This story appears in SLAM 263. Get your copy here.

Just three and a half days after winning the NBA championship, and less than 24 hours before being part of a historic ticker-tape parade that will go down as one of the largest title celebrations in sports history, OG Anunoby is sitting on the floor of SLAM HQ in New York City, leaning on the Larry O’Brien trophy beside him as he poses for photos for this issue.

The same calmness he displays on the court is the type of energy he fills the room with on this Wednesday afternoon. Unbothered, even-keeled, steady. The casual conversation in between flicks revolves around the excitement for the World Cup, which kicked off a few days earlier. OG, in fact, attended the France vs. Senegal game the day before at MetLife Stadium just a few miles away and enthusiastically details the experience.

At times it feels as if the championship trophy isn’t even in the room with us, as the topic of conversation casually changes from the World Cup to Indiana football.

It’s as if it hasn’t completely sunk in yet for him (or the rest of us) that he hit one of the most legendary shots in NBA history—and created arguably the most iconic moment in Knicks history.

It’s been a Hollywood-script type journey for OG. The 6-7 wing became a fan favorite over the past couple of seasons in New York due to his relentless effort on both ends of the floor, humble demeanor and consistency. But Wednesday, June 10, 2026, took things to another level.

The putback tip-in from OG after a missed three-pointer from Jalen Brunson to give the Knicks the lead with 1.2 seconds remaining in Game 4—part of a historic 29-point comeback—etched the London-born star into sports lore territory.

The irony of that winning play was how similar it was to the sequence that ended his college career early with a devastating knee injury back at Indiana while also attempting a putback. The injury led to OG’s college career abruptly ending in January 2017. Many experts believed it was the sole reason why he slid into the late first round of the NBA Draft that spring, after initially being projected as a lottery pick. But it’s as if life always finds a way to bring things full circle, and ultimately rewards those who fearlessly stay the course.

And then a couple of years later, during the 2019 Toronto Raptors’ championship run, OG had an emergency appendectomy right before the start of the playoffs, which sidelined him for the entirety of the postseason.

Why bring up all these obstacles and challenges that essentially happened back-to-back between 2017 and 2019? Because it’s what makes witnessing June 2026 so special. To break through all the hurdles that life threw his way, see it through and ultimately walk away as the Big Apple’s hero is Marvel-type stuff. Except OG really made it happen in real life.

We caught up with the man of the summer after our photo shoot to talk about the championship run, his journey to this stage, what’s still left to be accomplished and more.

SLAM: Ben Stiller referred to the tip-in as “the most iconic moment in New York Knicks basketball history probably” in a recent interview. Have you had the chance to process how that moment will live on for eternity?

OG: I haven’t really processed that, it’s still too soon. But, I mean, everyone’s been telling me [that]. So, it’s pretty cool. It’s an amazing feeling. I’m sure as time goes on, I’ll start realizing more and more, even though I do obviously realize that it was a big moment.

SLAM: Before the tip-in, you had the huge block in transition on the other end. Walk us through that play, because as much as the tip-in gets rightfully celebrated, if you had not blocked that layup, the game’s result would have likely been different.

OG: Mitch [Mitchell Robinson] was trying to crash the glass. KAT [Karl-Anthony Towns] tipped it out to me. [But] he didn’t know I was gonna come in, so he tipped the ball pretty far out, and I was running in and De’Aaron [Fox] was able to get a head start, and [then it was me] just hustling back. I mean, that’s what our coaches always tell us to do. That’s just how you play basketball. You hustle back, you play ’til the end, and I just tried to make a play on the ball. And I was able to block it.

SLAM: Even though you didn’t get a chance to play in the 2019 Playoffs due to your appendectomy, was there anything you learned from that Raptors championship run—whether mental or emotional—that helped you with the title run this year?

OG: Just all the adversity that goes into a playoff run. Each series, besides the first-round series—but even the first-round series, we lost the first game to Orlando. So, fighting back through adversity, just the ups and downs of a playoff series, never getting too high or too low and just playing ’til the end. Each game is 48 minutes—playing ’til the end. And I think we showed that this year in our own run.

SLAM: Did you see any similarities between this Knicks team and the 2019 Raptors?

OG: Both super talented, super deep teams, really well coached, and then also just a bunch of mentally tough guys who just come together with a goal of winning.

