On This Day In NBA History: August 5 - An Eleven-Time All-Star Is Born
Before guys like Reggie Miller, Ray Allen and now Stephen Curry changed the way the game of basketball is played with the three-point line, the NBA was dominated by big guys who scored at the rim and in the paint.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, David Robinson, Hakeem Olajuwon and Shaquille O’Neal are some of the greatest centers in NBA history, but one would be foolish not to throw Patrick Ewing on this list as well.
On this day in 1962, Ewing was born in Kingston, Jamaica, the most populated city in the country. Growing up, Patrick Ewing played soccer and cricket, as most children in Jamaica do, until he was taught the game of basketball after moving to Cambridge, Massachusetts with his family in 1975.
After leading his high school to three consecutive state titles, Ewing signed a letter of intent to play at Georgetown under the late-great John Thompson.
A three-time consensus All-American and a two-time Big East Player of the Year with the Hoyas, Ewing ended up going to the New York Knicks after being the first overall pick in the 1985 NBA Draft after leading Georgetown to their one and only National Championship.
The Knicks were known to be a top-tier team in the 1970’s, as they won two titles in 1970 and 1973 with Hall-of-Famer Walt Frazier, but the franchise had been struggling mightily when Ewing arrived.
They failed to make the playoffs in his first two seasons with the team, but from the 1987-88 season through the 2000-01 season, the Knicks made the playoffs every single year.
Making the All-Star Game eleven times with the Knicks, Patrick Ewing was the face of the franchise and some may argue that he cemented himself at the top of the list in terms of the greatest players to ever wear a Knicks uniform.
Ahead of the 2000-01 season though, New York traded their future Hall-of-Famer to the Seattle SuperSonics in a four-team, 12-player deal. The Knicks did not end up big winners from this trade, as they have made the playoffs just six times since dealing Ewing to Seattle.
After playing with the SuperSonic during the 2000-01 season and then playing with the Orlando Magic during the 2001-02 season, Patrick Ewing retired in September of 2002.
Playing in a total of 1,183 career games, Ewing finished his illustrious career averaging 21.0 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.4 blocks and he currently resides 24th on the NBA’s All-Time Scoring List with 40,593 career points.
Now, Patrick Ewing is the head coach of his alma mater and has been with Georgetown since 2017.
The 1985-86 NBA Rookie of the Year, an 11-time All-Star, a 7-time All-NBA talent, a 3-time All-Defensive Team talent and a member of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary team, Patrick Ewing is one of the greatest basketball players of all-time and while he never won a championship in New York, his legacy with the Knicks will live on for generations to come.
