03-Apr-11 NBA.

com: Patrick Ewing Bio

Full Name: Patrick Aloysius Ewing Height: 7-0
Born: 8/5/62 in Kingston, Jamaica Weight: 255 lbs.
High School: Cambridge (Mass.) Honors: Rookie of Year (1985); All-NBA
Rindge & Latin School First Team (1990); All-NBA Second Team
College: Georgetown (1988, '89, '91, '92, '93, '97); All-Defensive
Drafted by: New York Knicks (1985) Second Team (1988, '89, '92); 11-time
Transactions: Traded to Seattle, NBA All-Star; One of 50 Greatest Players
9/20/00; Signed with Orlando, 7/18/01 in NBA History (1996); Two-time Olympic
gold medalist (1984, '92).
Complete Bio | Summary | Complete Stats
Warrior. That is the one-w ord description often applied to Patrick Ew ing. He w as indefatigable and relentless in pursuit of an NBA
championship despite being denied on an annual basis. Bold predictions did not alw ays materialize and some took them as empty promises,
w hile others as a w ill to succeed. One of the finest shooting centers to play, he left the game as the New York Knicks' all-time leader in
nearly every significant category and the game's 13th all-time scorer w ith 24,815 points.

He arrived in New York after a ballyhooed college career w ith the Georgetow n Hoyas that included one NCAA title and appearances in tw o
other championship games. The team's fierce in-your-face style of basketball created a phenomenon know n as "Hoya Paranoia" and as the
key intimidating defensive presence, Ew ing w as tagged the "Hoya Destroya." A media star since his schoolboy days, his anticipated arrival
to the NBA w as unprecedented.

Never achieving the Holy Grail of the NBA, Ew ing came painfully close. He led the Knicks all the w ay to the NBA Finals in 1994 but lost to the
Hakeem Olajuw on-led Houston Rockets in seven games, w hich avenged a loss by Olajuw on's Houston Cougars to Georgetow n in the 1984
NCAA championship game.

Also, at the tail end of Ew ing's career w ith the Knicks, he w as sidelined w ith a partially torn Achilles tendon w hen the San Antonio Spurs
defeated New York in the 1999 NBA Finals.

Some hold that Ew ing's failure to w in a ring is the litmus test defining his career. But timing is everything and Ew ing just happened to be born
w ithin five months of both Olajuw on and Michael Jordan, w hose Chicago Bulls defeated Ew ing's Knicks in five playoff series. In fact, from
1990 through 1998, the NBA championship w ent to teams that featured either Jordan or Olajuw on.

Nonetheless, Ew ing's career highlights and production are impressive. They include averages of 21 points E-mail photo | Buy photos
and 9.8 rebounds per game, 11 All-Star berths, an All-NBA First Team bid and six Second Team selections.
He w as the NBA Rookie of the Year in 1986, w as named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History Patrick Ewing is the
and played on tw o gold medal-w inning Olympic basketball teams, in 1984 and 1992. Knicks all-time
The Jamaica-born Ew ing arrived in the United States at age 11, and the gangly youth w ho had reached the leader in scoring,
height of 6-10 by junior high school w as initially aw kw ard on the court w hen introduced to the game. But rebounding, block
by the time he w as a senior in high school, the w orld knew he w ould be something special.
shots and steals.
"He w ill be the next Bill Russell, only better offensively," high school coach Mike Jarvis said of Ew ing w hile Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE/Getty
the budding giant played at Cambridge (Mass.) Rindge & Latin School. Many had similar thoughts as he w as Images
heavily recruited and w as the focal point of media attention throughout his basketball career.

He understood the hoopla that came w ith his stardom but alw ays reserved his right to just play basketball. Perhaps that is w hy he chose to
attend Georgetow n, w here he blossomed under the mentor-like guidance of coach John Thompson, a 6-10 former NBA backup center to Bill
Russell on the Boston Celtics in the mid-1960s. Ew ing's pro career w as presaged by four superb years at Georgetow n. Besides his team
accomplishments, he w as named the Final Four Most Outstanding Player as a junior and as a senior, and his long list of honors included The
Sporting News College Player of the Year Aw ard and the Naismith Aw ard.

