New York Knicks

New York Knicks forward Precious Achiuwa is living his best life this summer.

Achiuwa shared photos and videos on Instagram of himself walking a pair of lions in Zambia.

Achiuwa was in Zambia for a three-day youth basketball training camp, marking the first time an NBA player has hosted a training camp in the country, per Zambian Sports.

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More than 150 children attended the camp, which was held from Aug. 3-5 in the Zambian capital of Lusaka, according to Zambian Sports.

Fellow Knicks player Josh Hart reacted to Achiuwa's post on Instagram:

Achiuwa, a first-round pick out of Memphis by the Miami Heat in the 2020 draft, played one season for the Heat before he was traded to the Toronto Raptors in 2021.

After two full seasons in Toronto, Achiuwa was traded again midway through the 2023-24 campaign as part of the deal that sent OG Anunoby to the Knicks.

The Knicks then re-signed Achiuwa to a one-year deal this offseason.

Achiuwa waived the no-trade clause that generally comes alongside a player's one-year deal to return to New York, Fred Katz reported for The Athletic, opening up the possibility he could be traded once more during the upcoming season.

Until practices begin again, it looks like Achiuwa will be living it up this offseason.

The New York Knicks named star point guard Jalen Brunson team captain on Thursday, with Hall of Fame center and Knicks' legend Patrick Ewing narrating a video in his honor on social media.

Brunson said he was "honored and thankful" after learning of the announcement:

Brunson said it was a particular honor having Ewing take part in the announcement video:

The Knicks weren't done there, however.

They also shared a video of famous captains from the city's other teams congratulating him, including New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter and current superstar Aaron Judge; New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers; New York Giants former defensive linemen Michael Strahan and Justin Tuck and former quarterback Eli Manning; Knicks' legend Walt Frazier and former guard Allan Houston; the former New York Mets' pair of David Wright and John Franco; and former New York Rangers captains Mark Messier and Brian Leetch,

And Brunson's teammates—including Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges—also congratulated him in a video released by the team:

Brunson, meanwhile, joked that his main priority was keeping Hart in line, which earned a quick rebuttal on social media:

Brunson, 27, was an All-Star and All-NBA second-team selection last season after averaging 28.7 points and 6.7 assists per game, leading the Knicks to the second round of the playoffs.

He then turned heads by signing a four-year, $156.5 million extension this offseason, turning down the chance to sign a far more lucrative five-year, $269 million million extension next offseason.

The move gave the Knicks far more financial freedom to build a championship contender around him, however, and was an indication that Brunson is all in with the team.

And the Knicks are clearly all in on him.

After a historic postseason run and signing one of the most team-friendly contracts in the NBA, Jalen Brunson has been named captain of the New York Knicks.

The Knicks officially announced Brunson has received the honor of being the 36th captain in franchise history.

"The New York Knicks have a deep and storied history and today we are immensely proud to add to that lineage by naming Jalen Brunson as our captain," Knicks president Leon Rose said in the announcement. "Jalen is a natural born leader, and I am confident he will continue to represent our organization, fans, city and his teammates with the same heart, grit and class that he has displayed each and every day since he came to New York."

Brunson is the first player to be designated team captain by the Knicks since Lance Thomas during the 2018-19 season.

After acquiring Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets earlier this offseason, the Knicks got Brunson to sign a four-year, $156.5 million extension in July. He would have been eligible for a five-year, $269.1 million deal if he waited to sign until next offseason.

Since joining the Knicks as a free agent in July 2022, Brunson has quickly become one of the most beloved players in franchise history. He has led the team to back-to-back appearances in the Eastern Conference semifinals after they went nine seasons without advancing past the first round from 2013-14 to 2021-22.

Last season, Brunson averaged career-highs in scoring average (28.7 points per game) and assists (6.7) in 77 starts. He finished fifth in MVP voting, the highest finish by a Knicks player since Carmelo Anthony in 2012-13 (third).

Brunson was even better for the Knicks during their postseason run. The 27-year-old averaged 32.4 points and 7.5 assists in 13 games. He became the fourth player in NBA history to score at least 40 points in four consecutive playoff games.

The Knicks' season ended in the Eastern Conference semifinals after a series of injuries to key players, including Brunson, piled up. They lost to the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 at Madison Square Garden.

Despite the disappointing finish to the 2023-24 campaign, optimism is extremely high for the Knicks going into next season. Brunson is the main reason for that hope, but he is surrounded by a terrific supporting cast that will look to get the Knicks back to the NBA Finals for the first time since the 1998-99 season.

The New York Knicks and forward Chuma Okeke agreed to a contract in free agency on Thursday, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

Okeke, who will turn 26 on Aug. 18, was the No. 16 overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft out of Auburn, and he spent his first four NBA seasons with the Orlando Magic.

The Magic made Okeke an unrestricted free agent in June when they declined to give him a qualifying offer.

Over the course of his four NBA campaigns, Okeke has appeared in 189 regular-season games, averaging 6.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.1 three-pointers made per contest, while shooting 38.3 percent from the field and 31.8 percent from beyond the arc.

