Jalen Brunson Visits Mariska Hargitay at Broadway's “Every Brilliant Thing” — and Gets a Standing Ovation (Exclusive)

The Knicks star attended Hargitay's June 26 performance at New York City's Hudson Theatre, where the actress gave him a shout-out from the stage

NEED TO KNOW

• Jalen Brunson supported Mariska Hargitay by attending her Broadway performance of Every Brilliant Thing at the Hudson Theatre
• The Knicks star’s jersey was featured in the show, earning cheers from the audience and a standing ovation
• Hargitay and Brunson’s friendship began after he revealed he grew up watching Law & Order: SVU with his family

Mariska Hargitay is usually the one cheering for Jalen Brunson. But the New York Knicks captain and MVP definitely returned the favor in a big way.

On Friday, June 26, "Captain Clutch" Brunson made a surprise appearance during Hargitay's performance in Every Brilliant Thing, the hit solo play she's starring in on Broadway through Sunday, July 5.

PEOPLE has exclusive photos from the visit, which had everyone at New York City's Hudson Theatre cheering in celebration.

The athlete sat center orchestra, smiling and watching Hargitay as she worked her way through Duncan Macmillan and Jonny Donahoe's tearjerker — which follows a narrator reflecting on life through a list of small, joyful "brilliant" moments that make it worth living.

Towards the end of the story, Hargitay's character sifts through a box and pulls out items on her list. For Friday's show, one of them happened to be Jalen's Knicks jersey. She dubbed the list entry “No. 555,555: Knicks in Five.”

This isn't the first time that jersey has made an appearance in Every Brilliant Thing. Producers surprised Hargitay by sneaking one in during the playoffs — though it hit differently with Brunson in the crowd.

Audience members then gave the star a standing ovation. And though he snuck out before Hargitay's bow, he applauded her backstage afterwards as the two posed for pictures with their spouses (Ali Marks and Peter Hermann)

"It was so sweet," a source on the scene tells PEOPLE. "He was congratulating her and telling her how much he loved the show. She was so thrilled he was there. You could see how much admiration they have for one another.”

Friday's moment marked the latest chapter in Hargitay and Brunson's unlikely friendship, which began after she learned that the athlete was a longtime fan of her show, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

"I was so flattered and thrilled, because I was such a huge fan," Hargitay, 62, said last year during a visit to Late Night with Seth Meyers, explaining that she was touched to learn the Knicks star had grown up watching the series.

Brunson, 29, later revealed that SVU was a fixture in his childhood home. "I just remember my dad always watching the show," he said on his podcast. "You just hear the iconic 'dun-dun' all the time in the house."

The NBA star said he continued watching the NBC drama as he got older, and remains such a devoted fan that it became part of his game-day routine. "It's a pregame show for me," Brunson said. "I've always loved that show."

In fact, SVU was so important to him that meeting Hargitay left him unusually starstruck. "I've never been super, super starstruck. I saw her? I was like, 'Oh s—,' " he admitted.

Their first meeting led to a friendship that has only grown outside of the arena, with Brunson and Marks even attending the premiere of Hargitay's documentary My Mom Jayne at the Tribeca Festival last year.

But it's been on the court where Hargitay has proved to be one of Brunson's most enthusiastic supporters, frequently attending Knicks games at Madison Square Garden. She was there celebrating the championship team's biggest win courtside during the NBA finales earlier this month, and congratulated him with a hug afterwards.

Knicks fans are familiar with that hug. Brunson routinely greets Hargitay with an embrace after games — so much so that fellow Knicks superfan Ben Stiller admitted to being jealous of their bond.

“The love that Mariska Hargitay gets from you post-game is the envy of every other Knicks celebrity game,” Stiller told Brunson on his podcast.

The friendship carried over to Hargitay's preparation for her Broadway debut Every Brilliant Thing.

Earlier this month, she told Hoda Kotb that she keeps a photo of Brunson in her dressing room, describing the athlete as one of several people who inspires her and gives her an extra boost of confidence to tackle the daunting challenge of doing live theater.

"Many athletes are my heroes," Hargitay said, citing Brunson's focus, discipline and ability to perform under pressure. "My dad was an athlete. That mentality of 'We just work harder.' ”

The Emmy winner later attended the Knicks championship parade wearing a custom shirt that read "Brilliant Thing #11: The Knicks," a nod to both the title of the play and Brunson's jersey number.

Every Brilliant Thing opened on Broadway on March 12.

The revival was originally led by Tony Award winner Daniel Radcliffe, who received a second Tony nomination for his performance. Tracee Ellis Ross will take over the role after Hargitay's run wraps and remain through the show's Aug. 9 closing.

Since the show's first incarnation debuted in 2006 and through its development into the 70-minute piece it is today, Every Brilliant Thing has been performed in more than 80 countries. It was previously adapted into an HBO special starring co-creator Donahoe, and transferred to Broadway following an acclaimed run in the West End.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The Broadway production has also formed an official partnership with mental health nonprofit Project Healthy Minds to reduce barriers to care by making support options for mental health services easily accessible to those in need.

A hallmark of the show is its audience participation, with theatergoers regularly invited to take part in the performance. For Hargitay's run, she's regularly cast her celebrity friends in those roles, including Kotb, Nicole Kidman, Paul Rudd, Katie Couric, George Stephanopoulos and her SVU costar, Ice-T.

Tickets for Every Brilliant Thing are now on sale.

Read the full article here