Although many of his contemporaries -- including Olajuw on, Jordan and Charles Barkley -- w ere leaving college early to join the NBA, Ew ing
stayed all four years and earned a degree in Fine Arts. His patience paid off as the yearning for his services reached almost epic
proportions w ith the first-ever NBA Draft Lottery in 1985. As recounted in Sports Illustrated, Los Angeles Clippers president Alan
Rothenberg and GM Carl Scheer joked about enlisting 33 (Ew ing's jersey number) Hasidic rabbis to chant Ew ing's name in unison to enhance
the teams chance of w inning his draft rights.

This new lottery system w as devised to discourage teams from tanking games to get the chance to pick first in the draft. All non-playoff
teams w ould participate in a lottery to determine the order of selection. How ever, in its introduction, the side effect w as similar to a
sideshow . Rather than just tw o teams w ith high hopes of w inning a coin flip, the additional teams multiplied the hype. This first lottery, more
television friendly than a coin toss, w as broadcasted from New York's Waldorf Astoria Hotel on Mother's Day.

The Knicks, w ith the third-w orst record of the seven teams involved, w on the lottery and the rebirth of a venerable old franchise w as
delivered.
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The Knicks obviously w anted Ew ing, a potential franchise center, as much as the other lottery teams. How ever, the expectations for the
Knicks w ere slightly different. The team played in New York, the media capital of the w orld and to many the Mecca of basketball. Many fans
still remembered the halcyon days w hen Willis Reed and Walt "Clyde" Frazier led the Knicks' championship teams of 1970 and 1973.

In reality, the team w as more than respectable. New York had been a playoff team three of the preceding five years, led by 7-1 center Bill
Cartw right and the electrifying Bernard King, although Cartw right missed the entire season and King suffered a serious knee injury the year
prior to Ew ing's arrival. With Cartw right and King sidelined, the team's progress w as short-circuited as the record dropped dramatically,
putting the team in a position to draft Ew ing.

Ew ing w as still touted as the franchise’s savior. His burden w as even heavier than expected in his rookie
season w ithout King, w ho w as still out w ith that knee injury, and Cartw right, w ho played just tw o games.
"He has a heart Rebuilding the team took a w hile, but Ew ing w as an instant success. He averaged 20 points and nine rebounds
per game and became the first Knicks player to capture the NBA Rookie of the Year aw ard since Willis Reed in
of a champion. 1964-65, although Ew ing missed 32 games because of a knee injury w hich also caused him to miss the All-Star
When you Game.

thought about Ew ing w asn't know n for offensive prow ess w hile in college, w here Georgetow n coach John Thompson
placed emphasis on defense and keeping big men in the pivot. But once in the pro ranks, aw ay from the
New York, you restraints of college opponents sagging on him, Ew ing surprised many w ith his scoring ability, eventually
thought of developing an unstoppable baseline jumper.

Patrick Ewing. King played just six games in Ew ing's second year and w as playing w ith the Washington Bullets by the third.
Ew ing w as also playing a variety of pow er forw ards and he sometimes teamed w ith Cartw right in a tw o-center
He came and lineup. Ew ing did, how ever, turn in strong numbers as the Knicks slow ly gathered a credible supporting cast.
gave life back
In his third year, Ew ing finished 20th in the NBA in scoring (20.2 ppg), ninth in field-goal percentage (.555) and
into the city." third in blocked shots (2.99 per game). Rick Pitino took over as head coach prior to the season guided the
Knicks to their first playoff berth in four seasons, w here the Boston Celtics defeated New York 3-1 in the first-
-- Michael Jordan round. Ew ing contributed 18.8 points and 12.8 rebounds per game in the series. Ew ing also made his second
All-Star Game appearance in 1988 and w as named to both the All-Defensive Second Team and the All-NBA
Second Team at season’s end.

