Jefferson City dedicates court to NBA champion OG Anunoby

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The hardwood at historic Fleming Fieldhouse now bears the name of a two-time NBA Champion.

On Monday morning, Jefferson City High School officially dedicated the Jays' basketball court to local legend and two-time NBA Champion Ogugua "OG" Anunoby. They did so with an all-school assembly, which was attended by Anunoby's former coaches, friends and mentors, as well as city leaders, school officials and Anunoby, himself.

"It's an honor to have my name on the court at Fleming Fieldhouse," Anunoby said. "I moved to Jefferson City when I was four years old, graduating from JC in 2015. I am blessed to have grown up around so many amazing people and the help from the city, all my family and friends and teachers has been amazing...It all started with the people who believed in me in Jefferson City."

Anunoby's signature is now featured on on both sides of the court at Fleming Fieldhouse, as you can see in the picture below.

Anunoby was back at his alma mater just months after playing an integral role in the New York Knicks' first NBA Championship in more than 50 years. The former Jay scored a dramatic, game-winning tip-in with less than two seconds to go to life New York to a win in Game 4 of the the NBA Finals. That was a moment big enough for New York City officials to declare both June 10 and 11 as days honoring the forward for his historic performance.

However, Monday's event was far from the first time that Anunoby had returned to the place he once called home. Over the years, he continually invested in his alma mater and hometown by hosting a free youth basketball camp for middle and high school students in the school district.

The moments he created on the court this past NBA season and the what he does off of it are the ones that will inspire students at Jefferson City High School for years to come.

Former Jefferson City basketball assistant coach Jordan Chapman was one of a few people who knew Anunoby when he was a Jay and said that back then, they could've never dreamed of what was possible. Chapman remembered a time when Anunoby thought he wanted to be a baseball player, but - wisely - figured out the game of basketball was for him.

"Part of the answer [of how this is all possible] is obvious. OG was given some extraordinary physical and mental gifts. In many ways, you can say he was built to play the game of basketball. But gifts alone don't get you there. OG took those gifts and he worked," Chapman said. "He worked to improve them, he worked to develop them, he continued working when basketball became more difficult and the competition became better. Even after reaching the NBA, he kept working. That's what I want everyone here, sitting here today, to hear. The odds tell us that it's pretty unlikely that anyone else sitting in this gym has the exact combination of physical gifts and abilities that OG possesses. But, every person sitting in this gym has been wonderfully and perfectly made. Each of us is unique, with different abilities, talents and interests and opportunities. And maybe you know exactly what those talents are and maybe you're still searching or maybe you need a teacher, or a coach, or a friend or a mentor to come alongside you and intentionally tell you what your talents are...or maybe even what they're not. Sometimes we need other people to see something in us before we can see it in ourselves. Your job is to figure out what you've been given and then decide what to do with it. Maybe your gifts are athletics, maybe its music, maybe its communication and relationships, maybe its building things, solving problems, leading people, encouraging people, creating things, teaching or serving others. And, at your age, you may not even know what those gifts are. Remember, OG was a 14-year-old baseball player. But, here's what you can control: your work ethic, your character, how you treat people, how you respond when things get difficult, whether you're willing to get better and whether people can trust you. And, around here, we wrap all of those things into something that Jaybirds call "Jay Pride." That's really why today matters. We're not simply putting OG Anunoby's name on the court because of what he's accomplished in basketball, we're honoring the way he accomplished it."