NBA Finals winner Anunoby predicts UK basketball boom

With 1.2 seconds left of game four of the 2026 NBA Finals, a sold-out Madison Square Garden erupted.

The score was 106-105 in favour of the San Antonio Spurs as they looked to level the best-of-seven series at 2-2, when New York Knicks talisman Jalen Brunson's three-point attempt was denied by the rim.

But before any Spurs defender could make the crucial rebound, a flying OG Anunoby did enough to rise through a crowd of players and palm the ball back into the basket for a one-point lead and put the Knicks on the brink of immortality.

Magic Johnson in 1986. Michael Jordan in 1996. Steve Nash in 1997. This means the company Anunoby can now put himself in with a game-winner that has gone viral and etched itself in history.

"Game four is probably the top of British basketball history," said London-born Anunoby, now a two-time NBA winner.

"Amazing for Britain and the UK and everyone who loves basketball in the UK."

Three nights after Anunoby's game-winner that sent MSG and its celebrity front row into shock, the Knicks wrapped up the series 4-1 in San Antonio for a first finals win since 1973.

Unlike his first NBA title with the Toronto Raptors in 2019, Anunoby played a significant role. Seven years ago, he was only a spectator as injury ruled him out of the entire play-offs, with the Raptors beating the Golden State Warriors in the finals.

In another tip of the hat to British basketball and its future, Anunoby's team-mates included Jeremy Sochan. While Sochan plays for Poland, because of his upbringing and allegiance to the UK he is listed as one of four UK-based players in the NBA.

Alongside Anunoby and Sochan, Amari Williams and Tosan Evbuomwan played in an NBA season that featured a record number of players from the United Kingdom this term.

If you think of the Knicks and their current squad, point guard Brunson is likely the name that springs to mind.

Not only an NBA champion, but now an NBA Finals MVP winner and an NBA all-star in each of the past three seasons.

While Brunson is the immediate franchise player, Anunoby is very much one of those right behind him.

Anunoby featured in 84 of the Knicks' 101 matches this term, all of which he played from the start. During the play-offs, he ranked second in the Knicks squad for average minutes played as well as points, assists, blocks and steals per game.

Brunson may get the plaudits, but Anunoby is among those in the supporting cast who deserve their flowers, too.

More than three billion social media views were generated from game four, one where the Knicks had earlier trailed by 29 points before the result was ultimately decided by Anunoby's dramatic winning basket.

The series itself was the most-watched on ESPN since Jordan and the Chicago Bulls won their sixth and final title 28 years ago.

The Knicks have won this title, their first in 53 years, at a canter. They won 15 of their final 16 matches of the season, 10 of the first 11 of which were by more than 10 points.

Their only loss in that run was a four-point defeat by the Spurs in game three of the finals.

Anunoby's championship-winning season and his clutch moments throughout the year come at a timely crossroads as far as the future of British basketball is concerned.

The NBA is planning to launch an independent European league within the next 18 months. London and Manchester are in place to be hosts to a franchise each when that league is launched, currently planned for October 2027.

By the time it has launched, both cities will have hosted an NBA regular-season match in the two years leading up to what could be the biggest changes to club basketball across the United Kingdom and Europe.

"I think London, especially, is an untapped market. There's so much talent and so many people playing basketball, so I think it would be amazing to bring a team to Manchester and London and continue growing in England," said Anunoby on the prospect of a European NBA league.

"As time goes on [basketball in the UK] is going to grow more and more. I think over time more and more [young boys and girls] are going to pull up at the NBA or WNBA.

"I want them to see that someone from where they are from is doing this. There is a lot of untapped potential and hope it's going to grow. It will mean exposure, growth, more leagues, more excitement for the game."

The London Lions recently signed a multi-year deal to remain competing in EuroCup for at least the next three seasons, which could be extended to five.

Anunoby was previously a minority owner of the franchise, who are coming off the back of a domestic quadruple-winning season.

It is an exciting time for a sport that has struggled to consistently produce top-level British stars but is showing growth and enormous potential at grassroots level.

Anunoby's championship-winning run is both timely and an inspiration for the next generation of UK-based basketball hopefuls.