OG Anunoby lifted the Larry O’Brien Trophy at Madison Square Garden on Sunday night, becoming the first London-born player to win an NBA Championship as a starter, and immediately turned his attention 3,500 miles east. The 28-year-old forward scored 24 points and pulled down nine rebounds as the New York Knicks closed out the Oklahoma City Thunder 112-104 in Game 6, sealing the franchise’s first title since 1973. Within minutes of the final buzzer, soaked in champagne in the Knicks locker room, Anunoby was talking about Brixton.
“Basketball in the UK is going to grow more and more, I really believe that,” Anunoby said. “Kids back home are watching this. When I was growing up, you didn’t see anyone who looked like you, who came from where you came from, winning these things. That changes now.”
From south London to the summit
Anunoby was born in Lambeth in 1997 before his family relocated to Missouri when he was four. He has retained his British passport and represented Great Britain at junior level before committing to the United States college system. Drafted 23rd by Toronto in 2017, he won his first ring with the Raptors in 2019 as a rotation piece behind Kawhi Leonard. This season was different. Acquired by New York in the December 2023 trade that sent RJ Barrett to Toronto, Anunoby became the defensive anchor and corner-three specialist that head coach Tom Thibodeau built the championship roster around.
His Finals numbers tell the story. Anunoby averaged 19.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.4 steals across the six games, shooting 44.1% from beyond the arc. In Game 4, with the series tied 2-2, he held Thunder MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to 6-of-19 from the field while pouring in 28 points himself. Finals MVP Jalen Brunson, asked afterwards who deserved the award alongside him, pointed across the dressing room. “OG. He’s the reason. Without him guarding their best player every night, we don’t win this.”
A British basketball moment
Anunoby joins a small but expanding group of British players making serious NBA impact. Toronto’s RJ Barrett, born in Canada to a British-Caribbean father who played for England, remains a borderline All-Star candidate. Indiana’s Pascal Siakam, who took British citizenship through his Cameroonian-English heritage, was a 2024 All-NBA Third Team selection. Below them, 19-year-old Tarris Reed Jr at Michigan and 6’10” prospect Liam McNeeley project as 2026 first-rounders.
The infrastructure is finally catching up. The British Basketball League collapsed into administration in March 2024 before being rescued by US investment group 777 Partners and rebranded as GB Basketball League last autumn. The new competition runs nine franchises, signed a four-year BBC iPlayer streaming deal, and reported average attendances of 3,200 in its debut campaign — modest by NBA standards but a 41% jump on the old BBL. Sport England registered 1.4 million regular basketball participants in its most recent Active Lives survey, second only to football among 16-24 year olds.
What has been missing is a homegrown headline act at the very top. Luol Deng, the previous benchmark, made two All-Star teams with Chicago but never reached a Finals. Anunoby has now done what no British-born player has managed: started, scored, and starred in a championship-clinching game.
What comes next
The NBA has positioned London as central to its European expansion. Commissioner Adam Silver confirmed in May that the proposed NBA Europe league, a 16-team competition launching in 2027, will include a London franchise alongside Paris, Berlin and Madrid. The O2 Arena will host two regular-season NBA games in January 2027, the most ever staged in the UK in a single season. Anunoby has been informally sounded out about an ambassadorial role.
The immediate ripple effects are easier to forecast:
- Knicks jerseys with Anunoby’s number 8 sold out across NBA Store UK within four hours of the final buzzer
- Basketball England reported a 312% spike in weekend session bookings on Monday morning
- Sky Sports confirmed it will broadcast a one-hour Anunoby documentary later this month
- GB Basketball confirmed Anunoby has been approached about joining the senior squad for EuroBasket 2027 qualifiers
Anunoby himself is contracted to New York through 2029 on a five-year, $212.5 million deal signed last July, and the Knicks will enter next season as title favourites. But the longer story he started writing on Sunday night may turn out to be a British one. “I want kids in London to see this and think, that could be me,” he said. “Because it can be. It really can be now.”
Sports journalist and editor at SportsPortal.net. Covers cricket, football, Formula 1, tennis, and basketball with a focus on how global sports connect with Pakistani audiences. Follows the PSL, Pakistan national cricket team, Premier League, and major international tournaments. Has reported on sports for digital audiences since 2021.
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