Over the long and storied history of the National Basketball Association, only a handful of British players have really ‘made it’ in the league. Ben Gordon is probably the standout British-born player who developed into a genuine NBA star, but very few have gotten close to that.
Ogugua OG Anunoby might change that narrative somewhat. The London-born athlete is already an NBA champion, winning the title with the Toronto Raptors in 2019, but he has since found a home in New York, and he has been a crucial part of the Knicks’ fairytale season, making the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999.
Anunoby was born in London, but he moved to US as a child, growing up in the Missouri. He has Nigerian heritage. It wasn’t completely obvious that he would become a future NBA star, but he did stand out in high school as someone who could become a professional athlete. He was the 23rd pick in the 2017 NBA Draft for the Raptors, after a steady but not spectacular couple of seasons with Indiana University.
A steady rise to gain respect
Anunoby’s career has been one of steady progression. He was not a starter for the Raptors in 2019, but he did make an impact off the bench in that championship-winning season. By the 2020s, he was starting games, and his unique skill set was coming to the fore. He led the league in steals per game in the 2022-23 season. The Knicks would make their move for Anunoby in late 2023. He made his debut in January 2024.
The Knicks feel like a natural home for Anunoby. He has clearly progressed as a player, but the key aspect was that he almost immediately gave the Knicks balance. He is truly versatile defensively, and he has a unique ability to nullify star players from opposing teams, something that you should weigh up if you bet on the 2026 NBA Finals, because he can help the Knicks grind down opponents.
Anunoby still has work to do to become elite
He isn’t the perfect player, and he would be the first to admit that. There is work needed on his offensive consistency, but he still has time to work on that at 28. What’s more, Anunoby has come to the fore in the 2026 NBA Playoffs. Jalen Brunson remains the star of the Knicks franchise, but Anunoby is playing better than he ever has in his career at a point that matters most, at least to Knicks fans.
Anunoby is exactly the type of player who doesn’t get noticed all the time, but who is all the more appreciated by fans of his team. He has started every game (when fit) for the Knicks this season, reaching 85 starts and counting across the regular season and playoffs. He is, as soccer fans like to say, the first name on the team sheet for coach Mike Brown.
In the next year or two, the NBA will expand into Europe with a brand-new league. It has marked Britain as a key market, with franchises earmarked for London and potentially Manchester. While basketball comes a good distance behind other sports in the UK in terms of participation, the NBA knows it will need local figures to build its appeal. Anunoby probably feels more American than British now – he spent his formative years in the US – but he should still be held up as an example of what British basketball players should aspire to – a grafter, whose hard work and talent have propelled him to the summit of the game.
