The NBA takeover at Saturday Night’s Main Event was a one-night play, and the reasoning behind it was pure business.
WWE stacked its Madison Square Garden card with basketball star power on July 18. Knicks guard Jalen Brunson stood in Roman Reigns’ corner against Seth Rollins, Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton emerged to aid Rollins, and Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns delivered chokeslams to help Danhausen win a No Disqualification match. Trae Young also appeared, tearing a Brunson jersey to draw heat from the crowd.
Brunson had already accepted Reigns’ invitation in the weeks leading up to the show, setting up the acknowledgment segment that closed the night.
Do not expect a repeat at SummerSlam. On Wrestling Observer Radio, Bryan Alvarez said the basketball involvement was tied specifically to WWE’s push onto ESPN platforms and was never planned to extend into the August event.
The latest I heard is they’re not going to be involved in SummerSlam. It was just something to do for this night. But they wanted to get their ESPN coverage, and I’m sure they got a lot. I don’t know how much they got with the final of the World Cup. They were happy about it, let me tell you.
The ESPN framing is the key detail. WWE’s premium live events now stream on ESPN’s direct-to-consumer platform, and stacking the MSG show with recognizable NBA names gave the company a marketable, mainstream-friendly spectacle to headline that rollout.
The timing also placed the show in the middle of a saturated New York sports weekend. The 2026 FIFA World Cup final landed the following afternoon at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, where Spain edged Argentina, giving the region back-to-back marquee events competing for national attention.
For SummerSlam, the focus shifts back to the ring. Reigns defends the World Heavyweight Championship against Rollins, and the NBA cameos will not carry over into that match.
