The Knicks have become a team capable of capturing the attention of several former presidents.
Having already garnered praise from Donald Trump for finally ending their 53-year championship dry spell, the New York Knicks, along with stars OG Anunoby and Jalen Brunson, were lauded by Barack Obama during his guest appearance on the “All the Smoke” podcast.
Anunoby emerged as one of the pivotal figures in the Knicks’ victory over the Spurs in the NBA Finals. His crucial last-second tip-in was instrumental in clinching Game 4, which saw the team make a dramatic comeback from a 29-point deficit at Madison Square Garden.
Reflecting on Anunoby’s performance, Obama remarked, “I’m struggling to recall a more impressive series by a player who hasn’t been an All-Star, don’t you agree?” He continued, noting how Anunoby served as a reliable force throughout the playoffs.
During the Knicks’ playoff campaign, Anunoby averaged 20.1 points and 6.3 rebounds over 17 games, acting as a key driver in their successful run.
The former commander in chief, however, didn’t keep his praise to just Anunoby, however, as he listed all the key attributes of Brunson that led him to became NBA Finals MVP.
“It’s the toughness and endurance and mental fortitude of that guy,” Obama said. “You just felt like, ‘I’m going to keep coming and I’m not going to doubt myself and not going to let my team doubt myself.’ And for a second-round draft pick, who was a champion, who was a winner, you didn’t see it coming.”
After comparing Brunson’s run from college to NBA stardom to Steph Curry’s from Davidson to the Warriors, Obama said the Knicks guard had exactly the right attribute to become a winner.
“A cliche, but that dude has the heart of a champion,” Obama said. “You can see, just watching him with his dad [Rick Brunson] at the end of the game and kind of what that meant, all the work they must’ve put in. All those years, all that commitment — real proud of him. And I know he’ll never have to pay for a meal again in New York. … He’s the king of New York right now.”
The comments come nine days after Trump heaped praise on owner James Dolan and the Knicks for their win on Truth Social.
“What incredible playoff wins we have all witnessed, especially the last four — Maybe the greatest in the history of basketball,” Trump wrote.
Dolan told WFAN last week that the Knicks would visit the White House, becoming the first NBA team to visit Trump during either of his two terms.
Brunson, in an interview with New York magazine published Wednesday, said he and the team have not discussed a visit to the nation’s capital.
“We haven’t discussed it,” Brunson said. “But as a team, we’ll discuss it and we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”