Patrick Ewing
Patrick Ewing: Knicks legend, Hall of Famer, and Olympic gold medalist.
via Wikipedia: Patrick Ewing Jr. · see source
Patrick Aloysius Ewing Sr. (born August 5, 1962) is a Jamaican-American professional basketball coach and former player who most recently served as head coach at Georgetown University (2017–2023). 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, though he never won an NBA championship in any role.
Quick Facts
- Team
- Brisbane Bullets
- Position
- Assistant coach
- League
- NBL
- Born
- 20 May 1984
- Birthplace
- Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
- Nationality
- American; Jamaican
- High school
- Marietta (Marietta, Georgia); National Christian Academy (Fort Washington, Maryland)
- College
- Indiana (2003–2005); Georgetown (2006–2008)
Lore & Background
Highly recruited out of high school, Ewing played center for the Georgetown Hoyas in Washington, D.C., for four seasons, during which the team reached the NCAA championship game three times. ESPN in 2008 designated him the 16th-greatest college basketball player of all time. He had a seventeen-year NBA career, predominantly playing for the New York Knicks, where he was an eleven-time all-star and named to seven All-NBA teams. The Knicks appeared in the NBA Finals twice (1994 and 1999) during his tenure. He won Olympic gold medals as a member of the 1984 and 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball teams. Ewing 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 Springfield, Massachusetts (in 2008 for his individual career and in 2010 as a member of the 1992 Olympic team). Additionally, he was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame as a member of the "Dream Team" in 2009. His number 33 was retired by the Knicks in 2003.
Reader's Guide
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. Ewing learned to play basketball at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School with the help of John Fountain and his coach Mike Jarvis. He was named a Parade All-American three times, earning third-team honors in 1979 and first-team selections in both 1980 and 1981. As a senior, he was also named Mr. Basketball USA, Parade Player of the Year, and MaxPreps National Player of the Year. Ewing led Cambridge Rindge and Latin to three consecutive Massachusetts Div. I state championships from 1979 to 1981. In order to prepare for college, Ewing joined the MIT-Wellesley Upward Bound Program. As a senior in high school, Ewing signed a letter of intent to play for coach John Thompson at Georgetown University. During his recruitment, Ewing was very close to signing a letter of intent to play for Dean Smith and the University of North Carolina; however, while on his recruiting visit, he witnessed a nearby rally for the Ku Klux Klan, which dissuaded him from going there. Ewing made six recruiting visits in all; he also visited UCLA and Villanova. As a freshman during the 1981–82 season, Ewing became one of the first college players to start and star on the varsity team as a freshman. That year, Ewing led the Hoyas to their second Big East tournament title in school history and a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. In the tournament, the Hoyas advanced to their first Final Four since 1943, where they defeated the University of Louisville, 50–46, to set up a showdown in the NCAA Final against North Carolina. In one of the most star-studded championship games in NCAA history, Ewing was called for goaltending five times in the first half (later revealed to be intentional at the behest of coach John Thompson), setting the tone for the Hoyas and making his presence felt. The Hoyas led late in the game, but a shot by future NBA superstar Michael Jordan gave North Carolina the lead. Georgetown still had a chance at winning the game in the final seconds, but Freddy Brown mistakenly threw a bad pass directly to opposing player James Worthy, sealing the win for the Tar Heels.
More in Basketball Greats
Elsewhere in Sports Legends
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced