OG Anunoby has become the cat’s meow in New York.
He helped the New York Knicks bring an NBA championship back home, and now he’s helping the city’s cats find their forever homes.
He selected five cats – called “OG’s Starting Five” – that were available to be adopted by Knicks fans or cat lovers who are ready to welcome a furry feline into their home.
Three of the five Anunoby selected were adopted within days, including Damu, an 11-year-old with some medical issues.
“This really made it possible for this cat to be adopted,” said Katy Hansen, director of communications for the Animal Care Centers of NYC. “And who knows how many people came in thinking they were going to meet one of those five and then they ended up adopting another cat.”
Anunoby, a cat lover, is partnering with Royal Canin, VCA Animal Hospitals, and Animal Care Centers of NYC to help raise awareness for rescue cats available for adoption.
The five cats Anunoby picked – Penne, Sammy, Roxie, Damu and Lil Leo – were up for adoption through Animal Care Centers of NYC, the city’s largest animal shelter system.
“They’re some of our favorites,” Hansen said of OG’s selections. “Especially the ginger Roxie. Gingers are very special. We had over 300 to choose from, so we were really happy with his selection.”
Roxie, an orange and white 6-year-old female, remains up for adoption. Per her bio, she is seeking “a quiet, predictable adult home where she can settle in at her own pace. She enjoys attention and affection but prefers interactions on her terms.”
Also available for adoption is Sammy, a 4-year-old male whose adoption bio reads, “I am finding the shelter a little overwhelming, but when it’s just you and me and some peace and quiet you’ll see what a love bug I am.”
An adoption comes with a year of free pet food from Royal Canin, which is also donating 50,000 pounds of pet food to animal shelters across the country via Greater Good Charities in honor of Anunoby’s commitment to helping pets in need.
Each of Anunoby’s adopted cats will also receive one year of complimentary, unlimited exams provided by VCA.
“We believe every adopted pet deserves a happy, healthy head start in their new home,” said Dr. Julia Georgesen, VCA’s Chief Medical Officer. “Our goal has always been to help shelters remove barriers to adoption, which is why we’re so proud to stand alongside more than 150 shelter and rescue partners nationwide through our Healthy Start Program. Supporting ‘OG’s Starting Five’ is such a natural extension of that commitment.”
Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty ImagesJoe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images
OG Anunoby of the New York Knicks tips in the game-winnign shot against the San Antonio Spurs during Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Finals. (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)
Anunoby on Saturday helped the Knicks win their first NBA championship since 1973, averaging 21.2 points and 4.8 rebounds over five games in the NBA Finals.
That included his miraculous game-winning tip-in just before the buzzer in Game 4 to complete the Knicks’ 29-point comeback in a 107-106 victory. He then scored 17 points in the clinching victory that ended the Knicks’ 53-year championship drought.
He’s now shifted his focus from the Finals to felines.
“I think having athletes who so many people respect and hero worship talking about adoptions is going to get other people to start talking about adoption,” Hansen said. “Especially young kids, they want to have pets and their heroes are all about adoption… The more people that talk about adoption, the better off we’ll be because shelters around the country are at crisis level…So, this really helps.”
Hansen said the Animal Care Centers of NYC will be opening the Bronx’s first full-service animal shelter next year. With the success of Anunoby’s cat selection, might they give one of the New York Yankees a call to make a feline starting nine?
“We’ll definitely want to reach out to the Bronx Bombers,” she said.
Cat behaviorist and former host of hit TV show “My Cat from Hell” Jackson Galaxy opens up on how cats changed his life and urges others to consider adopting from a shelter. “Whoever you are, I can find you a cat,” Galaxy says. “There is someone out there for you.”