Overview
- LeBron James said Tuesday on his Mind the Game podcast that he thought OG Anunoby was the Knicks’ most valuable player in the June Finals, calling him “the most steady person” and pointing to specific late plays.
- He singled out Anunoby’s chase‑down block on De’Aaron Fox and the game‑winning tip‑in in Game 4 as example plays that, in his view, earned top value for New York.
- LeBron acknowledged that Jalen Brunson won the official Finals MVP after averaging 32.6 points and scoring 45 in the Game 5 clincher, and he did not dispute Brunson’s scoring role.
- Anunoby averaged 21.2 points on 52.5 percent shooting in the series, made at least one 3 in every game, and finished the Finals with notable defensive totals including seven blocks and seven steals.
- The exchange sharpens a media and fan debate about how to weigh high scoring against two‑way consistency and gives the Oct. 20 Knicks–76ers opener a fresh storyline without changing the official award.