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The biggest moves of the NBA offseason, by and large, have been completed.

There are still a few key free agents and moves that need to be made, yes, but the calendar is settling into something of a summer lull. And, not surprisingly, this offseason did not lack monumental moves.

None were bigger than trades that brought Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Heat and Jaylen Brown to the 76ers. Joining Brown in Philadelphia, no less, is LeBron James, who will be joining his fourth different team in his 24th NBA season. There’s plenty to sort through.

Here are grades for every NBA team’s offseason:

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division

Boston Celtics

Mitchell Robinson is a solid addition. He’ll bolster the low-post defense and will provide a spark without demanding the ball on offense. Can he be dependably available as a starter? That remains to be seen. The bigger problem here was the team’s move to ship Jaylen Brown.

While there were some inefficiencies to Brown’s game, Paul George, at this stage of his career, is not an upgrade. Over the long run, if the Celtics didn’t want to pay Brown, it does make some sense to move him. But does this get Boston any closer to the Knicks, 76ers or the other top teams in the league? The answer is pretty clearly no.

■ Grade: C-

Brooklyn Nets

It stings any time an in-city rival wins a championship. It must’ve really stung when all of New York City erupted when the Knicks snapped a 53-year drought to do so. The Nets, however, still appear a ways away from legitimate contention, even with the trade that brought Julius Randle over from the Timberwolves.

No. 6 overall pick, point guard Mikel Brown Jr., flashed in Summer League play and could be the creator and shot-making combo point guard the Nets have been seeking for some time. Keon Ellis was a decent addition, but the Nets clearly still need a star to threaten in the East. That, or they need their crop of young guards – Brooklyn has five who are 20 years old – to develop.

■ Grade: C+

New York Knicks

It’s tough to be too harsh when they just snapped a 53-year title drought, but New York’s avoidance of the second apron did force the front office to make some tough choices. Namely, the Knicks did not make a push to retain backup center Mitchell Robinson. Though New York replaced him with Andre Drummond, Robinson going to the rival Celtics will sting.

Re-signing Landry Shamet, Jose Alvarado, Jordan Clarkson and Mohamed Diawara retains this core in place and puts the Knicks in a legitimate spot to repeat.

■ Grade: B

Philadelphia 76ers

No team was more aggressive in reshaping its good (though not great) roster than the 76ers. It became clear after the Knicks unceremoniously swept Philadelphia in the conference semifinals that changes were needed. Bob Myers and Mike Gansey turned Paul George’s cumbersome contract into Jaylen Brown, and luring LeBron James suddenly gives the Sixers a potent Starting Five.

It was also smaller, low-cost moves like adding Anfernee Simons and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope that help round out the roster. Even first-round rookie Labaron Philon Jr. presented significant value at No. 22. Philadelphia should be considered one of the short favorites to win the East. Now this veteran roster just needs to stay healthy.

■ Grade: A

Toronto Raptors

This assessment is wholly incomplete with the conclusion of the Kawhi Leonard investigation hanging in the balance. If Leonard does end up with the Raptors and if he avoids significant discipline, then the trade is a stellar, win-now move. If Toronto is forced to eat any suspension or – even worse – if Leonard’s contract is somehow voided, then Toronto will have waited around for nothing, and its offseason will have been wasted.

■ Grade: B+ (assuming Leonard trade is executed)

NBA history spans 80 seasons, and as CelticsBlog readers well know, the Boston Celtics have won a league-high 18 championships. This month, we are recapping each of those title years.

The regular season

Something old and something new were the top stories in the NBA’s 1959-60 season, and both of them affected the Boston Celtics.

The “something old” was yet another meeting in the Finals with the St. Louis Hawks – the third time in four years.

“Something new” came in the form of a 7-foot-1, 275-pound goliath named Wilt Chamberlain, who some observers feared would take over the league. “Can Basketball Survive Chamberlain?” was the title of one magazine article. These proved to be overreactions, but to be fair, the NBA had never seen anyone like “Wilt the Stilt.”

Chamberlain was a native of Philadelphia who spent three years at the University of Kansas, but left school his senior year to play for (and get paid by) the Harlem Globetrotters. That situation enabled the Philadelphia Warriors to claim Wilt as their territorial pick (he went to high school in Philly!) in the 1959 Draft.

With eight teams in the league and the Warriors then being in the East, that meant Boston would face Wilt 13 times during the regular season. The Celtics won eight of those, although they didn’t exactly stop “The Big Dipper.” Chamberlain scored 39 or better nine times, and in one of Philly’s five wins tallied 53 points and 29 rebounds while being guarded by defensive king Bill Russell.

