Mike Brown and Karl-Anthony Towns both believe OG Anunoby was “robbed” of first-team All-Defense after finishing second-team. Brown went further, insisting “it was wrong,” while pointing to Anunoby’s versatility and the Knicks’ elite defensive identity this se
The Knicks didn’t just play Cleveland—New York turned it into a statement. and since their last defeat in Game 3 against the Atlanta Hawks in the first round. the team has taken the next step. This is the same Knicks group that built its season around defense. and for OG Anunoby. the defensive recognition came in a form that landed the way some people in the organization didn’t want.
Anunoby finished second-team All-Defense, and the reaction around the Knicks was immediate. Karl-Anthony Towns questioned the voting, saying nobody wanted to ask Anunoby about second team (all-defense) because he’s “one of the best defenders in the world” and should have been on first team.
“Damn. He’s one of the best defenders in the world, and he got robbed from first,” Towns said via Fred Katz of The Athletic on X, formerly Twitter.
Towns wasn’t the only one willing to say what he thought. Mike Brown took it further during his availability window, making the case that Anunoby should have been first-team All-Defense and calling the outcome wrong.
“Freakin’ OG got robbed. He should’ve been First Team All-Defense. I hope the voters get it right next time around. It was wrong.”
Brown added that Anunoby’s value to the Knicks goes beyond effort and reputation. The versatility he brings, Brown argued, is part of why New York is “a top-five defensive team.”
“The versatility he brings to this team. We’re a top-five defensive team. The versatility that guy brings to this team is off the charts, and I hope the voters get it right next time around. I’m happy he’s second-team; he deserves something. But it was wrong.”
The argument then turned to who actually made first-team All-Defense. Brown pointed out the names on the first team list—Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren, Rudy Gobert, Derrick White, and Ausar Thompson—and still landed on the same conclusion: Anunoby should have been included there.
There’s no doubt Anunoby has been one of the top defenders in the league this season. The Knicks’ defenders also didn’t feel entirely left behind. at least not in a way that made it the bigger story of the year—because Anunoby wasn’t left out completely. He was recognized, just not where Towns and Brown believe he belonged.
In the middle of a run where the Knicks have shifted into another gear after that Game 3 loss to Atlanta. the All-Defense debate became its own kind of scoreboard. Second-team is still an achievement. But for Towns and Mike Brown. the gap between second-team and first-team is the difference between being honored—and being fully seen.
New York Knicks OG Anunoby Mike Brown Karl-Anthony Towns NBA All-Defense First Team All-Defense Second Team All-Defense defensive player of the year voting
Second-team isn’t “robbed” come on.
Sounds like they’re mad at the voters not OG. But if he’s “one of the best defenders in the world” how is that not first team? Like the whole system is kinda rigged.
I mean Mike Brown said it was wrong but voters always pick the guys with the loudest stats. Also Knicks defense is elite so that part checks out, but calling it “robbed” feels like a reporter wrote that headline. First-team should’ve had Anunoby though lol.
This is why I stopped caring about awards. One person gets second-team and everybody acts like the season got stolen. And wait, Ausar Thompson and Derrick White made it? I didn’t even know those names, so clearly nobody asked OG right. Knicks defense statement? Sure. But the voting is just whoever ESPN likes.