Editing Patrick Ewing (section)

==NBA career==

===New York Knicks (1985–2000)===
[[File:Patrick Ewing ca. 1995.jpg|thumb|upright|Ewing played 15 seasons (1985–2000) with the New York Knicks.]]
{{blockquote|We've had the [[George Mikan|Mikan]] era, the [[Bill Russell|Russell]] era, the [[Kareem Abdul-Jabbar|Kareem]] era ... now we'll have the Ewing era.|sign=[[Pat O'Brien (television)|Pat O'Brien]], quoting an unnamed NBA scouting director just before the 1985 NBA draft lottery.<ref>{{cite web |title=Links while tossing around conspiracy theories |url=https://www.espn.com/espn/page2/blog/index?name=simmons&entryDate=20070419 |website=ESPN.com |access-date=January 30, 2014 |date=April 19, 2007 |archive-date=October 6, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191006105551/http://www.espn.com/espn/page2/blog/index?name=simmons&entryDate=20070419 |url-status=live }}</ref>}}

Ewing was expected to be the top pick in the [[1985 NBA draft]]. The team that selected him would be making history by doing so. From 1966 until 1984, the NBA draft was conducted similarly to the [[NFL draft]], where teams are awarded draft positions based on winning percentage. The difference was that instead of the team with the lowest percentage automatically being awarded the top pick, the NBA held a coin toss between the teams with the worst records in each conference and the winner of the coin toss selected first with the loser automatically picking second. This practice tended to encourage teams to purposely lose games in order to improve their draft position and potentially get into the coin toss. The only way two teams from the same conference could have the first two picks would have been if one of the two aforementioned teams traded their pick to another team (as the [[Indiana Pacers]] had done with what eventually became the number-two pick in the [[1983 NBA draft|previous year's draft]]).

Beginning with the 1985 draft, the NBA handled matters differently. Every team that qualified for the playoffs received positions based on their winning percentage, and the teams that did not were placed in a [[NBA draft lottery|lottery]]. In the first lottery, the NBA did not determine the positions as they do now. In this case, the seven teams that did not qualify for the playoffs were each given an equal chance to get the top pick. Each team had its name and logo put in an envelope, and the envelopes were placed into a hopper and spun to shuffle them. Once done, Commissioner [[David Stern]] then drew an envelope from inside to determine who would pick first. In a move that would create controversy for years to come, the envelope Stern drew was the one belonging to the New York Knicks, inviting allegations the draw was rigged;<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Ewing Conspiracy |url=https://www.si.com/longform/2015/1985/ewing/index.html |access-date=2022-12-11 |website=Sports Illustrated Longform |language=en |archive-date=March 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230315140902/https://www.si.com/longform/2015/1985/ewing/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=TSN Originals: David Stern, the Knicks, Patrick Ewing and the 1985 NBA Draft Lottery conspiracy theories |url=https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/news/david-stern-knicks-patrick-ewing-1985-nba-draft-lottery-conspiracy-theories/upupn5iczu34p7fgizahw5l8 |access-date=2022-06-25 |website=www.sportingnews.com |date=May 17, 2022 |language=en |archive-date=June 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220625085121/https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/news/david-stern-knicks-patrick-ewing-1985-nba-draft-lottery-conspiracy-theories/upupn5iczu34p7fgizahw5l8 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Levitt |first=Daniel |date=2022-12-07 |title=Fifty Years After Their Last NBA Title, The Knicks Are Still Adrift |url=https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/fifty-years-after-their-last-nba-title-the-knicks-are-still-adrift/ |access-date=2022-12-11 |website=FiveThirtyEight |language=en-US |archive-date=December 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221211170139/https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/fifty-years-after-their-last-nba-title-the-knicks-are-still-adrift/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Stern had also grown up a Knicks fan.<ref>{{Cite web |title=NBA Commissioner Emeritus David Stern dies at 77 |url=https://www.nba.com/news/david-stern-passes-away-77 |access-date=2022-06-25 |website=www.nba.com |language=en |archive-date=June 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220625085121/https://www.nba.com/news/david-stern-passes-away-77 |url-status=live }}</ref> The Knicks drafted Ewing, as expected, beginning a 15-year relationship. They then signed him to a 10-year, $32 million contract, a contract that ''[[The New York Times]]'' years later described as "a tremendous contract at that time or any time."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/08/04/sports/sports-of-the-times-what-is-next-move-for-patrick-ewing.html |title=Sports of the Times; What Is Next Move For Patrick Ewing? |last=Berkow |first=Ira |work=The New York Times |date=August 4, 1991 |access-date=July 12, 2021 |url-access=subscription |archive-date=February 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200226001122/https://www.nytimes.com/1991/08/04/sports/sports-of-the-times-what-is-next-move-for-patrick-ewing.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Although injuries marred his first year in the league, he was voted [[NBA Rookie of the Year]] and named to the [[NBA All-Rookie First Team]] after averaging 20 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game. Soon after he was considered one of the premier centers in the league. Ewing enjoyed a successful career; eleven times named an [[NBA All-Star]], once named to the All-NBA First Team, six times a member of the All-NBA Second Team, and named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team three times. He was a member of the original [[USA men's national basketball team|Dream Team]] at the [[1992 Summer Olympics|1992 Olympic Games]]. He was also given the honor of being named one of the [[50 Greatest Players in NBA History]].

