I was vacationing in Bar Harbor, Maine, with my father and youngest son when a bizarre email crossed my phone. A marketing company was offering me ten minutes with OG Anunoby. The Knicks’ star forward had partnered with the water brand Essentia and would be making the promotional rounds in two days. Would I be available to chat?
There are circumstances in which you decline an interview while on vacation—especially one spent introducing your father to an aunt he’d never met—but passing up ten minutes
with OG would be a criminal dereliction of duty. Also, full disclosure: Anunoby is my favorite Knick, and the 12-year-old fanboy in me was short circuiting a little bit. Ten minutes isn’t much time, though, and my head filled with all the questions I might squeeze in.
Ogugua “OG” Anunoby was born in London in 1997 to Nigerian parents of Igbo descent. His mother, Grace, a national-level track and field athlete in Nigeria, died of cancer when he was one. At four, OG moved with his father, a university professor, and six siblings to Jefferson City, Missouri. His older brother Chigbo later played in the NFL. OG gave up football for basketball around age eight, starred at Jefferson City High School, and went on to Indiana University. Despite a major knee injury, the Toronto Raptors selected him 23rd overall in the 2017 NBA Draft. On December 30, 2023, the Raptors traded Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa, and Malachi Flynn to the New York Knicks for RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, and a second-round pick.
Unlike some athletes and celebrities who divulge everything about themselves for attention, OG remains an enigma. Little is known about his life off the court and on it, he carries himself like a Zen master. He rarely displays his passions during games. When he tipped in Jalen Brunson’s miss to complete a 29-point comeback and seal Game Four of this year’s Finals, the play was instantly minted as iconic. Anunoby, who scored 33 points that night, simply smiled while his teammates and the Garden exploded in ecstasy.
In nine seasons, Anunoby has received just nine technical fouls. Consider the following exchange with Desmond Bane, which is about as riled up as OG gets. The musclebound Magic guard wound up and rifled the basketball at a defenseless OG, who responded with a mild shove and a perplexed, “What was that?” Moments later, they were smiling and joking, and the game resumed as if nothing had happened.
He operates the same in interviews. Given a question, he provides a concise reply that satisfies the basic requirements of answering it without betraying any of his inner mechanisms. The dude takes open-ended queries and slams them shut like a book—and I suspect he draws some secret amusement from it. Maybe in a longer sit-down, the two-time All-Defensive player and future Hall of Famer might reveal another layer of the onion. With ten minutes, I was handcuffed. Perhaps another time I can ask something meaty, like how the death of his father in September 2018 affected him during that championship season, or what lessons he learned from Kawhi Leonard. For now, I loaded up some softballs and hit the field.
In typical OG fashion, he appeared in my Zoom window with the hood of his tan sweatshirt pulled up.
Russell: How’s your day going?
OG: Good. How about you?
[Self-consciously noticing that his voice is higher than usual] It’s been a long day. But Essentia is the reason we’re talking today. What made the partnership a good fit for you?
It’s my favorite thing to drink. It’s my go-to drink. It keeps me hydrated the best.
Can you tell me about the Supercharged Court in Times Square? What interested you about being part of that project?
It seemed like a good thing to do for the fans, to give back to the community.
You’re clearly invested in growing basketball in England, from your camp to the court project near King’s Cross. What do you think the NBA can do to grow its European audience—more afternoon games, overseas games, or something else?
More afternoon games, overseas games, sure. I think once NBA Europe starts in two years, the interest will grow.
Editor’s note: The NBA and FIBA are working toward launching a new European league, potentially as soon as the 2027–28 season.
Do you prefer matinee or night games?
Hmm. I like day games, but it depends on a number of things. Travel, if it’s a back-to-back. Those sorts of things.
The Knicks were healthier during this championship run than they had been in previous seasons. Was there anything you did differently to prepare, recover, or manage the grind of the season?
Just put in the time to take care of myself.
Everyone talks about your unflappable composure. Where does that come from? Is that just your temperament, or is it something you’ve worked at?
I’ve always been pretty calm, even as a kid. It’s just who I am.
Like anyone, you must experience highs and lows in life. Is it difficult to compartmentalize your personal life when you’re in the spotlight and trying to focus on being a professional athlete?
Everyone goes through things that you don’t know about. But it’s no different than anyone else going to work. You just do your job and try to stay focused.
What do you do to maintain those personal and professional boundaries?
[Shrug] Yeah, I dunno. Try to stay focused.
[Experiencing flop-sweat] I won’t ask about the tip-in, because I’m sure you’ve talked that to death.
Mmm.
[Anxiously checks time] The schedule just dropped. Are there any games you are specifically looking forward to? The Spurs rematch?
Not really. I do look for the Toronto games, so I know when I can connect with my people there.
Are you working on any specific part of your game that you want to improve this offseason?
Every part of my game. All of it.
Everything?
I’m working on everything, to be the best teammate I can be and help us continue to win.
Can you recall your first reaction when you found out you were going to the Knicks?
I was shocked. I had no idea that I would be traded. It came out of nowhere.
There was no hint of that happening ahead of time?
None. It was a surprise, really.
You won a championship in Toronto. What was different about winning one in New York?
Both franchises had gone a long time without winning—I think Toronto had never won, and the Knicks had gone 53 years. So, it felt great to be able to end those streaks. And with New York, I was able to play more.
Right, weren’t you out with an injury during the 2019 playoffs?
[Directly into the camera] Not really. I just didn’t get to play.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Russell gets confused here because his notes say that OG Anunoby missed the entire 2019 championship run due to an emergency appendectomy performed just days before the playoffs started. Although he eventually dressed for the NBA Finals, he did not appear in any games.
Does defending a title feel different from chasing one?
Well, we’re still chasing it, you know?
Right. When you retire from playing basketball, what hobbies or career do you think you might pursue?
That’s a good question. I haven’t really thought about that, actually. I’m having so much fun playing basketball that I haven’t given any thought to what I would do next.
You wouldn’t train to become a professional ukulele player?
Not ukulele. I’ll have to think about this.
Do you play any instruments?
No, no. I used to play the violin for . . . hmm. Six years?
Maybe you could play the national anthem before a game?
[Shrug]
[Embarrassing nervous chuckle as the moderator gives a ‘hook’ sign] Last question. What is something nobody ever asks but you would love to talk about?
[Suddenly growing animated] There’s nothing I haven’t been asked. I’ve been asked everything! I’ve literally been asked everything! There is nothing I haven’t been asked.
And with that, our time was up. Just when it felt like I’d hit a vein, too. It was foolish to hope OG would reveal some newsworthy morsel in ten pressurized minutes. Still, I learned that he played the violin for six years, checks the schedule for trips to Toronto, was genuinely blindsided by the trade to New York, and has given almost no thought to life after basketball because he’s having too much fun playing it. For a man who can unravel the best of interviewers, that felt like a decent haul.
Thanks again for giving us your time, OG. And drink Essentia, Knicks fans.
Knicks in five.
