Martha Stewart posted a courtside photo of OG Anunoby’s cream-colored Skechers on Instagram this postseason and, after the image circulated, accepted an autographed pair he later sent her.
Stewart, a regular at Madison Square Garden during the Knicks’ first NBA Finals appearance in nearly three decades and a Skechers ambassador, praised the forward’s demeanor: "OG has such a calm confidence about him," she told Andscape, adding that "What I find most appealing is that he lets his work speak for itself." The exchange landed like a second-quarter highlight — small, quiet, and suddenly everywhere.
The attention matters because Anunoby’s shoes have become part of the Knicks’ narrative during the 2026 playoffs. The 28-year-old, 6-foot-7 forward averaged 19.5 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists in the postseason, and his on-court play has been accompanied by twice-viral appearances of a player-exclusive Nexus model from Skechers in a cream color.
Anunoby signed with Skechers last year, a move he described simply: "Signing with Skechers was an easy decision for me." He told the same outlet he’s also noticed the personal side of the partnership: "How personal the relationship feels has been very refreshing." That mix of performance and deliberate low-key presentation helps explain why courtside celebrities keep pointing at his feet rather than at a louder publicity push.
Celebrity moments have amplified the pattern. Anne Hathaway recalled a November 2024 game against the Chicago Bulls on The Tonight Show in April, saying, "Time slowed down," when describing an instance of Anunoby diving toward her seats at Madison Square Garden. A separate courtside photo with Olympic gymnast Suni Lee prompted its own round of online buzz. Those incidents have turned Anunoby’s footwear into a recurring subject for observers who come to the Garden for basketball and stay for the personalities.
On the court, the sneakers are a detail that complements results. Anunoby arrived in New York in a 2023 trade and has been a steady contributor as the Knicks advanced to the Finals for the first time in nearly three decades. The viral images of his cream-colored Nexus pairs don’t change box scores, but they expand the conversation around a player who rarely seeks the spotlight.
That reluctance is the story’s friction. Anunoby’s public posture is spare: he lets play do the talking and has avoided the theatrics that attract headlines. Yet his calm has produced its own magnetism, drawing attention from a mix of fans and famous faces — and from a shoe company that hopes the association translates into cultural relevance beyond the books and the displays in Times Square.
Martha Stewart’s role in the thread is a neat example of how those elements cross. As a Skechers ambassador and a repeated Garden presence, she both noticed and amplified the sneakers, then accepted a signed pair, turning a quiet courtside preference into a circulated moment. That sequence also points to how the Knicks’ postseason visibility has expanded into sneaker culture during the franchise’s deep playoff run; the player-exclusive Nexus model is now part of the Knicks narrative as much as any play diagram.
What remains uncertain — and what will decide how consequential this all becomes — is whether the sneaker attention will produce lasting cultural or commercial gain for Skechers or the Knicks. For now, the more immediate timeline is simple: the Knicks are in the NBA Finals and Anunoby, who is London-born, Missouri-raised and an Indiana alumnus, will still be wearing those cream-colored Nexus pairs when the next game tip-off arrives. Whether courtside photos and celebrity anecdotes turn into sustained momentum for the shoes is the single unanswered question that follows this run.
For background on how the conversation around his shoes started and continued through the postseason, see Og Anunoby’s Skechers Draw Martha Stewart’s Attention as Knicks Reach Finals, and for moments from the run itself, see Charles Barkley Jokes With OG Anunoby After Knicks’ 121-108 Game 3 Win and Og Anunoby Real Name: Barkley's on-air question follows Knicks' 121-108 Game 3 win.