After averaging over 25 minutes per game in his first two seasons and 19 minutes per game in 2022-23, Okeke saw a sharp decrease in playing time last season.

He played just 9.2 minutes per game in the 47 games he appeared in and averaged a career-low 2.3 points per game as a result.

Playing time will likely be tough to come by in New York as well since the Knicks have been hard at work this offseason adding to a roster that had the second-best record in the Eastern Conference last season at 50-32.

In addition to re-signing OG Anunoby to play alongside the core of Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo, the Knicks acquired Mikal Bridges in a blockbuster trade with the Brooklyn Nets

The Knicks did lose Isaiah Hartenstein and Alec Burks in free agency in addition to trading away Evan Fournier, Quentin Grimes and Bojan Bogdanović, though, meaning Okeke could be important in terms of providing depth to the back end of the roster.

The New York Knicks haven't signed Julius Randle to a long-term extension, but they reportedly have no plans to trade him, either.

Fred Katz of The Athletic reported there is "no indication" the Knicks would be willing to trade Randle, who can be a free agent after the 2024-25 season.

Randle holds a $30.9 million player option for 2025-26 that he's almost certain to decline, barring injury. The Knicks could ink Randle to an extension worth up to $181.5 million over four years, but it does not appear the two sides are close to an agreement.

Randle's long-term future with the Knicks has been cause for rampant speculation since the team reached the second round of the playoffs without their All-Star forward. His future became even murkier after New York acquired Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets, giving the Knicks six starters for five spots.

It's likely Josh Hart will move to the bench full-time after starting 42 games last season, but it's still fair to wonder where Randle fits.

Jalen Brunson's decision to sign a four-year, $156.5 million contract extension last month could open up the possibility of Randle staying long-term. Brunson gave up $11-13 million per season over what he could have landed from 2025-26 to 2027-28 by agreeing to the extension now. That could free up enough money for the Knicks to retain Randle and avoid the prohibitive second apron.

Brunson's decision to sacrifice in the name of winning also could set a precedent. If the Knicks' best player is willing to take less, Randle and others on the roster should be willing to fall in line. If Randle wants to maximize his earnings, the Knicks may have to explore trading him after all.

The New York Knicks re-signed forward-center Precious Achiuwa to a one-year, $6 million contract on Tuesday.

Achiuwa came over alongside OG Anunoby in a trade with the Toronto Raptors last season, averaging 7.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game in New York. He will slot in as the primary backup behind Mitchell Robinson next season.

The Knicks needed to re-sign Achiuwa after losing Isaiah Hartenstein to the Oklahoma City Thunder in free agency. Hartenstein's departure left a major gap at the center spot for the Knicks, and Achiuwa was the only logical option who wasn't a minimum-contract player.

The deal should have no impact on Robinson, who was the subject of trade rumors before Hartenstein's exit.

Robinson has spent his first six seasons with the Knicks after being selected in the second round of the 2018. He averaged 5.6 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in an injury-plagued 2023-24 campaign.

The 26-year-old has been a regular starter for most of the last four seasons but saw Hartenstein take over the role during the playoffs. When the Knicks lost Hartenstein in free agency, it seemed like a lock that Robinson would be back.

Robinson is who he is as a player, so the Knicks know what they're getting. He will dunk off pick-and-rolls and offensive rebounds, catch lobs racing down the floor and play solid defense in the middle. Asking him to do anything else is essentially a nonstarter. Robinson is one of the worst free throw shooters in the NBA and doesn't take shots outside the restricted area.

That's perfectly fine if you're looking for him to fill that exact role, and his contract is a value in the current NBA marketplace. He will make $14.3 million in 2024-25 and $13 million in 2025-26.

Robinson could even wind up signing an extension with the Knicks if he's able to stay healthy.

As far as Achiuwa goes, he's merely a fill-in off the bench and spot starter in case of injury to Robinson.

The New York Knicks announced Tuesday that they have re-signed free agent power forward Precious Achiuwa.

The deal is for one year and $6 million, per Achiuwa's representative, Raymond Brothers, to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Achiuwa, 24, posted 7.6 points and 7.2 rebounds over 24.2 minutes in 49 games (18 starts) for the Knicks ever since coming over to New York via trade from the Toronto Raptors as part of a blockbuster deal on Dec. 30, 2023.

That trade also notably saw OG Anunoby head to the Knicks and RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley go to Toronto.

Achiuwa rejoins a Knicks team that needed more frontcourt help after losing center Isaiah Hartenstein via free agency to the Oklahoma City Thunder. He's a bit undersized (6'8") to play at center but has been productive when called upon.

Achiuwa will also be a crucial member of the frontcourt at this point with the absence of Hartenstein, as he'll likely be the team's top big off the bench. 6'10" center Jericho Sims is the other reserve big man right now behind starting power forward Julius Randle and center Mitchell Robinson.

Ultimately, this is a big win for the Knicks, who get a core member of the rotation back in the mix at a great contract.

This also affords Achiuwa the opportunity to build his own value and perhaps shoot for a more lucrative and longer-term contract for a team that looks primed for a deep playoff run next year after re-signing Anunoby and trading for Mikal Bridges to build off a roster that won 50 games and made the second round of the playoffs last year.