Before he started ripping up the Summer League with the Raptors, we caught up with OG in London ahead of what’s set to be a fascinating sophomore season in Toronto, where we talked through his move to the 6ix, what tunes he’s bumping in the Raptor’s locker room, and finding out how he became British basketball’s hottest prospect.

That sort of praise shouldn’t be taken lightly – but OG hasn’t let it get to his head. He keeps his family close to him; he shares his apartment in Toronto with his older brother, who joins him and his father in our interview, before he visits his sisters who are at university nearby in Westminster. His hobbies are all the same as your average 20-year-old – he loves memes, Netflix and Young Thug – except this 6 ft 8 in man has a 90-inch wingspan, and fits into the Raptor’s courtside seamlessly alongside DeMar DeRozan and Drizzy Drake.

After recovering from an ACL tear way ahead of schedule, OG guided the Raptors to the top of the Atlantic Division last season, where he became widely regarded as one of their best defenders, while also offering them more versatility going forward. He’s now one of the Raptor’s brightest prospects in years, having emerged from duels with LeBron James so well that the new Laker and three-time NBA champion even labelled OG as having certified “bright future” status.

Born in London, the small forward moved over to Indiana to play High School basketball, where he quickly ascended the ranks, forcing himself onto the radar of the Toronto Raptors. OG may have been 23rd on the draft pick list, but he’s more than surpassed all expectations as a player to become one of the best rookie picks of 2017.

OG Anunoby may only have just played his rookie season in the NBA, but he’s already being touted as British Basketball’s next superstar.

VERSUS: You left London when you were three-years-old. Do you come back to the UK much?

OG: This is the first time in a while, but I’ll start coming back more often. I obviously don’t remember a lot growing up here (laughs) – I moved to Missouri when I was three. It was fun, I met a lot of friends there and it was good growing up there for sure. It’s a lot more fun that people say it is, it’s got kind of a bad rep for that.

How old were you when you discovered basketball?

When I was younger I played every sport going. Baseball, soccer – I was a pretty mean midfielder back in the day! But as I got older, maybe when I was like at High School, I started focussing on basketball.

Your dad was a University professor. What advice did he give you when you decided to become a basketball player?

Just work hard, obviously. He actually wanted me to be a baseball player growing up. My older brother, Chigbo, is in the NFL, too – so we’re a sports family. There wasn’t a rivalry between us but he definitely encouraged me to become better.

“Drake encourages us but he doesn’t try to get too involved. He’s in the locker room, he’s one of the boys for sure.”

Right now you’re living in Toronto, which is one of the hottest cities culturally on the planet right now. How’s life there off the court?

Yeah it was different at first, but before moving to Toronto I was living in LA and New York, so they were fairly similar in terms of multiculturalism and size.

The profile of the Raptors has exploded globally with Drake’s partnership. What’s Drake’s influence on the team like? Is it felt? You can obviously see it courtside…

He encourages us, but he doesn’t try to get too involved (laughs). I know it looks like he does sometimes. He’s always cool, really nice guy. He talks to everyone, he’s a really friendly guy. He doesn’t really give speeches and all that, but he’s in the locker room, after games and stuff. He was in and around the camp game one and two of the last series. He’s one of the boys, for sure though.

What do you make of the Pusha T beef? Did he take an L?

Drake can never take an L (laughs). But they’re both good artists.

You’ve dealt well with some of the game’s best players in Harden, LeBron James and Kevin Durant…do you feel playing against them makes you better?

I definitely think it does. Just seeing how good they are first-hand. I was never daunted by them, either. I just straight up wanted to face them as I knew they’d make me perform at a higher level.

What was it like hearing a GOAT like LeBron say “you have a bright future” ?

It was cool, as I used to look up to him when I was younger, so someone like that saying something like that about me was cool.