For the season, Chamberlain topped the league with 37.6 points and 27.0 rebounds per game. He was named Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year as the Warriors finished 49-26.

That still wasn’t enough to surpass Boston. The league had increased from 72 games to 75, and the Celtics raised their win total from 52 the previous season to 59, a new league all-time high. And it turned out these rivals would also meet in the postseason Eastern finals.

Eastern playoffs

The Celtics earned a bye for the first round best-of-three while the Warriors knocked off Syracuse, 2-1. Philadelphia brought more than just Chamberlain to the table. They had forward Paul Arizin, a two-time league scoring leader; point guard and twice the league assists leader Guy Rodgers; and high-scoring forward Tom Gola. All are in the Hall of Fame today.

In Game 1, Chamberlain scored 42, but Russell countered with 30 rebounds. The Celtics led by 13 after one quarter and held off Philly the rest of the way. The Warriors evened the series in Game 2 behind Arizin’s 30 points. Game 3 was Russell’s night, with game-highs of 26 points and 39 rebounds, while Chamberlain scored just 12 points, and the Celtics cruised, 120-90.

In Game 4, Boston built a 16-point lead after one quarter and held it all the way to a 3-1 series lead. And just when the Celts were ready to close it, Chamberlain dominated with 50 and 35 as Philly roared back with a 21-point win on the parquet.

Still ahead 3-2, the Celtics returned to hostile Convention Hall in Philadelphia. Rodgers had been ice cold early in the series, but on this night he heated up with 31 points. With 11 seconds left, Rodgers was fouled and had two free throws with the score tied. He missed both. At the other end, the Celtics missed their shot, but Tommy Heinsohn stunned everyone by tipping in the series winner at the buzzer. During his announcing career, Tommy often reminisced about that night when he shut up 12,000 Philadelphia fans.

Since that first meeting of Russell vs. Wilt, basketball observers have debated which megastar was better, and why. That topic will be addressed here later in this series; meanwhile, here’s a preview:

NBA Finals

In two previous NBA Finals versus St. Louis, Bill Russell had twice been the difference-maker: once for the Celtics in winning their first championship, and once for the Hawks, caused by his absence due to injury. Russell was healthy for this rubber match, which could determine which team “won” the draft day trade back in 1956.

Russell was a force in this series, leading everyone in rebounds in each of the seven games played. He set a Finals record with 40 boards (plus 21 points) in game 2 in Boston – which the Celtics lost by 10. These teams knew each other so well, it seemed that either one could win a game regardless of the location, the crowd, the refs, the schedule, anything.

This Finals seesawed each game, Boston going up one followed by St. Louis tying the series. The Celtics could have wrapped up the title in Game 6 on the road, but Cliff Hagan (one of the players traded for Russell) poured in 36 points. The Hawks used a 36-12 third quarter to build a 90-64 lead, only to see the Cs almost steal it with a 38-15 fourth quarter comeback. Nevertheless, it was back to Boston for yet another Game 7.

Turning point

After an even first quarter, Boston’s running game and balanced scoring resulted in a 41-23 second quarter margin and a 17-point halftime lead. The Celtics finished Game 7 with the five players tallying between 18 and 24 points.

It was over when…

Both teams essentially traded baskets for the entire second half, which the Celtics were happy to do. Final score: 122-103. Banner #3 was in hand.

Notable facts and stats

• Bob Cousy scored 19 points and dished out 14 assists. Bill Russell collected 22 points and 35 rebounds.
• For the third time in four years, Tommy Heinsohn led Boston in scoring overall during the Finals.
• Si Green, the player chosen first overall by Rochester when they weren’t interested in Russell, played for St. Louis and averaged 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists in seven games.

Banner Years continues tomorrow with a review of the 1960-61 season and the road to winning Banner #4.

You only get one chance at a first impression, and the WNBA franchise coming to Cleveland in 2028 made a splash on Tuesday, revealing the name of their expansion team: Sirens.

The announcement came at an event held in Rocket Arena, the team’s future home, which would’ve made it perfect had the organization chosen to revive the name of Cleveland’s original WNBA team, the Rockers, which existed from 1997 to 2003. Former Rockers, such as Janice Braxton, were in attendance, however, to inaugurate this new are of women’s professional basketball in Cleveland.

And the Sirens are here to make some noise.

