Knicks Legend Named Top 100 All-Time Player

It's been 55 years since Willis Reed won the NBA Finals MVP with the New York Knicks to claim the franchise's first championship.

Reed spent his entire 10-year career with the Knicks, winning two championships during his decade in New York.

Bleacher Report ranked the top 100 players in NBA history and Reed is still viewed as one of the best, clocking in at No. 58 on the list.

"Knee injuries ultimately forced Willis Reed into retirement before he exited his early 30s. His standing in this exercise if he’s able to play past 1974 is a mega what-if," Bleacher Report wrote.

"Reed spent all 10 of his seasons on the New York Knicks, playing a starring role in the franchise’s only two championships. His Game 7 performance in the 1970 Finals stands as perhaps his crowning achievement. He labored through a muscle tear in his right thigh, and though his stat line didn’t pop during the half that he played, his decision and ability to play at all was considered a galvanizing force."

Knee injuries made it difficult for Reed to play into his 30s. He played in just 11 games after the Knicks won their second NBA championship in 1973, retiring at the age of 31.

After playing with the Knicks, he became a head coach for the franchise from 1977-78 and finished 49-47 across two seasons in New York. He went back to the college game to coach Creighton University from 1981-85 before making his way back to the NBA as an assistant.

He was on the staff of the Atlanta Hawks from 1985-87 and the Sacramento Kings in the 1987-88 season before joining the New Jersey Nets as their head coach. Across two seasons with the Nets, Reed finished 33-77 and stepped down to take a role in their front office.

Reed spent 15 years as an executive for the Nets before three years with the New Orleans Hornets from 2004-07. He passed away in 2023 at the age of 80, but his legacy lives on as one of the best Knicks and NBA players of all-time.

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