In the 1992 Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Knicks played the defending NBA champion [[Chicago Bulls]] and [[Michael Jordan]]. Ewing was unstoppable in Game 1, finishing with 34 points, 16 rebounds, and 6 blocks, and the Knicks beat Chicago 94–89. The Knicks were facing elimination in Game 6 when Ewing had one of the greatest games of his career. The team trailed 3–2 in the series, and Ewing was limited physically by a bad ankle sprain,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/05/17/sports/basketball-ewing-feels-good-enough.html|title=BASKETBALL; Ewing Feels Good Enough|work=[[The New York Times]]|first=Clifton|last=Brown|date=May 17, 1992|access-date=September 6, 2009|archive-date=February 4, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204000135/http://www.nytimes.com/1992/05/17/sports/basketball-ewing-feels-good-enough.html|url-status=live}}</ref> but he helped the Knicks beat the Bulls 100–86 by scoring 27 points. NBC announcer Marv Albert called it a "[[Willis Reed]]-type performance", but the Knicks were ultimately eliminated in Game 7 in a blowout, 110–81.

In an April 14, 1993, game,<ref>{{cite web |title=New York Knicks at Charlotte Hornets Box Score, April 14, 1993 |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/199304140CHH.html |website=Basketball-Reference.com |access-date=January 10, 2020 |archive-date=October 13, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191013120659/https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/199304140CHH.html |url-status=live }}</ref> between the Knicks and the [[Charlotte Hornets]], the {{height|ft=7|in=0}} Ewing suffered a moment of embarrassment when [[Muggsy Bogues]], a {{convert|5|ft|3|in|m|adj=mid|-tall}} [[point guard]] for the Hornets, managed to knock the ball loose as Ewing was shooting.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Stoelting |first1=Suzanne |title=@Herald: The agony of short people |url=http://www.yaleherald.com/archive/xxii/10.4.96/sports/stoelting.html |website=yaleherald.com |access-date=January 30, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060922220611/http://www.yaleherald.com/archive/xxii/10.4.96/sports/stoelting.html |archive-date=September 22, 2006 |date=October 4, 1996}}</ref> The team looked like it was going to advance to the [[1993 NBA Finals|NBA Finals]] when they took a 2–0 lead over Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. Both teams battled well, each winning on its home court in the first 4 games. However, the Bulls stunned the Ewing-led Knicks, winning Game 5 in New York 97–94 after Ewing's teammate, [[Charles D. Smith|Charles Smith]], was repeatedly blocked down low by Bulls defenders on the game's final possession. The Bulls would go on to win Game 6 96–88 and then claim their third straight NBA title. This would be one more season in which Ewing had to deal with no championships, despite the fact that the Knicks had the best regular-season record in the Eastern Conference at 60–22 and had the second-best record in the NBA, behind the [[Phoenix Suns]], who were 62–20.