In 1988-89, w ith Cartw right having been traded to the Bulls for Ew ing's eventual right-hand man for the next decade, pow er forw ard
Charles Oakley, No. 33 became an All-Star for the third time and he earned his second straight berth on both the All-NBA Second Team and
the All-Defensive Second Team. The Knicks w on the Atlantic Division w ith a 52-30 record in Rick Pitino’s second and final season as head
coach.

Ew ing ranked 12th in the NBA in scoring (22.7 ppg), third in blocked shots (3.51 per game), fourth in field-goal percentage (.567) and 20th in
rebounding (9.3 rpg). New York advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals before losing to the Chicago Bulls in six games. Ew ing
averaged 21.3 points and 10.0 rebounds against the Bulls, dominating Game 5 w ith 32 points, 11 rebounds and five blocked shots.

Ew ing put together a spectacular year in 1989-90, ranking second in the league in blocked shots (3.99 per game), third in scoring (a career-
high 28.6 ppg), fifth in rebounding (10.9 rpg) and sixth in field-goal percentage (.551). He made his fourth appearance in the NBA All-Star
Game and w as voted a starter for the first time. At season’s end he earned his only selection to the All-NBA First Team.

Ew ing continued to dominate in the playoffs. Dow n 0-2 to the Celtics in the first-round, Ew ing led the Knicks to a series victory after posting
44 points and 13 rebounds in Game 4 and then 31 points in an emotional Game 5 triumph. How ever, the Knicks w ere ousted by the Detroit
Pistons in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. He averaged 29.4 points in 10 postseason games, highlighted by a 45-point effort in the
Knicks’ Game 3 victory against Detroit.

Prior to the 1991-92 season, Pat Riley took over as head coach of New York. For the next four seasons, Ew ing anchored one of the best
teams in the league as the Knicks w on at least 50 games each year and advanced to the NBA Finals in 1994. He w as remarkably consistent
during that span, averaging betw een 23.9 and 24.5 points w hile pulling dow n at least 11 rebounds per game each year.

New York ended the 1991-92 regular season tied w ith Boston atop the Atlantic Division. The Knicks then advanced to the Eastern
Conference Semifinals, losing to Chicago in a grueling seven-game series. Ew ing averaged 22.7 points and 11.1 rebounds during the
postseason.

In 1992-93, Ew ing finished fourth in the balloting for the NBA Most Valuable Player aw ard after leading the Knicks to the best record in the
Eastern Conference at 60-22. An All-Star for the seventh time, Ew ing finished sixth in the NBA in scoring (24.2 ppg) and seventh in
rebounding w ith a career-high 12.1 per game.

Ew ing averaged 25.5 points and 10.9 rebounds in the 1993 postseason, but for a third straight year the Knicks could not unseat the Bulls.
The Knicks lost the Eastern Conference Finals to Chicago in six games after going up 2-0. Momentum sw ayed to the Bulls after w inning
Game 5 at Madison Square Garden w hen point-blank-range shots by Knicks forw ard Charles Smith w ere blocked w ith seconds left.

Ew ing led New York to the 1994 NBA Finals, during Jordan's first retirement hiatus. Ew ing posted 24 points and 22 boards in a Game 7 w in
over the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals.

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The Finals w as a referendum of w hich of the great centers w ould be remembered as a champion. A tooth-and-nail battle premised on
Riley's physical style of play, no team scored a 100 points in any of the seven games. The Rockets stole Game 6 at the Garden and in the
decisive game, Knicks shooting guard John Starks shot 2-for-18 from the field and the Rockets w on 90-86.

