New York Knicks forward Og Anunoby (8) rebounds as San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle defends during the first half of Game 5 of the NBA Finals basketball series, Saturday, June 13, 2026, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
OG paused for a second as he sat in a room full of media when asked about what was going through his mind, after the Knicks broke a 53-year NBA Championship drought. Unlike his first title with the Raptors where he didn’t take the floor on that run due to a ruptured appendix, he was one of the major catalysts that helped claim this championship. It had been nine years in the making, but Anunoby finally got his chance to be the player everyone knew he could be.
“We did it. You know, that was our goal from the start in September in Abu Dhabi. We went through a lot this season, a lot of ups and downs,” he said. “But we just stayed with it.”
That word resilient was used three times by Anunoby during his three-minute post-match presser. It was a word used all through the season by NBA analysts when they were searching for words to describe the Knicks. And you heard it all through their Championship run. They were a team that just wouldn’t quit. It’s no surprise then that Anunoby found himself on this roster – a gritty, team-first squad with self belief.
