Thanks to Saturday night's impressive San Antonio Spurs road victory over Oklahoma City, there will be another new NBA champion this season. This run of eight different champions in eight seasons marks a historic level of parity for the league.
Since the last back-to-back champs, Golden State, were dethroned by the Toronto Raptors in 2019, we've seen the Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, Warriors, Denver Nuggets, Boston Celtics and Thunder in it all. This time it will be either Victor Wembanyama's ahead of schedule San Antonio Spurs, or the ring-less since 1973 New York Knicks, led by Jalen Brunson.
The big storylines of these finals are obvious — the start of a new Spurs dynasty and Wembanyama's ascension, or New York finally ending a long drought — but there are some other ones Canadians might take particular interest in too.
OG, Oh My
We'll start with OG Anunoby getting a chance to contribute to a title instead of simply being along for the ride. Back in 2018-19 Anunoby had taken a step back after starting most of his rookie season for the Raptors, including in two playoff rounds. He'd still been a big part of a strong team in the regular season, ranking eighth in minutes and starting 6-of-67 appearances, often while Kawhi Leonard was load managed, but disaster struck at the worst possible time heading into the playoffs. Anunoby, arguably Toronto's top young player, suffered a ruptured appendix and underwent surgery just days before the start of a first round series against the Orlando Magic. Though there was hope he'd be able to return either late in the conference final against Milwaukee a month later or against the Warriors with a title at stake, that didn't come to pass and Anunoby ended up missing the entire memorable Raptors run to the championship.
Anunoby would only make the playoffs two more times as a Raptor, winning just one round before being dealt to the Knicks, where he's emerged as the team's best defender and one of its top outside shooters. He's now an irreplaceable part of the mix for the Eastern conference champs (second in minutes played, shooting a torrid 48.3% on three-point attempts in these playoffs) and a massive favourite of Knicks fans.
And now he can play a part in winning it all having been robbed of the chance six years ago. A month shy of his 29th birthday, the veteran forward is older and wiser and appreciative of the opportunity.
“It was still a cool experience,” Anunoby told reporters of watching in 2019. “We were a very close team. It was a very talented team. I learned a lot from watching a lot of great teammates. It was, really, a cool experience,” he said.
“I was younger back then, I didn't realize how hard it (was) to get back. Getting back is amazing, takes a lot – I'm really excited,” Anunoby said.
There's a long history between the Raptors and Knicks. Two playoff matchups, several trades, even an off-court legal matter, but we'd expect some Raptors fans are rooting for Anunoby, always a popular figure during his seven years with Toronto.
Captain Canada Gets Third Chance
Kelly Olynyk's playing career is winding down and this could be his last crack at a title. A free agent to be after this series with his latest contract, signed in Toronto, coming to an end, the 35-year-old returns to the NBA Finals for a second time having lost in six games while with Miami to the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Bubble in 2020. Olynyk is a bit player now, though he got in for 35 minutes of San Antonio's blowout win in Game 6, and many Canadians would love to see him finally become a champion after missing the playoffs entirely more than half of the seasons of his career.
Olynyk started playing for the Canadian national team when he was still a teenager and went on to captain the side for years. Few have given as much to the program. Plus, his mother Arlene was an original scorekeeper for the Raptors back in 1995 and his father Ken coached at the University of Toronto for over a decade before the family moved to Kamloops.
Olynyk had hoped to play the rest of his career in Toronto after finally coming home a few years ago, but his contract was needed to acquire Brandon Ingram from New Orleans. Luckily he was rescued from purgatory as part of two more deals last July, first to Washington and then days later to the Spurs.
Another reserve San Antonio big has Raptors ties. Bismack Biyombo was one of the best free agent signings in franchise history (so successful that he outplayed his bargain contract and left after one season), playing perhaps the best year of his 15-season career while in Canada. Biyombo's playoff exploits in what was to that point the longest run in Raptors history, including a huge block on LeBron James, are still fondly remembered in these parts.
Like Olynyk, Biyombo has mostly missed out on post-season basketball over the years (this is only the fourth time his team has even won a round) and he doesn't play a ton anymore, but would really appreciate finally winning a ring.
More Connections
If San Antonio wins there are other Raptors or Canadian connections, albeit we're reaching a bit here. Julian Champagnie, so big in Game 7 and 2025 No. 2 overall selection Dylan Harper, in the midst of a monster playoff run, are the brothers of two former Raptors. Justin Champagnie, Julian's twin, broke into the NBA as an undrafted free agent signing to a two-way deal by Toronto and spent parts of two years there and with Raptors 905. Ron Harper Jr., Dylan's older brother (both are the sons of five-time NBA champion Ron Harper), also got started as a two-way signing with Toronto and also spent parts of two campaigns there or in the G League before being released.
Current Spurs two-way player Emmanuel Miller is from Toronto and averaged 16 points a game in the G League this season. Finally, assistant coach Corliss Williamson was briefly a Raptor after being swapped for Doug Christie in a misstep by the team back in the day and sixth man of the year winner Keldon Johnson was part of the Kawhi Leonard blockbuster (Toronto's first round pick traded to the Spurs in the mega-deal).
On the Knicks side, assistant coach Rick Brunson spent a few months and three games with Toronto in 2003-04 (though Jalen Brunson never lived in Toronto, the family had settled in New Jersey), while fellow assistant coach Mark Tyndale spent 2019-2024 as a video coordinator or player development coach with the Raptors.