For Ew ing it w as a crushing end to another fine season. He led the Knicks in scoring (24.5 ppg) for a seventh consecutive year and
participated in his eighth NBA All-Star Game. The Knicks co-captain also averaged 11.2 rebounds and 2.75 blocks w hile becoming New
York’s all-time leading scorer, surpassing Walt Frazier.

For the next four seasons, Ew ing averaged no less than 20.8 ppg, but the Knicks endured Eastern Conference Semifinal losses in
succession to the Pacers, Bulls, Miami Heat (now coached by Riley) and finally the Pacers again.

The first Pacers series loss is remembered by many for Ew ing's failure to sink a finger-roll in the w aning moments of Game 7, w hich w ould
have forced overtime. But many also forget that in Game 5, w ith the Knicks dow n 3-1, he scored w ith less than tw o seconds left to lift the
Knicks to a one-point w in and save them from elimination. The Heat defeat is notew orthy for the suspension of several players for leaving
the bench during a Game 5 scuffle. Without Ew ing in Game 6 and other suspended Knicks in Game 7, the Heat came back to w in the series.

Ew ing missed much of the 1997-98 season w ith a lunate dislocation and torn ligaments of the right w rist. During Ew ing’s rehab, Knicks
forw ard Larry Johnson said, “I thought I w as a hard w orker, or claimed to be a hard w orker, but I’m in there before practice and he looks like
he’s already been there an hour. So if anyone can come back, he w ill.”

He did, defying the doctors' prognosis that he w ould not be able to return that season. Although Ew ing may have lost some of the snap in
his shooting motion for the remainder of his career, he returned and played through any discomfort, only to lose in five games to the Pacers
in the Conference Finals.

As the 1998-99 season approached, Ew ing w as consumed w ith labor negotiations as the Player's Union representative. The season w as
delayed until February and shortened to a 50-game schedule. Before the start of the season, the team acquired Latrell Sprew ell in a deal
that sent Starks to the Golden State Warriors, and Marcus Camby arrived from Toronto in exchange for Oakley.

The team had trouble coming together but jelled during the postseason, becoming the first team to ever reach the NBA Finals from the eighth
seed. Ew ing averaged 17.3 ppg but suffered an injured Achilles tendon in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Pacers. Without Ew ing,
San Antonio's Tim Duncan and David Robinson w ere too much for the Knicks as the Spurs w on the championship in five games.

Ew ing and the Knicks enjoyed one last hurrah in 1999-2000 by eliminating Riley and the Heat from the playoffs for the third consecutive
season. But the Pacers defeated New York in the Conference Finals and Ew ing's career as a Knick w as over.

Unable to agree on a contract extension w ith Ew ing before the 2000-01 season, the Knicks -- w ith the veteran center's blessing -- traded
him to the Seattle SuperSonics. Knicks fans had mixed emotions about Ew ing's departure. Some could never forgive him for not bringing the
title back to New York, or for his sense of privacy that limited a personal connection w ith the fans. Others appreciated his productive w ork
ethic, the excitement he brought to the Garden and his commitment to the franchise.

He played just one season as a Sonic and another as a backup w ith the Orlando Magic. After announcing his retirement, he w as hired as an
assistant coach by the Washington Wizards, joining Jordan in his old nemesis' final season as a player.

Ew ing's No. 33 w as retired before a Madison Square Garden crow d on February 28, 2003. As reported on the Knicks' official Web site, as
the moment approached prior to halftime, the Garden w as buzzing w ith a chant of "P-a-a-at-t-tri-i-i-ck E-e-e-w i-i-ing!!! Pa-a-a-tr-i-i-ck E-e-e-
w i-i-ingggg!" Louder and louder the chant grew to an almost unreachable crescendo.

The scene w as reminiscent of the many spring playoff dates the Garden hosted during Ew ing's career. Jordan may have said it best, "He
has a heart of a champion. When you thought about New York, you thought of Patrick Ew ing. He came and gave life back into the city."

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