Did Anne Hathaway Get the Knicks' Season Back on Track?
Close BannerClose00Days:00Hours:00Minutes:00SecondsSEE THE BEST DEALSShop the Best Sales Before Black Friday's OverGQ SportsTwo weeks ago, OG Anunoby had a courtside run-in with the Oscar winner. Ever since? He’s been one of the best players in the NBA.By Matthew RobersonNovember 27, 2024Anne Hathaway's impact goes far beyond the cinema.Cindy Ord/Getty ImagesSave this storySaveSave this storySaveEvery New Yorker knows the feeling of running into a celebrity. While the “correct” move is to shrug it off like nothing happened, a celeb sighting undeniably adds a little brightness to your day, and sometimes charms your entire week.New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby knows this feeling very well. A few weeks ago, during a November 13 game at Madison Square Garden against the Chicago Bulls, the defensive maven deflected a pass into the first row. As he tried to save it from going out of bounds, Anunoby knocked the container of gum off the scorer’s table (I will never understand how professional basketball players hoop while chewing gum) and onto a kid sitting courtside. That young whippersnapper just so happened to be Jack Hathaway, sitting next to his Academy Award-winning mother Anne Hathaway. Anunoby’s momentum nearly sent him over the scorer’s table and into Anne’s lap.Luckily, for the safety of the entire Hathaway family, Anunoby did not actually make physical contact with anybody. The 27-year-old is a powerful 6’7”, with muscles on top of muscles. Once it became clear that nobody was hurt, the clip instantly became one of the most heartwarming of this young NBA season. (Not to be outdone, RJ Barrett—ironically one of the players Anunoby was traded for—had a similarly viral flash with fame when he recognized Jaime Lannister in the crowd.) After surviving the near wipeout, Hathaway made a charming Instagram video calling the whole situation a bucket list moment, and personally thanking Anunoby for making her dreams come true. Hathaway, if you didn’t know, is a certified ball knower who frequently attends Knicks games.Instagram contentThis content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.But the real story here is what Anunoby has done since his brush with the Princess Diaries star. In six games since nearly colliding with Hathaway—a great romcom setup, I have to say—Anunoby has enjoyed by far his best stretch of play since joining the Knicks last year. In the two games immediately after the incident, he dropped 25 and 24 points, respectively, in a pair of wins over the crosstown Nets. On November 23 in Utah, he matched a career-high by swishing seven threes. The pièce de résistance, though, came Monday night in Denver, when Anunoby exploded for 40 points, also the most of his career. We’ll refrain from speculating on the kind of magical powers that Hathaway might have picked up while filming Ella Enchanted, but the facts are that the Knicks have been humming since this happened, and Anunoby himself has been wildly enchanted.All told, since the great Anne Hathaway encounter, Anunoby is averaging 24.3 points a night with six rebounds, and he’s also shooting the skin off the ball, as evidenced by a 45.2% hit rate from three-point range. And as OG goes, so go the Knicks: the Knickerbockers were a middling 5-6 before receiving this spark and have gone 5-1 since, averaging a robust 126 points per game.Miles McBride Has Been Unstoppable Since Attending the Dune: Part Two PremiereBy Matthew RobersonIt’s all very reminiscent of Deuce McBride going supernova last season after he attended the Dune: Part Two premiere. Clearly, the Knicks need to have a monthly run-in with one or more Hollywood icons in order to maintain their spot near the top of the Eastern Conference standings. Someone tell Mikal Bridges to secure his tickets for Wicked, stat!
Every New Yorker knows the feeling of running into a celebrity. While the “correct” move is to shrug it off like nothing happened, a celeb sighting undeniably adds a little brightness to your day, and sometimes charms your entire week.
New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby knows this feeling very well. A few weeks ago, during a November 13 game at Madison Square Garden against the Chicago Bulls, the defensive maven deflected a pass into the first row. As he tried to save it from going out of bounds, Anunoby knocked the container of gum off the scorer’s table (I will never understand how professional basketball players hoop while chewing gum) and onto a kid sitting courtside. That young whippersnapper just so happened to be Jack Hathaway, sitting next to his Academy Award-winning mother Anne Hathaway. Anunoby’s momentum nearly sent him over the scorer’s table and into Anne’s lap.
Luckily, for the safety of the entire Hathaway family, Anunoby did not actually make physical contact with anybody. The 27-year-old is a powerful 6’7”, with muscles on top of muscles. Once it became clear that nobody was hurt, the clip instantly became one of the most heartwarming of this young NBA season. (Not to be outdone, RJ Barrett—ironically one of the players Anunoby was traded for—had a similarly viral flash with fame when he recognized Jaime Lannister in the crowd.) After surviving the near wipeout, Hathaway made a charming Instagram video calling the whole situation a bucket list moment, and personally thanking Anunoby for making her dreams come true. Hathaway, if you didn’t know, is a certified ball knower who frequently attends Knicks games.
Instagram content
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
But the real story here is what Anunoby has done since his brush with the Princess Diaries star. In six games since nearly colliding with Hathaway—a great romcom setup, I have to say—Anunoby has enjoyed by far his best stretch of play since joining the Knicks last year. In the two games immediately after the incident, he dropped 25 and 24 points, respectively, in a pair of wins over the crosstown Nets. On November 23 in Utah, he matched a career-high by swishing seven threes. The pièce de résistance, though, came Monday night in Denver, when Anunoby exploded for 40 points, also the most of his career. We’ll refrain from speculating on the kind of magical powers that Hathaway might have picked up while filming Ella Enchanted, but the facts are that the Knicks have been humming since this happened, and Anunoby himself has been wildly enchanted.
All told, since the great Anne Hathaway encounter, Anunoby is averaging 24.3 points a night with six rebounds, and he’s also shooting the skin off the ball, as evidenced by a 45.2% hit rate from three-point range. And as OG goes, so go the Knicks: the Knickerbockers were a middling 5-6 before receiving this spark and have gone 5-1 since, averaging a robust 126 points per game.
It’s all very reminiscent of Deuce McBride going supernova last season after he attended the Dune: Part Two premiere. Clearly, the Knicks need to have a monthly run-in with one or more Hollywood icons in order to maintain their spot near the top of the Eastern Conference standings. Someone tell Mikal Bridges to secure his tickets for Wicked, stat!
