NBC is turning over “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” to the newly crowned NBA champion New York Knicks with a full-court episode that includes the Wu-Tang Clan as musical guest.
Monday night’s episode will be devoted entirely to the Knicks following the franchise’s first NBA championship in 53 years. The special episode will air at 11:35 p.m. ET/PT on NBC and stream the following day on Peacock.
Several of the team’s biggest stars are scheduled to appear alongside host Jimmy Fallon, a longtime Knicks superfan. Guests are expected to include NBA Finals MVP Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges.
“A booking 53 years in the making,” Fallon said in a statement.
NBC said the episode will also feature appearances by the full Knicks roster and head coach Mike Brown, along with unspecified surprise guests. Legendary hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan is slated to perform.
The audience inside Studio 6B at 30 Rockefeller Plaza will consist entirely of Knicks fans who were unable to attend the NBA Finals in person, according to NBC. The network said the move is intended as a tribute to the team’s long-suffering fan base, which endured more than five decades without a championship.
The special episode underscores both the cultural impact of the Knicks’ championship run and Fallon’s well-documented devotion to the team. The “Tonight Show” host attended multiple Finals games at Madison Square Garden and devoted portions of recent monologues to the Knicks’ playoff run, describing one Finals comeback victory as “just insanity.”
Fallon has frequently incorporated Knicks references into his comedy and sketches over the years, and his enthusiasm for the team became a recurring theme throughout the Finals. Earlier this week, he joked about his courtside experiences while recounting the Knicks’ dramatic comeback in Game 4.
The episode represents a rare full-scale takeover of a major late-night program by a sports team. The Knicks ended a title drought dating back to 1973, sparking citywide celebrations and drawing widespread attention from celebrities, politicians and sports fans across the country.
NBC said previously announced guests scheduled for Monday’s broadcast will be rescheduled for future episodes. “The Tonight Show” remains the top late-night program on social media in followers, engagement and video views, according to NBC.
