_(cropped).jpg) Anunoby with theToronto Raptors in 2018 | |
| No. 8 – New York Knicks | |
|---|---|
| Position | Small forward /power forward |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1997-07-17)17 July 1997 (age 28) London, England |
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Listed weight | 240 lb (109 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Jefferson City (Jefferson City, Missouri) |
| College | Indiana (2015–2017) |
| NBA draft | 2017: 1st round, 23rd overall pick |
| Drafted by | Toronto Raptors |
| Playing career | 2017–present |
| Career history | |
| 2017–2023 | Toronto Raptors |
| 2023–present | New York Knicks |
| Career highlights | |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Ogugua "OG"Anunoby Jr. (born 17 July 1997) is a British professionalbasketball player for theNew York Knicks of theNational Basketball Association (NBA). He playedcollege basketball for theIndiana Hoosiers. He won anNBA championship with theToronto Raptors in 2019 and led the league insteals while being named to his firstNBA All-Defensive Team in 2023.
Ogugua Anunoby was born inLondon, England, on 17 July 1997, toNigerian parents ofIgbo descent.[1][2] His father, Ogugua Sr. (1952–2018),[3] taught as a professor in England at the time.[1][4] His mother, Grace Ndidi Okereke,[3] was atrack and field athlete who competed at a national level for Nigeria and died ofcancer when Anunoby was one year old.[5] At the age of four, Anunoby moved with his family to theUS and settled inJefferson City, Missouri,[2] where his father was a professor of finance atLincoln University.[5] His older brother, Chigbo, played in theNFL for theCleveland Browns,Tennessee Titans, andMinnesota Vikings before expressing interest in entering medical school (he ultimately did not attend).[6] Anunoby playedfootball when he was young, but stopped around the age of eight to focus more on basketball because of his height.[4]
Anunoby played forJefferson City High School.[7] During his senior season, he averaged 19.1 points and 8.6 rebounds per game and was named a finalist for Mr Basketball in the state of Missouri.[8] In October 2014, Anunoby chose to attendIndiana University[9] over Georgia, Iowa, George Mason, and Ole Miss.
| Name | Hometown | School | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OG Anunoby F | Jefferson City, MO | Jefferson City HS | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 235 lb (107 kg) | Oct 14, 2014 | |
Recruit ratings:Scout:  Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: | ||||||
| Overall recruit ranking: | ||||||
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As a freshman in2015–16 at Indiana, Anunoby appeared in 34 games, averaging 6.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 0.6 assists per game.[10][11]
Anunoby was selected as a Pre-season All-American byThe Sporting News.[12] On 18 January 2017, Anunoby injured his right knee againstPenn State, causing him to undergo season-ending knee surgery.[13] On 10 April 2017, Anunoby declared his intention to enter the2017 NBA draft and hire an agent, ending his tenure with the Hoosiers.[14]
On 22 June 2017, he was selected with the 23rd overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft by theToronto Raptors.[15] On 9 July, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Raptors.[16] On 14 November, Anunoby made his first career start, against theHouston Rockets.[17] He finished the game with 16 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal in 30 minutes. By 15 December, he led starter rookies in offensive and defensive rating and had the third highest true shooting percentage and best turnover-to-assist ratio for a non-guard.[18]
On 29 January 2019, Anunoby was named a member of the World Team representing the United Kingdom for the 2019Rising Stars Challenge.[19] In April 2019, Anunoby had an emergencyappendectomy,[20] which caused him to miss most of the Raptors' championship playoff run. He dressed for the NBA Finals but did not play as the Raptors went on to win the title,[21] becoming the first British player to win an NBA championship.