Sirens president of business operations Allison Howard discussed the team’s name and logo, explaining the rationale for both:

The siren is very powerful, unapologetic, relentless, and we see the siren as the epitome of power, but also the best teammate.

Even from the logo, you can feel this energy, this thunderous passion. And you look at the siren’s face; it’s menacing. It’s fearful. You see the power even just in those features. And then with the hair, there’s the five distinctive waves. Those, of course, will represent our five players out on the court as well as our five Great Lakes.

It wasn’t just inside the Rocket Arena where the Sirens made their splash.

It extended to social media with a hype video. Braxton did the voice-over, with her prose syncing perfectly to images as music from Billie Eilish’s song “You Should See Me in a Crown” played throughout.

Whenever names, logos and/or jerseys are are revealed for new teams, two responses generally emerge.

One will be filled with excitement and enthusiasm, and the other will be nothing but caustic criticism. Overall, the Cleveland Sirens received an overwhelmingly positive response from the WNBA world.

Tuesday, will be forever etched in Cleveland basketball history. But there’s still some darkness overshadowing the return of the W to Northeast Ohio.

The Rockers were here, but they didn’t last. What’s going to make this time different?

Well, for starters, the Sirens are establishing their own identity by clearly separating themselves from the NBA’s Cavaliers. The colors, logos and slogans are not at all similar. The Sirens are their own team and will approach things their way.

Things seem to be off to a great start for the Sirens.

They have reportedly sold 9,000 deposits for season tickets, and with the interest surrounding the new name and logo, that number will undoubtedly go up between now and when they begin play in 2028.

The WNBA has seen tremendous growth in recent years, resulting in expansion teams like the Golden State Valkyries, Toronto Tempo, and Portland Fire having success early on, proving the league is in a great place.

The Sirens will ride that WNBA wave, and when they land in 2028, the plan is for them to stay for good this time. So far, things are going swimmingly.

After practice, George Gervin wanted to go home. He was a rookie playing for the Virginia Squires of the upstart American Basketball Association, and the sleek, Detroit-born hooper didn’t yet know what being a pro quite meant. He didn’t know that the real workouts often started after practice. But his teammate Julius “Dr J” Erving quickly showed him the ropes.

“Doc would say, ‘Hey, young fella! Where you going? Me and you ain’t done!’” Gervin tells the Guardian. “Me and him would play one-on-one after practice. It was beautiful, probably one of the most beautiful experiences I had as a young pro.”

Today, Gervin is remembered as being one of basketball’s great scorers. Known as the Iceman, his finger roll is still studied by the best in the game. A Hall of Famer, Gervin led the National Basketball Association in scoring four out of five years from 1978 to 1982. But before that, he was considered damaged goods.

A fistfight in college saddled Gervin with a bad reputation. And though he averaged nearly 30 points per game for Eastern Michigan University as a sophomore in college, he was not an NBA prospect. So, he played a year in the CBA before earning a tryout in the ABA.

Still thought of as a subpar league in the 1970s, the fledgling ABA was hoping to force a merger with the more established NBA. The ABA needed all the talent it could get, so guys like Gervin got a shot. Gervin wasn’t drafted – instead, he impressed in his tryout and the Squires signed him. “Because I shot the ball well,” Gervin remembers.

Turns out, the ABA was just the step the scoring wing needed. “I came in a little young, inexperienced,” Gervin says. “Coming into a world that I needed to have some kind of guidance.” But those one-on-one games between the Iceman and Dr J proved to be beneficial for both mind and body.

“He’d throw me the ball and say, ‘Me and you are playing one-on-one,’” Gervin says. “At the same time, he wasn’t really competing against me. He was getting me ready. Seeing what I was made of. I tell him today that I owe him. Because he helped build my self-confidence and self-esteem. He helped me understand I had the ability to play in the league.”

Fifty years after the ABA merged with the NBA, ending the upstart league’s nine-year run, players like Gervin remain living reminders of its enduring influence. The merger, finalized in the summer of 1976, brought only four ABA franchises into the NBA, but many of the league’s innovations – and some of its brightest stars – would permanently reshape professional basketball.

Even now, Gervin and Erving remain close friends. Their paths have crossed countless times since those one-on-one practices in Virginia. But one day that especially stands out is 27 January 1976 – the day of the first modern pro basketball dunk contest.

