Although LeBron James isn’t officially rostered by an NBA team, he remains the center of attention in the basketball world. James took to a stage on Thursday at Fanatics Fest in New York City to co-host a live episode of his podcast, ‘Mind the Game’. And the four-time, NBA champion, had plenty to say.
James normally co-hosts his podcast with former NBA MVP, Steve Nash. However, for this special episode, James took the stage alongside current Indiana Pacers, point guard, Tyrese Haliburton. While much of the energy in and around NYC these past few months has been geared toward the New York Knicks championship run, James’ impending free agency decision has garnered the attention of basketball fans seemingly everywhere.
LeBron James Gives Honest Thoughts on Knicks Title Run
While James spent plenty of time alluding to when he’ll decide where he’ll be playing his record-breaking twenty-fourth NBA season, he couldn’t avoid giving his thoughts on the Knicks title run. He spent a healthy amount of time breaking down what worked this season, opposed to the previous seasons’ failed playoff-runs for the Knicks, however, James revealed the player he felt was the “unsung hero” throughout the Knicks, successful championship run.
“Honestly, the unsung hero of the whole NBA Finals run was OG Anunoby,” James said.
James would elaborate on his thoughts, giving credit to Knicks head coach, Mike Brown, for putting a winning game-plan into action this past season.
“They (the Knicks) diversified their offensive portfolio. It was a lot of Jalen Brunson pick-and-roll last year. But when Mike Brown brought in the little pinch-post with Karl-Anthony Towns, it didn’t allow you to sit on just one action. They had the highest playoff-point-differential of all-time of over 14.5 points, which is insane,” James said.
The 2025-26 Knicks playoff performance was historic in many ways, and James seemed very comfortable praising them all over the stage on Thursday. This Knicks team won 13 consecutive games on their way to the franchise’s first NBA title since 1973. This winning-streak stands as the second-longest winning-streak in NBA playoff history. The 2016-17 Golden State Warriors won 15 consecutive games during those playoffs before losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals.
(Mike) Brown also became just the sixth coach in NBA/ABA history to win a championship in their first season with a new team. The most recent to do so was Steve Kerr in 2015-16 with the Warriors.
OG Anunoby Shined on NBA’s Brightest Stage
While Brunson took home the NBA Finals MVP award, and Towns played some of the best basketball of his career in these playoffs, James makes a valid point regarding Anunoby’s level of play during this championship run.
Anunoby has averaged 13.3 points on 47.6% shooting from the field and 37.7% from 3-point range throughout his 9-year NBA career. However, during this year’s playoff run, he averaged 20.1 points per game on 56.1% shooting from the field and 48.6% from 3-point range.
And perhaps most importantly, Anunoby will be forever remembered for his game-winning tip-in during Game 4 of the NBA Finals inside Madison Square Garden.
LeBron James Reveals ‘Unsung Hero’ From Knicks NBA Championship Run