He was one of the greatest to ever do it. Happy birthday to the New York Knicks legend and Hall of Famer, Patrick Ewing.
Patrick Aloysius Ewing. The man, the myth, the legend. The first overall pick went to the New York Knicks in the 1985 draft and greatness followed.
Patrick Ewing turns 56 today. The NY legend was a FORCE in his prime ? pic.twitter.com/tS51n1WRwk
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 5, 2018
Ewing might be the greatest Knick of all time. Walt “Clyde” Frazier has an argument, but Ewing was the dude. The man put together 13 straight seasons scoring 20-plus points. He leads the franchise in games played (1039), points (23665), rebounds (10759), and steals (1061)
The only blemish on the Hoya Destroya’s resume is the fact that he never got over the hump and brought a championship back to Madison Square Garden. But Ewing did lead the Knicks to two Finals appearances. That’s more than any other player has done in New York in 45 years.
Most Knicks fans are too young to remember the championships of the 70s. Hell, many are too young to even remember Ewing suiting up in the blue and orange. The 90s were some of the best years in Knicks history. Those rough and tumble teams were part of a different era in the NBA.
The future in New York looks bright. The front office seems to have a solid plan in place. There’s a new coach that is saying and doing all the right things. There’s young, exciting talent on the roster. There’s a glimmer of hope in New York.
If the Knicks of this decade can come close to the Ewing Knicks, fans would be over the moon. There’s hope for the future. But for now, let’s just enjoy some good ol’ fashioned Patrick Ewing highlights.
