Why Did Knicks' Forward OG Anunoby Gift Martha Stewart a Pair of Sneakers?

This is the crossover we needed ahead of the NBA Finals.

Stewart said back in March that she started going to Knicks games in the 1960s. | Sarah Stier/Getty Images

This is what basketball does—it brings people together.

Ahead of the Knicks' first appearance in the NBA Finals since 1999, star forward OG Anunoby has gifted OG influencer Martha Stewart (see what we did there) a pair of autographed size 15.5 sneakers with the message "Let's Go Knicks!" written on the top right toe.

Stewart shared news of the thoughtful present on Instagram.

"A few days ago I posted a photo of [Anunoby's] [Skechers] sneakers," Stewart wrote in the caption of Monday's post. "Today I received this pair -autographed with a very nice message!!!!! size 15 1/2!!!! Thanks Og and best of luck to you and my favorite team!!!!!"

Anunoby, of course, made sure to comment back: "you're welcome martha," he said. Simple, yet effective.

It's not terribly shocking to see a Knicks star interacting with an A-lister in this way; as a New York team, the Knicks count plenty of celebrities among their fans. But we can't lie—we can't we saw this crossover coming. So what spurred it?

Well, as Stewart mentioned in her caption, she had previously posted a photo of Anunoby's Skecher shoes while attending Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals on May 21. The homemaker herself has a Skechers line, so you can see why she was inclined to do so.

Anunoby, meanwhile, signed an endorsement deal with the footwear brand in July 2025. Which means that, in some ways, these two are co-workers.

All that in mind, you can see how this collab came to be. But don't think it means Stewart isn't a real New York fan.

In April, the homemaking icon appeared on Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart's Roommates Show podcast, and explained that she has followed the Knicks for decades.

"I love going to the basketball games, by the way," Stewart said. "I started going in the 1960s. Can you imagine? I went when you won the 1970 NBA Championship. ... And the 1973 NBA Championship. That was the second and the last title that the Knicks won. I went to both of those."

Hart and Brunson then joked around about what would happen if Stewart were their coach. The author and Emmy-award winner didn't think she'd be very good at it, but she did offer up a bit of a hypothetical smack talk for Hart in the event he wasn't trying hard enough in practice.

"I would tell him that the rest of the team members were really counting on him. And what the hell is he f---ing around for? That's what I would say."

Stewart also told the story of how, in 2025, Brunson fell onto her during a game vs. the Pacers, which in turn caused a fracture in her toe.

"You jumped up really fast. And I remember saying to you, 'It's O.K.' You had no idea that you had hurt me—I didn't say you hurt me—but I said, 'It's O.K.,'" Stewart recounted, with a laugh. "It wasn't O.K. at all."

"They've named it the Stewart-Brunson fracture," she joked, referring to the injury. "I'm gonna leave you a picture of the X-ray."

Brunson, for his part, apologized to Stewart at the time and sent her a signed basketball as well. Surely, though, the recently received sneakers from Anunoby won't hurt either.

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