On 1 March 2020, Anunoby scored 32 points and recorded seven steals, along with seven rebounds and three assists in a 133–118 loss against theDenver Nuggets.[22] He hit a game-winning buzzer-beater three-pointer on 3 September, in a 104–103 win in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against theBoston Celtics, and finished with 12 points. The buzzer-beater prevented the Raptors from going down to a 0–3 deficit to the Celtics.[23] The Raptors would eventually fall in seven games. On 21 December 2020, he signed a four-year, $72 million extension, through the 2024–25 season.[24] On 24 January 2021, Anunoby scored a season-high 30 points while getting eight rebounds, one assist, five steals, and a block in a 107–102 win against theIndiana Pacers,[25] joining former RaptorKawhi Leonard as the only players with multiple games getting 30 points, five rebounds, and five steals in franchise history.[26] On 1 November, Anunoby scored a career-high 36 points along with 6 rebounds and 2 assists along with the win against the Knicks.[27]
On 25 February 2022, Anunoby was sidelined due to a right finger fracture suffered against theCharlotte Hornets.[28] On 3 March, he was ruled out for two weeks to rest his fractured finger.[29]
On 16 November 2022, Anunoby scored a season-high 32 points during a 112–104 win against theMiami Heat.[30] During the2022–23 season, Anunoby led the league in steals, becoming the first Raptors player and first British player to accomplish the feat.[31] At the end of the season, Anunoby was named for the first time to theNBA All-Defensive Second team.[32]
On 30 December 2023, Anunoby, along withPrecious Achiuwa andMalachi Flynn were traded to theNew York Knicks in exchange forRJ Barrett,Immanuel Quickley and a second-round pick.[33] On 1 January 2024, Anunoby made his Knicks debut, putting up 17 points and six rebounds in a 112–106 win over theMinnesota Timberwolves.[34] During his first 10 games as a New York Knick, he set an NBA record with a +170plus–minus for his first 10 games with a new team.[35] On 8 February 2024, it was announced that Anunoby had surgery on his right elbow to remove a loose bone fragment, sidelining him for a month.[36] Anunoby returned to play against thePhiladelphia 76ers on 12 March.[37] On 24 June 2024, Anunoby declined his $19.9M player option with the Knicks, becoming a free agent.[38]
On 6 July 2024, Anunoby re-signed with the Knicks.[39] On 25 November, Anunoby scored a career–high 40 points in a 145–118 win against theDenver Nuggets.[40] Anunoby had a streak where he scored at least 20 points in a career-high ten straight games.[41] For the season, Anunoby tied a career-high in games played (74) and a career-high in scoring with 18 points per game, while barely missing out on anotherNBA All-Defensive Team selection.
Anunoby has said, "It's definitely a goal of mine to inspire kids in Great Britain to want to play basketball and show that they can make it to the NBA from Britain."[42]
Anunoby is considered one of the best British players to ever play in the NBA.[43][44]
In 2021, Anunoby retired his high school basketball jersey at Jefferson City High School.[45]
In 2023, Anunoby became a minority stake owner of theLondon Lions.[46]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| † | Won anNBA championship | * | Led the league |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–18 | Toronto | 74 | 62 | 20.0 | .471 | .371 | .629 | 2.5 | .7 | .7 | .2 | 5.9 |
| 2018–19† | Toronto | 67 | 6 | 20.2 | .453 | .332 | .581 | 2.9 | .7 | .7 | .3 | 7.0 |
| 2019–20 | Toronto | 69 | 68 | 29.9 | .505 | .390 | .706 | 5.3 | 1.6 | 1.4 | .7 | 10.6 |
| 2020–21 | Toronto | 43 | 43 | 33.3 | .480 | .398 | .784 | 5.5 | 2.2 | 1.5 | .7 | 15.9 |
| 2021–22 | Toronto | 48 | 48 | 36.0 | .443 | .363 | .754 | 5.5 | 2.6 | 1.5 | .5 | 17.1 |
| 2022–23 | Toronto | 67 | 67 | 35.6 | .476 | .387 | .838 | 5.0 | 2.0 | 1.9* | .7 | 16.8 |
| 2023–24 | Toronto | 27 | 27 | 33.3 | .489 | .374 | .717 | 3.9 | 2.7 | 1.0 | .5 | 15.1 |
| New York | 23 | 23 | 34.9 | .488 | .394 | .791 | 4.4 | 1.5 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 14.1 | |
| 2024–25 | New York | 74 | 74 | 36.6 | .476 | .372 | .810 | 4.8 | 2.2 | 1.5 | .9 | 18.0 |
| Career | 492 | 418 | 30.2 | .474 | .375 | .761 | 4.4 | 1.7 | 1.3 | .6 | 12.9 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Toronto | 10 | 10 | 23.8 | .558 | .448 | .727 | 2.1 | .7 | .6 | .4 | 7.9 |
| 2020 | Toronto | 11 | 11 | 35.7 | .455 | .415 | .643 | 6.9 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 10.5 |
| 2022 | Toronto | 6 | 6 | 36.1 | .476 | .341 | .750 | 4.0 | 2.5 | 1.0 | .2 | 17.3 |
| 2024 | New York | 9 | 9 | 36.0 | .505 | .410 | .615 | 6.0 | 1.1 | .9 | 1.0 | 15.1 |
| 2025 | New York | 18 | 18 | 39.2 | .417 | .339 | .810 | 4.6 | 1.3 | 2.0 | 1.2 | 16.3 |
| Career | 54 | 54 | 34.8 | .460 | .373 | .738 | 4.8 | 1.3 | 1.2 | .9 | 13.5 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–16 | Indiana | 34 | 0 | 13.7 | .569 | .448 | .476 | 2.6 | .5 | .8 | .8 | 4.9 |
| 2016–17 | Indiana | 16 | 10 | 25.1 | .557 | .311 | .563 | 5.4 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 11.1 |
| Career | 50 | 10 | 17.4 | .563 | .365 | .522 | 3.5 | .8 | 1.0 | .9 | 6.8 | |