With Jordan out of the league, 1993–94 was considered a wide-open year in the NBA, and Ewing had declared that 1994 would be the Knicks' year. He was a main contributor to the Knicks' run to the [[1994 NBA Finals]], in which the Knicks—in the Finals for the first time since 1973—lost in the final seconds of Games 6 and 7 to [[Hakeem Olajuwon]]'s [[Houston Rockets]]. The Knicks, with Ewing leading them, had to survive a grueling trek through the playoffs simply to reach the Finals. They defeated the Bulls and [[Scottie Pippen]] in seven games in the 1994 Eastern Conference Semifinals (all seven games were won by the home team), and defeated [[Reggie Miller]]'s [[Indiana Pacers]] in the Conference Finals, which also took seven games to decide. In the Finals, the Knicks stole Game 2 in Houston, but could not hold court at home, dropping Game 3 at the Garden. The Knicks then won the next two games to return to Houston ahead 3–2. However, the Rockets won the next two games. Ewing made the most of his playoff run by setting a record for most blocked shots in a Finals series with 30 (later broken by [[Tim Duncan]] in [[2003 NBA Finals|2003]] with 32). He also set an NBA Finals record for most blocked shots in a single game, with 8 (surpassed by [[Dwight Howard]] in [[2009 NBA Finals|2009]]).

The following year, a potential game-tying [[finger roll]] by Ewing rimmed out in the dwindling seconds of Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, resulting in a loss to the Indiana Pacers. In the 1995–96 season, Ewing and the Knicks were eliminated in the Eastern Conference Semifinals in five games by the record-setting [[1995–96 Chicago Bulls season|1995–96 Bulls]], who won 72 games that year en route to their fourth championship.

In the 1997 playoffs, the Knicks faced the [[Miami Heat]] in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Ewing was involved in a Game 5 brawl where both teams' benches got involved. The Knicks, who were up 3–1 in the series going into Game 5, lost the next three games and were eliminated.

In the next season, Ewing's career almost came to an end due to an injury. On December 20, 1997, in a game against the [[Milwaukee Bucks]] at the [[Bradley Center]], Ewing was fouled by [[Andrew Lang (basketball)|Andrew Lang]] while attempting a dunk.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ewing Goes Down, so Do the Knicks |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-dec-21-sp-1046-story.html |website=Los Angeles Times |access-date=January 10, 2020 |date=December 21, 1997 |archive-date=September 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200926132337/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-dec-21-sp-1046-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Ewing fell awkwardly and landed with all of his weight on his shooting hand. The result was a severely damaged wrist, with Ewing suffering a displaced fracture, a complete dislocation of the lunate bone, and torn ligaments. These injuries required emergency surgery to prevent nerve damage, and it was said that Ewing suffered injuries that were usually reserved for victims of vehicular accidents.<ref>{{cite news |last=Roberts |first=Selena |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/12/22/sports/pro-basketball-wrist-surgery-sidelines-ewing-for-the-season.html |title=PRO BASKETBALL – Wrist Surgery Sidelines Ewing For the Season |website=[[The New York Times]] |date=December 22, 1997 |access-date=July 17, 2016 |archive-date=December 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201133621/http://www.nytimes.com/1997/12/22/sports/pro-basketball-wrist-surgery-sidelines-ewing-for-the-season.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Ewing, who had only missed 20 games in the previous ten seasons, missed the remaining 56 games of the season,<ref>{{cite news | url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_n7_v93/ai_20136025/ | work=Jet | title=New York Knicks' Patrick Ewing out for season after two-hour surgery following wrist injury | year=1998 | access-date=July 8, 2010 | archive-date=June 28, 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100628163039/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_n7_v93/ai_20136025/ | url-status=live }}</ref> but he was able to rehabilitate the injury faster than expected, and as the playoffs began Ewing was talking about returning. The Heat and Knicks met in the playoffs for the second straight year, this time in the first round. The series went to a decisive fifth game, but the Knicks avenged their loss to Miami the year before by beating the Heat in Miami 98–81. Ewing returned for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Pacers. His presence was not enough, however, as the Knicks fell to the Pacers in five games.

