Georgetown's champion who became the Knicks' greatest — a dominant center across 17 professional seasons.
Patrick Aloysius Ewing was born in Kingston, Jamaica in 1962 and moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts at 11. New York Knicks selected him first overall in the 1985 NBA Draft via the inaugural draft lottery — a selection that transformed the franchise. His 17-season career produced 21.0 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. He won the Rookie of the Year in 1986. He was selected to 11 All-Star games and named All-NBA Second Team twice. He won Olympic gold with the USA in 1984 and 1992 — the second with the Dream Team. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2008 and named to the NBA 50th Anniversary Team. He led the Knicks to the NBA Finals in 1994 — losing to Houston's Moses Malone in seven games — and to two other conference finals appearances. He and John Starks formed the defensive and offensive cores of New York Knicks teams that were the most physically imposing in the conference throughout the 1990s. He became head coach of Georgetown after his playing career — returning his alma mater to national relevance.
Dominant center for New York Knicks, Olympic Dream Team member
How They Played
Physical post player with strong defense and reliable jump shot
Lasting Impact
One of greatest centers in NBA history, transformed Knicks franchise
Rookie of Year (1986)
Despite being widely considered the greatest Knick ever, he never won an NBA Championship — falling to Jordan and the Bulls in the playoffs on multiple occasions.
Did You Know?Career Honours
- Rookie of Year (1986)
- All-Star 11x
- All-NBA Second Team 2x
- Hall of Fame (2008)
- NBA 50th Anniversary Team
- Olympic Gold (1984, 1992)