Ex-Raptors star Anunoby wins second NBA title with Knicks

OG Anunoby won his second NBA championship Saturday night when the New York Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs in five games — and the coincidence with his first title hit him hard.

Anunoby, 28, played a crucial role in the Knicks' victory, including a clutch game-winner in the final seconds of Game 4 last week that gave New York a 3-1 series lead. The win broke a 53-year title drought for the franchise, and the streets of New York erupted in celebration.

But what struck Anunoby most was the calendar. Both of his NBA championships came on June 13 — his first with the Toronto Raptors in 2019, and now with the Knicks. "It's a great day. June 13th is an amazing day," he said when asked about the significance.

Anunoby's championship run produced several viral moments. In a live ESPN interview, he joked about the Knicks parade: "They're gonna be loud, they're gonna be setting cars on fire." When the host pushed back with "Well, I hope not, let's not do that," Anunoby quickly corrected himself: "Maybe not cars on fire. Never mind. Please don't do that. Don't do that. Please, no one do that."

The quip proved prescient. After the victory, fans celebrating in Times Square did set a school bus on fire — a moment that drew fire department response and reinforced how intense the celebration became.

Anunoby also accidentally went live on his Instagram while inside the Knicks dressing room. Amid the celebration chaos, he struggled to figure out how to end the broadcast. "Wait, how do you end this?" he said repeatedly. "How do you end the live? How do you end this? Hey, how do you end this?"

For Toronto fans who watched Anunoby become a Raptors cornerstone before his trade to New York, seeing him back on top — especially with the same-day championship coincidence — offered a bittersweet thrill. The city that drafted him in 2017 will remember him as part of its only championship team, even as he adds to his own legacy in the Big Apple.