As New York Knicks fans celebrate in the streets of Manhattan, New York, Indiana basketball fans also have a reason to cheer Saturday night as former Hoosier OG Anunoby (2015-17) became the third Indiana player to win the NBA Finals for the second time.
New York defeated the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 Saturday night to win Game 5 of the 2026 NBA Finals and become the champions. Anunoby finished the game with 11 points and 6 rebounds.
Anunoby joins Isiah Thomas (1979-81) and Herm Schaefer (1938-41) in the illustrious list of two-time NBA champions. Thomas won back-to-back titles with the Detroit Pistons in 1989 and 1990, while Schaefer pulled off the feat in 1949 and 1950 for the Minneapolis Lakers. Anunoby won his first NBA title with the Toronto Raptors in 2019, defeating the Golden State Warriors in six games to win the franchise’s first championship.
Anunoby finished the 2026 NBA Finals, averaging 21.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1.4 steal and 1.4 blocks per game. The Jefferson City, Missouri, native shot 52.5% from the field, 50% behind the 3-point arc and 86.7% at the free throw line.
The former Indiana player helped the Knicks pull off a miraculous upset in Game 4 of the series by tipping the ball into the basket with 1.2 seconds left Wednesday night. After inbounding the ball, Anunoby crashed the rim for a putback on Jalen Brunson’s missed 3-point attempt.
The game-winning shot capped off a 33-point performance for Anunoby, in which the 6-foot-7 forward knocked down seven 3-pointers. The Knicks’ 107-106 victory was the largest comeback in NBA Finals history after New York was down by 29 points in the third quarter.
“I don’t know if there was a play bigger than any other play in the history of Knicks basketball,” New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown said in Wednesday’s postgame press conference. “That has to be the most iconic shot in the history of New York basketball.”
During his two collegiate seasons in Bloomington, Anunoby appeared in 50 games for the Hoosiers, starting 10 contests. Anunoby came to Indiana out of Jefferson City High School, ranked as a 3-star prospect and fourth-best player in Missouri, according to 247Sports.
Anunoby averaged 4.9 points, 2.6 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game during his freshman season with Indiana. He appeared in 34 out of the Hoosiers’ 35 games in the 2015-16 season, averaging 13.7 minutes per contest. Anunoby totaled 23 points in Indiana’s three games during the NCAA tournament. Indiana was knocked out by the University of North Carolina 101-86 in the Sweet 16.
After a strong freshman campaign, Anunoby was poised for a breakout sophomore season, being named as a Preseason third-team All-American by The Sporting News.
However, Anunoby only played 16 games before a season-ending torn ACL against Penn State Jan. 18, 2017. Before the injury, he made 10 starts, averaging 11.1 points and 5.4 rebounds in 25.1 minutes per game.
The potential Anunoby showed during his time playing for the Hoosiers was enough for the Raptors to select him as the 23rd pick in the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft. Anunoby played six full seasons in Toronto, becoming a standout defender throughout his time with the franchise.
During the 2023-24 season, the Knicks acquired Anunoby in a trade with the Raptors. Anunoby has become a double-digit points-per-game producer for New York. He averaged 16.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.6 steals per game during the 2025-26 regular season. Anunoby was named to the NBA’s All-Defensive second team this season.
Anunoby is one of seven former Indiana basketball players to win at least one NBA title. Dick Farley (1951–1954), Jon McGlocklin (1962–1965), Steve Downing (1970–1973) and Quinn Buckner (1972–1976) each won one championship during their NBA careers.
