Both Thomas Bryant and OG Anunoby have NBA championship rings.
Bryant won with Denver in 2023, and Anunoby with Toronto in 2019. They are the only two former Hoosiers to get NBA rings in the last 35 years.
But only one of them will be going to the NBA Finals in 2025.
The former IU basketball classmates and teammates will go head-to-head in the Eastern Conference Finals as Bryant’s Indiana Pacers take on Anunoby’s New York Knicks.
Here is the schedule for the series:
Game 1, Wed., May 21: at Knicks, 8 p.m., TNT
Game 2, Fri., May 23: at Knicks, 8 p.m., TNT
Game 3, Sun., May 25: at Pacers, 8 p.m., TNT
Game 4, Tues., May 27: at Pacers, 8 p.m., TNT
*-Game 5, Thurs., May 29: at Knicks, 8 p.m., TNT
*-Game 6, Sat., May 31: at Pacers, 8 p.m., TNT
*-Game 7, Mon., June 2: at Knicks, 8 p.m., TNT
All times Eastern; *-if necessary
In his eighth season, Anunoby had his best professional campaign. He averaged a career-high 18.0 points per game during the regular season to go along with 4.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.5 steals per contest while playing 36.6 minutes a night. He started all 74 games he appeared in and shot 47.9% from the floor, 37.5% from the 3-point line, and 81.3% from the free throw line.
Thus far in the playoffs Anunoby has averaged 15.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.8 steals. He has started every game as New York defeated Boston and Detroit to get to the conference finals.
Bryant, also an eight-year NBA veteran, appeared in 66 games for the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers. He averaged 6.5 points and 3.8 rebounds in 14.6 minutes per game. He shot 50.8% from the floor and 85.9% from the free throw line.
A reserve for the Pacers, Bryant has appeared in all 10 of their playoff games and is averaging 2.7 points and 1.9 rebounds over 9.9 minutes per game in series wins against Milwaukee and Cleveland.
The pair arrived in Bloomington to play for Tom Crean as part of the class of 2015. They won a Big Ten title together as freshmen in 2016 and both left IU for the NBA after two seasons.
Anunoby, who saw his Indiana men’s basketball career end due to a knee injury during the 2016-17 season, was selected with the 23rd pick of the 2017 NBA Draft by the Toronto Raptors. He came to IU as an unheralded recruit but quickly made an impression with his athleticism and defensive ability, especially in the 2016 NCAA Tournament. He averaged 11.1 points and 5.4 rebounds as a sophomore before the injury.
Bryant was chosen with the 42nd pick in 2017 by the Utah Jazz who then sent the pick to the Los Angeles Laker in a trade. He was a two-time third-team All-Big Ten selection and holds the IU career-record for field goal percentage at 59.2%. He averaged 12.6 points and 6.6 rebounds in 2016-17.
For complete coverage of former IU athletes in the professional ranks, GO HERE.
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