Bronson, the panel’s first guest on stage electrified the crowd as they got to see the newest member of the Knicks, Mikal Bridges, who was acquired from the Brooklyn Nets earlier in the summer.
“It felt surreal,” Knicks fan Omar Hegazy said. “For years, both Knicks fans and players have joked about the whole Villanova Knicks coming together, thinking it was a dream, and now here he is hanging out with Jalen and Hart as teammates again.”
Bridges added input about his time as a Net, which was naturally followed by loud boos from the crowd.
“Y’all should appreciate Brooklyn because it made me better,” Bridges implored.
Additionally, he said he has an “itch right now” to start the season and play alongside his former college teammates Brunson, Hart, and Donte DiVincenzo, much like most fans who can’t wait for the season to start on Oct. 22. That marks the Knicks’ first regular-season game of the 2024 season against the defending-champion Boston Celtics.
The panel then had appearances by actor and comedian JB Smoove, comedian Jon Stewart, and former Knicks point guard Stephon Marbury.
“It’s a different feeling— talking about you guys because you guys bring a different type of chemistry and a different type of energy to New York,” Marbury expressed to Hart and Brunson. “You guys are really trying to win a championship.”
The block party ended with a live performance by Action Bronson, an ardent Knicks fan, Queens native, and previous podcast guest.
Despite rainfall during the event, fans continued listening and watching, not wanting to miss a moment of the Roommates Show’s first-ever live performance. But this eagerness by fans was already known before the show even started when lines built up throughout Central Park to get into the venue. This was certainly an exciting day for fans. As Marbury said, these Knicks players bring a different feeling to this city, a prideful feeling.
