Patrick Ewing

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Highly recruited out of Cambridge, Massachusetts, Ewing played center for the Georgetown Hoyas 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.

In Their Own Story

Ewing was chosen as the 43rd overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft by the Sacramento Kings. Soon afterwards, he signed a contract with the Kings. He was later traded to the Houston Rockets in a five-player deal that brought Ron Artest to the Rockets. On August 29, 2008, Ewing followed his father's footsteps once again when he was traded to the New York Knicks in exchange for the rights of former first round pick Frédéric Weis. After some initial speculation that he would wear his father's retired number 33, Ewing took number 6 in honor of his favorite player, Bill Russell, which was also his father's number in his final season in the NBA with the Orlando Magic and on the 1992 Olympic national team. Ewing played in two Knicks preseason games prior to making his New York debut in the Knicks' final pre-season game on October 24, 2008. Ewing entered the game in the fourth quarter to a thunderous ovation by the Madison Square Garden crowd. Ewing helped fuel the Knicks' late rally, where the Knicks would come back from a 21-point deficit. Ewing had two dunks, a three-pointer, a steal and a blocked shot. He had seven fourth quarter points. In total, he played three pre-season games for the Knicks, averaging 8.1 minutes, 3.7 points and 1.7 rebounds. On October 27, 2008, Ewing was waived by the Knicks in order to get the roster down to the maximum of 15 players for the start of the 2008–09 season.

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. For the 1

Did You Know?

• Patrick Ewing Sr. was born on August 5, 1962, in Kingston, Jamaica.
• He won Olympic gold medals as a member of the 1984 and 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball teams.
• His number 33 was retired by the New York Knicks in 2003.
• Ewing is a two-time inductee into the Basketball Hall of Fame (2008 for his individual career and 2010 as a member of the 1992 Olympic team).