5 Must-Know Patrick Ewing Facts

There are only a handful of NBA franchises that have a player who's clearly the best in team history. Teams like the Golden State Warriors and the Chicago Bulls are lucky to be able to point to guards Stephen Curry and Michael Jordan as obvious choices for the honor. 

While the New York Knicks do not have as clear-cut a decision, the presence of center Patrick Ewing allows fans to point to one of the most dominant players in NBA history as their team's most recognizable name. This article will highlight Ewing's most notable moments during his time in the basketball world.

The Knicks have only had the first overall pick four times in franchise history. They used their most recent one on Patrick Ewing in 1985. Ewing immediately rewarded that selection with a monstrous rookie season in which he averaged 20.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game.

He won the Rookie of the Year award by a landslide and even managed to make the All-Star team at 23 years old. Since 1985, only seven other rookies besides Ewing have managed to be selected to the All-Star Game, showing just how dominant the former Georgetown Hoya was as soon as he reached the NBA.

Ewing stayed relatively healthy throughout his career. Aside from playing a whopping 17 seasons, the center managed to play at a high level for 15 of them.

Throughout Ewing's first 15 years, he made 11 All-Star teams and seven All-NBA teams while consistently being in the running for the MVP and the Defensive Player of the Year awards. Making matters even better for New York fans is the fact that all 15 of those seasons came in the orange and blue, turning Ewing into the most iconic Knick to ever take the floor.

Taking a look at the list of New York's all-time franchise leaders shows how important Patrick Ewing was to the organization. It's almost hard to believe that he led the Knicks in as many categories as he currently does, even though it's been just over 25 years since he played in Madison Square Garden.

Ewing still leads the Knicks in games played, minutes played, total field goals, free throws, rebounds, blocks, steals, and arguably most importantly, points.

While there are fans out there who argue that Clyde Drexler is the greatest New York basketball player ever, the numbers don't lie. Ewing leads the franchise in just about every single major stat, and without him, the Knicks' rise to being one of the most popular teams in the NBA might have come about in a significantly different and slower manner.

Unlike many of his peers, Ewing only played for Team USA twice throughout his career, starting in the 1984 Olympic games in Los Angeles. The center played a critical role alongside Michael Jordan, averaging 17.9 minutes, 11.0 points, and 5.6 rebounds per game, making him one of four double-digit scorers on a roster that went on to win the gold medal against Spain.

The center's second foray into Olympic basketball was even more successful. Ewing returned as a part of the 1992 Dream Team alongside Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, David Robinson, and others to form perhaps the best basketball team of all time.

Even on that loaded roster, Ewing still played 17.6 minutes per game while acting as the backbone of the defense, leading the squad with 1.9 blocks per game en route to a gold medal victory that felt like a given.

For everything that Ewing achieved, there were a couple of heights that he never reached. Throughout all of his fantastic play with the Knicks, he was never able to deliver a championship to the Garden despite coming painfully close in 1994.

New York would reach the Finals only five years later, but a 4-1 drubbing at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs ensured that Ewing remained without a ring. Additionally, he never pulled in an MVP award, although he was consistently in the running for the award. 

Ewing presents an issue to those who believe the conversation surrounding legacy is directly tied to championships. The legendary center was never able to put a ring on his finger, but anyone who knows basketball can clearly see that he was not only one of the best players of his time but also one of the most dominant centers in NBA history.

Even without a ring or major hardware like the MVP trophy, Ewing clearly carved out his place in New York and NBA history.