The ABA, which was founded in the late 1960s as a rival to the NBA, soon became known as the more flamboyant and fun of the two. Though it didn’t have the national TV contracts and history the NBA did, what the ABA offered fans was high-flying dunks, a red-white-and-blue basketball, the three-point shot, and fashion out the wazoo, from muttonchop sideburns to afros. And no one symbolized the ABA’s cultural heft quite like Dr J.

A star on and off the court, Erving and the ABA made history on that January night in 1976. With no money for a half-time performer at the ABA All-Star game, officials organized a dunk contest, which featured, among others, Erving, Gervin, and leaper David Thompson. In the end, it was Dr J who won the trophy, flying from the free-throw line like Superman.

“Awful!” says Gervin, laughing, thinking about the contest. “I was awful! I couldn’t beat them. You’re going into a contest knowing you can’t win. I knew I couldn’t beat David Thompson or Doc. So, it was just being a part of the show. I was brave enough to accept defeat – part of something that was bigger than I ever thought.”

Still, despite the lack of hope to win, Gervin knew his name attached to the contest would draw eyeballs, even if he wasn’t known as a creative dunker as his peers. “I’m thankful that I said OK,” he says. “The game is basically entertainment. Being ABA, that’s what we were all about – entertaining.”

The NBA in the early 1970s was largely resistant to change. So, the ABA took on the job of pushing the game forward. Though the NBA did have high-wattage players like Walt “Clyde” Frazier, Lew Alcindor (later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson and others, it was nevertheless known as being slower, stodgier.

It also didn’t allow underclassmen to join its ranks – until Spencer Haywood.

Despite the NBA’s self-imposed four-year rule, the ABA drafted the 1968 Olympic gold medalist before he’d graduated from college. And Haywood, whose mother was working in poverty picking cotton in Mississippi, suited up. As a first-year player, he won both the Rookie of the Year and MVP trophies in Denver. His success opened the doors for other underclassmen like Ralph Simpson.

“Spencer and I played high school ball together in Detroit,” Simpson tells the Guardian. In college, Simpson starred for a season at Michigan State, averaging nearly 30 points. But then his father had a heart-attack and got sick. “Spencer said, ‘Well, why don’t you come out here with me.’ We didn’t have any money and things were getting kind of hard. I wanted to stay at school, but I got offered a little money and that’s how I got to Denver.”

A sweet-scoring swingman with a knack for rebounding, Simpson became a five-time ABA All-Star playing for coaches like Hall of Famer Larry Brown. “The ABA gave us a chance to develop,” says Simpson, who is also the father of Grammy-winning artist India Arie. “I probably wasn’t ready to play in the NBA, but after a year or two, I started to develop.”

Thompson was one of Simpson’s teammates in Denver. And Simpson was with his friend at the 1976 dunk contest. “I told Julius I thought David would beat him!” Simpson remembers. “But I think David got a little nervous looking at Dr. J and his status. Going into the last round, David was leading and missed a 360-degree dunk. And Julius—he didn’t miss any.”

Dr J capped the competition with that leaping dunk from the foul line. “Julius ended up winning it, taking off from the free-throw line,” says Simpson, with a laugh. “I thought his foot was on the line. But I wouldn’t tell Julius that! He’d get mad, probably.”

The ABA’s restless existence meant teams came and went, from the Miami Floridians, the San Diego Conquistadors and other oddball franchises. But if the teams were fleeting, the personalities were unforgettable. Every season seemed to introduce another larger-than-life figure, from the troubled Marvin “Bad News” Barnes to the politically minded Warren Jabali.

But Simpson remembers the strong camaraderie the league offered its workforce. Players were friends, despite the heated competitions. “Warren Jabali, he taught me a lot when he was in Denver for those two years,” Simpson says. “He probably was the best all-around guard.”

Jabali was a fire hydrant of a man. He was also militant in his political convictions. Simpson remembers going to an All-Star game in Virginia. The hotel they stayed at required the ABA players to room in the basement. “Warren really got upset about it and wanted us to boycott,” Simpson says. “We didn’t end up boycotting, but the owners got ahold of it, and when we got back to Denver, they cut Warren.”

Jabali later moved to Africa, phoning Simpson just before his plane took off to offer some last words of praise before the journey. “He told me, ‘Ralph, you’re the best one-on-one player in the ABA,’” Simpson says. “That came out of his mouth. That was exciing to me, he knew ball.”

In the summer of 1976, some 50 years ago, the ABA merged with NBA. Four of the remaining seven ABA teams were absorbed – the Indiana Pacers, San Antonio Spurs, New York Nets and Denver Nuggets. Simpson says part of the condition of Denver’s acceptance into the NBA was that he be shipped to Detroit to play for the Pistons. Whether that’s fact, he also says one of the greatest thrills of his career was putting on his hometown uniform.

