“I was like, ‘Hey, just so you know, I’m bringing Elena to the game,’ “ Wesley recalled of what he told the basketball player before his former costar tagged along for the April 3 NBA game
Credit: NY Knicks/Instagram
NEED TO KNOW
- Paul Wesley said NBA star Jalen Brunson is a “huge” fan of his CW show The Vampire Diaries
- He opted to surprise Brunson by bringing his former costar Nina Dobrev to a game on April 3
- Wesley joked that Brunson played so well during the New York Knicks’ 136-96 win over the Chicago Bulls because “Elena” was in attendance — referring to Dobrev’s character on the hit drama series
Paul Wesley said NBA superstar Jalen Brunson is a “huge fan” of The Vampire Diaries, so when he went to a recent New York Knicks game, he brought along former costar Nina Dobrev as a surprise.
The actor, 44, opened up about his friendship with the athlete, 29, on the July 22 episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast, hosted by Alex Cooper.
Highlighting that Brunson and his wife, Ali Brunson, are major fans of the supernatural CW show, Wesley said, “I’ve been going to Knicks games for years, and I’m friends with Jalen Brunson. He’s a good buddy of mine. Him and his wife are huge Vampire Diaries fans.”
Credit: Erika Goldring/Getty; Jemal Countess/Getty; Kevin Mazur/Getty
Knowing about his fandom, Wesley opted to bring Dobrev, 37, who played Elena Gilbert in the hit series, to a recent Knicks game.
“I texted him right before the game. I was like, ‘Hey, just so you know, I’m bringing Elena to the game.’ And he’s like, ‘No way,’ “ Wesley told Cooper, 31.
“They won by, like, 50 points, which is unheard of,” he continued, recalling the April 3 match between the Knicks and the Chicago Bulls, when the New York team won 136-96.
“I was like, ‘Jalen’s doing this for Elena, isn’t he? I know he is.’ It’s so funny,” Wesley then teased.
Credit: Kevin Mazur/WireImage
Vampire Diaries ran for eight seasons between 2009 and 2017 on The CW. It was based on the book series of the same name written by L. J. Smith.
The fan-favorite series followed Dobrev’s Elena and her love triangle with two centuries-old vampire brothers, Stefan and Damon Salvatore, played by Wesley and Ian Somerhalder, respectively.
Brunson has become known for his television fandom. After the Knicks Game 5 win on June 13, the NBA Finals MVP told reporters that his next goal was to “try to get on SVU,” referring to the long-running NBC Law & Order procedural starring Knicks superfan Mariska Hargitay.
The athlete said he exchanged texts with Hargitay, 62, after Game 1, and he has spoken in the past about his special connection to the actress.
Credit: Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty
During a 2025 episode of Roommates Show with Jalen Brunson & Josh Hart, Brunson said of Hargitay, “I’ve never been like super super like starstruck — super starstruck.”
“I saw her, I was like ‘Oh s—.’ The first time we met, it was awesome. We talked and everything,” he added.
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And the feeling is mutual. The SVU star — who recently starred in Broadway’s Every Brilliant Thing — praised the athlete during an appearance on Today in June.
“He is so singular and magnificent. He is a magnificent human,” Hargitay said of Brunson.
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