Hakeem Olajuwon vs Patrick Ewing
The dominant center who led Georgetown to a national title and the Knicks to two NBA Finals.
Patrick Aloysius Ewing Sr. (born August 5, 1962) is a Jamaican-American professional basketball coach and former player who currently serves as an assistant coach for the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He spent most of his 17-year playing career as the starting center for the New York Knicks before ending his playing career with brief stints with the Seattle SuperSonics and Orlando Magic, each tenure only lasting one season. Ewing is regarded as one of the greatest Knicks players of all time, playing a dominant role in New York's 1990s success, and becoming an NBA champion with the team in 2026 in a front office role.
Quick Facts
- Player one
- Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston Rockets)
- Player two
- Patrick Ewing (New York Knicks)
- Primary arena
- NBA Playoffs
- Key era
- Late 1980s to Mid-1990s
- Defining series
- 1986 Eastern Conference Finals, 1994 Western Conference Semifinals
- Status
- Retired Legends
Lore & Background
Ewing was born on August 5, 1962, in Kingston, Jamaica, to Carl and Dorothy Ewing. He was born one day before Jamaica declared independence. As a child, he excelled at cricket and soccer. In 1975, Ewing moved to the United States and settled with his family in the Greater Boston area in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He learned to play basketball at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School with the help of John Fountain and his coach Mike Jarvis. He led Cambridge Rindge and Latin to three consecutive Massachusetts Div. I state championships from 1979 to 1981. He played center for the Georgetown Hoyas for four seasons, during which the team reached the NCAA championship game three times. He won Olympic gold medals as a member of the 1984 and 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball teams.
Reader's Guide
Ewing was an eleven-time NBA all-star and named to seven All-NBA teams. The Knicks appeared in the NBA Finals twice (1994 and 1999) during his tenure. He was selected as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996 and as one of the 75 Greatest Players in NBA History in 2021. He is a two-time inductee into the Basketball Hall of Fame (in 2008 for his individual career and in 2010 as a member of the 1992 Olympic team). His number 33 was retired by the Knicks in 2003.
Did You Know?
- Ewing faced Hakeem Olajuwon in the 1994 NBA Finals, the only playoff series between them.
- Ewing was named the NCAA Tournament's Most Outstanding Player in 1984.
- Ewing was awarded the Naismith Player of the Year Award and the Associated Press Player of the Year in 1985.
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