“That brought tears to my eyes,” Simpson says. “I saw up in the stands, my dad was crying, too.”

For Gervin, the 1976 merger between the ABA and NBA was ultimately good. While there were downsides – dozens of players were left without jobs – pro basketball benefited from the union. The ABA had put people like Gervin and Simpson on the big stage, but after the merger, there was still more to prove on the hardwood. “We played with chips on our shoulder,” Gervin says. “We played to let the NBA fans know that we were for real and that we could play.”

But it worked. Among the 24 roster spots at the NBA All-Star game in 1977, just a year after the merger, half were filled by former ABA players, including Erving, Gervin, Thompson, and more. “I think that’s an indication of we wasn’t lying,” says Gervin.

The New York Knicks found a couple of promising young players in the second round of the 2026 NBA Draft one day after moving entirely out of the first round to preserve some cap space and avoid stepping into second-apron territory.

Both Jack Kayil and Tyler Nickel topped expectations last month during the Summer League, potentially giving the Knicks two inexpensive prospects (one likely bound for a standard contract, the other for a two-way deal) while the franchise operates under owner James Dolan’s second-apron mandate.

Obviously, with the roster still needing to be fully filled before the start of the regular season and the limitations imposed by beloved Dolan, both rookies’ immediate NBA futures were always uncertain, to say the least. New York could offer either or both players two-way contracts to preserve the roster spot and save some money, and on top of that, it’s always been reported that while Kayil wants to remain in America, he’s likely going to be stashed overseas in Germany for another season.

Now, however, the Knicks might have a Tyler Nickel situation right when the rookie looked like a lock for one of the final roster spots and off-the-bench, deep-rotation minutes.

According to CBS Sports’ Isaac Trotter, the No. 47 overall pick is “expected to explore” returning to college rather than beginning his professional career with the Knicks during the 2026-27 season. Emphasis mine:

“Former Purdue All-American Braden Smith is not considering a return to college basketball in the fallout of Friday’s injunction that cleared a path for a fifth year of collegiate eligibility for the Class of 2022, his representatives at Priority Sports told CBS Sports.

“Smith was the No. 38 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls, who traded his draft rights to the Indiana Pacers. He is one of five second-round picks who have not signed a rookie contract yet, joining BYU’s Richie Saunders (No. 32 to the Memphis Grizzlies), Vanderbilt’s Tyler Nickel (No. 47 to the New York Knicks), St. John’s Dillon Mitchell (No. 40 to the Boston Celtics) and Florida State’s Lajae Jones (No. 54 to the Golden State Warriors). Nickel and Mitchell are expected to explore their college options, but Smith’s record-setting career is over.”

Hours before Trotter’s report emerged, Nickel already did something intriguing by posting (now deleted, captured below) a single thinking emoji on X.

The possibility follows a recent legal ruling allowing players to compete for five college seasons. Nickel already entered the NCAA’s transfer portal in April and could reportedly earn more through name, image and likeness (NIL) opportunities back in college than he would on a two-way contract.

The Nashville Post estimates Nickel’s NIL valuation between $1 million and $1.4 million, and it’s fair to say that Nickel strengthened his case to either get a bigger NIL deal or snatch a roster spot with the Knicks following his performances at the Las Vegas Summer League. He averaged 12.2 points and 3.6 rebounds while making 41.3% of his three-point attempts.

Nickel’s quick release and shooting ability gave him a clearer path toward an NBA role than many second-round selections, and he showcased exactly that skill set in Vegas to the surprise of no one, seemingly paving his way to the pros if all went (it could still go) according to plan. The fact that Nickel performed better than expected defensively during those hot exhibition games also helped his case.

While a return to college would not cost New York his rights (the Knicks have a year to negotiate with the player and sign him, starting to count from draft day), it could leave the Knicks without one of their two latest draft picks next season, or two if Kayil indeed returns to Germany.

In separate deals, Andre Jackson Jr. and Cole Anthony have agreed to terms with new teams, with A-Jax heading north of the border to the Toronto Raptors and Anthony travelling across the pond to Australia’s Melbourne United.

Per HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto, Jackson is heading to the Raptors in an attempt to prolong his NBA career after failing to establish himself with the Bucks over the last three seasons.