SLAM: Did any of the guys from that Raptors squad reach out to you during this championship run? If so, what did they say?

OG: Basically all of my teammates reached out and they were just telling me that they were happy for me. Just congratulated me and told me I’m playing amazing and that the team’s looking good. Everyone was just happy.

SLAM: Your father was a business professor, and I’ve seen a post floating around social media that you told him at 8 years old that if he bought you a hoop, it’d be the best investment he’d make because you’d practice on it every day. Can you walk us through that story and just the impact your dad had on your development?

OG: Yeah, when I was a kid, I wanted a basketball hoop for the backyard, and he was just like, “I hope you use it, make sure you use it. If you really want this hoop, I don’t want to get a hoop and then you never use it.” So, me and my brother and my siblings, we all made sure we used it a lot. I’d be out there every day, every night after school, just shooting around. And so it was definitely worth it. He made a big impact on me. He was my best friend. He still is my best friend. I know he’d be super proud, and I miss him every day.

SLAM: I also read that your dad would encourage you and your siblings to read for one hour every evening. Is that a practice you still do today? Are there other practices or teachings of his that you still apply to your life?

OG: Just the hard work. No matter what you do, working as hard as you can, always giving your best effort. I don’t read an hour every day still, but I need to start doing that again because reading is great.

SLAM: Do you remember your favorite book from those days?

OG: Aesop’s Fables. I used to read it a lot. I don’t know [why]. I just used to read that book a lot and all the stories throughout it.

SLAM: People have gravitated toward you because you seem to just be yourself in front of the cameras and not play up a different personality for TV. It feels like just your authentic self. Can you tell us how important it’s been for you to just be yourself in front of the cameras even as your profile has grown over the years?

OG: I think it’s very important to just remain yourself, remain humble, remain just staying grounded. I’m always myself. I’m very laid-back and chill, and I don’t think that’ll ever change.

SLAM: Nine years into your NBA career, can you walk us through some of the biggest adjustments you’ve had to make on the court? Whether that’s switching roles or changes to your game or maybe more mental adjustments.

OG: Probably just each time there’s a new coach, a new system, new terminology, just getting used to all of that. As the year goes on, it always gets easier and easier. And as I’ve played more years in the League, it gets easier and easier. I’ve also had great teammates, and we’re all going through it and learning and adjusting on the fly. So, we’re all there for each other to pick each other up.

SLAM: Are there still things that you haven’t checked off yet in your career that you want to achieve?

OG: Of course. I mean, along with the team accolades, [some] individual accolades [are] All-Defensive First-Team, Defensive Player of the Year, NBA All-Star, All-NBA, stuff like that.

SLAM: During the NBA Finals, there were clips circulating on social media showing packed watch parties in London in the middle of the night supporting the Knicks. Did you see those? What went through your mind as a London native?

OG: Yes, I was able to see some of the clips. It’s amazing—the support we have in England, London. Basketball’s growing more and more each year. There are more and more fans, there are more and more kids playing. It’s really cool to see the growth of the game and even just the support for me and the Knicks.

SLAM: A big reason for the growth of the game in London has been grassroots events, like all the camps you do every summer and your own personal investment in making sure the sport continues to properly expand. What has it been like witnessing that development?

OG: I just see a lot of talent, a lot of untapped potential of kids—boys and girls—who could play basketball. Just the more awareness you bring, and the more [kids] see people in that profession, it makes a big impact and could draw them to that or anything else. So just going back, being around, trying to be influential and trying to have them learn to love the game of basketball.

SLAM: We read that you can technically play at the upcoming 2028 L.A. Summer Olympics for the Nigerian team, the British team or the American team. Have you had a chance to think about those options yet?

OG: Well, I’ve thought about all of them, but I haven’t really sat down and really, really, really thought about it. All those teams are great, and it’d be amazing to play for each of those teams. It’d be an honor.

SLAM: So, it’s safe to say that you will be playing in the 2028 L.A. Summer Olympics for one of them?

OG: Yeah, for sure.

SLAM: As the 2025-26 season officially gets stamped in the history books, what final message do you have for the fans?

OG: Thank you for all your support and for welcoming all of us. But, I mean, I’m speaking for myself, welcoming me since I got here. It really means a lot to me how you guys have supported me throughout everything…and go Knicks!

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Portraits by Alex Subers.