The Toronto Raptors and Andre Jackson Jr. have agreed to a deal, league sources told @hoopshype. He’ll compete for a roster spot with the Raptors. He spent the past three seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks. pic.twitter.com/2r6BxS8yVe

— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) August 5, 2026

A second-round pick in 2023, Jackson projected as an athletic wing stopper for the Bucks and a position was there for the taking. But despite his stifling defence in the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup Final against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and some occasional highlight plays—rumour has it his putback dunk against the Kings still reverberates in Sacramento—he just wasn’t able to put it together in Milwaukee. In total, he played 172 games for the Bucks, averaging 2.7 PPG, 2.1 RPG, and 1.0 APG in 11.4 MPG.

On the other hand, Cole Anthony, last season’s reserve point guard for the Bucks—at least to start the season—has signed with Melbourne United in Australia’s National Basketball League (NBL), per a release from the team. According to the release, Anthony is thrilled about his new adventure:

I’m super excited to begin this journey with Melbourne United. This is a great opportunity to continue growing as a player and compete for a championship. I’m ready to get to work and can’t wait to represent the club and meet the fans!

Drafted 15^th overall in 2020 by the Orlando Magic, Anthony was a welcome signing by the Bucks last offseason after negotiating a buyout from the Memphis Grizzlies. With Milwaukee, he played 35 games—all off the bench—averaging 6.7 PPG, 2.5 RPG, and 3.5 APG in 15.1 MPG. He was particularly effective in the opening week and a half of the season, with standout games in wins against the Toronto Raptors (23 points, seven assists) and the Golden State Warriors (16 points, two assists).

But Anthony couldn’t maintain his form and his minutes dwindled. In February, he was traded to the Phoenix Suns along with Amir Coffey in a three-team deal that brought Ousmane Dieng to the Bucks. Just 22 days later, he was waived.

While Jackson will likely have to earn a roster spot with the Raptors and Anthony has had to leave the NBA to continue his career, they’ll forever hold a place in Bucks history.

All the best, fellas.

While Anthony’s exit from the NBA points to Jon Horst’s continued masterwork as a trader—the Bucks clearly got back the best player in that deal—Jackson’s Raptors lifeline raises another question about his drafting resume. Agree?

The planned launch of a bespoke European NBA league has the potential to take basketball in the United Kingdom to the "next level", says the New York Knicks' OG Anunoby.

With the working title of NBA Europe, it is planned for launch in October 2027 and will consist of between 12 and 16 European teams - with London and Manchester expected to be included.

The deadline for final bids to own franchises was in June and it is hoped the identities of teams that will feature will begin to be announced this year, with the NBA receiving bids between $500m (£372m) and $1bn (£745m) for each target host city.

Anunoby is the standout current player of UK origin in the NBA, having played a starring role in the Knicks' first NBA title win since 1973.

Alongside the Portland Trail Blazers' Jeremy Sochan, the Boston Celtics' Amari Williams and Tobi Lawal, who is set to make his NBA debut this season for the Dallas Mavericks, Anunoby makes up part of the NBA's UK quartet.

"I think it is amazing," Anunoby told BBC Sport when asked about the NBA Europe plans.

"Basketball continues to grow, especially here in London and in Manchester.

"It's exciting and I think it is going to take basketball to another level out here."

Plans for the league's launch in just over a year's time remain "on track", with the league set to start in tandem with the 2027-28 NBA season.

"Planning is going really well. We've had an amazing amount of demand in the last couple of months for NBA Europe, particularly as bidding closed," said Laura Pinnell, vice-president of Consumer Group and head of marketing for the NBA across Europe and the Middle East.

"I would say the UK is one of the biggest opportunities for us out of the whole project.

"The growth opportunity is incredible and actually a London franchise, there is discussion about a Manchester franchise. All of which are great opportunities for fans and also, youth and participation."

Anunoby eyes back-to-back NBA titles

Anunoby, a two-time NBA Championship winner, has spent time in his birth city of London this week during his off-season break.

As well as investing his own money as part of a grassroots court development in Camden, Anunoby has been eyeing the prospect of helping the Knicks win a second NBA title in as many years next season.

The NBA has had eight different champions in as many years, with no team being able to produce back-to-back titles since the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018.

"That's our goal this year," said Anunoby in response to the prospect of ending the run of consecutive different winners.

But asked which of the Knicks' 29 NBA rivals will pose their biggest threat, the 29-year-old said challenges will come from across the competition.

"The whole league," added Anunoby.

"It is a very tough league and every team is capable and everyone is a threat."