The following season, Ewing and the Knicks qualified as the East's eighth seed in a [[1998–99 NBA lockout|lockout-shortened season]]. Although battling an [[achilles tendon]] injury, Ewing led the Knicks to another victory over the Heat in the first round, 3–2. In the series-clinching Game 5, he scored 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/199905160MIA.html|title=New York Knicks at Miami Heat Box Score, May 16, 1999|publisher=Basketball Reference|accessdate=August 11, 2021|archive-date=June 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210629012935/https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/199905160MIA.html|url-status=live}}</ref>  They followed that up by sweeping the [[Atlanta Hawks]], and defeated the Pacers in the Conference Finals in 6 games, despite Ewing's injury finally forcing him out of action. The Knicks could not, however, complete their [[Cinderella (sports)|Cinderella]] run, as they lost in the Finals to the [[San Antonio Spurs]], 4–1.

In Ewing's final season with the Knicks in [[1999–2000 NBA season|1999–2000]], the team finished as the third seed in the East behind the Pacers and Heat. The team advanced to the Conference Finals again, sweeping the [[Toronto Raptors]] and beating the Heat for the third straight year in seven games, but could not defeat the Pacers and fell in six games. In his last year with the Knicks, Ewing had a game-winning [[slam dunk]] over [[Alonzo Mourning]] in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals to lead the Knicks to the Eastern Conference Finals. During his final season with the Knicks, Ewing played in his [[List of National Basketball Association players with 1,000 games played|1,000th NBA game]], finishing his Knick career with a franchise-record 1,039 games played in a Knick uniform (he is the only player to play 1,000 games with the Knicks).

===Post-Knicks career===
During the 2000 off-season, Ewing requested a trade from New York, and the Knicks complied, sending Ewing to the [[Seattle SuperSonics]] in a four-team trade; the Knicks also sent [[Chris Dudley]] to Phoenix in the deal, and received [[Glen Rice]], [[Luc Longley]], [[Travis Knight (basketball)|Travis Knight]], [[Vladimir Stepania]], [[Lazaro Borrell]], [[Vernon Maxwell]], two first-round draft picks (from the [[Los Angeles Lakers]] and Seattle) and two second-round draft picks from Seattle.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sheridan |first1=Chris |title=THE NBA: Ewing finally a Sonic. |url=https://products.kitsapsun.com/archive/2000/09-21/0080_the_nba__ewing_finally_a_sonic.html |access-date=6 August 2023 |date=September 21, 2000 |archive-date=August 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230806013057/https://products.kitsapsun.com/archive/2000/09-21/0080_the_nba__ewing_finally_a_sonic.html |url-status=live }}</ref> After one season with the SuperSonics and another with the [[Orlando Magic]], he announced his retirement on September 18, 2002. After that season, he took a job as an assistant coach with the [[Washington Wizards]].

In 1,183 games over 17 seasons, Ewing averaged 21.0 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game, and averaged better than a 50% shooting percentage. As of 2021, Ewing was ranked 23rd on the NBA scoring list with 24,815 points.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/pts_career.html |title=NBA & ABA Career Leaders and Records for Points |website=Basketball-Reference.com |access-date=March 19, 2021 |archive-date=February 25, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110225112304/http://www.basketball-r/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Ewing played 1,039 games for the Knicks. On February 28, 2003, his jersey number 33 was retired by the team in a large ceremony at [[Madison Square Garden]].

For the first time ever, Ewing represented the Knicks during the NBA draft lottery on May 14, 2019.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ewing headlines team participants for 2019 NBA Draft Lottery |url=https://www.nba.com/article/2019/05/08/nba-draft-lottery-team-participants-2019-patrick-ewing |website=NBA.com |access-date=January 10, 2020 |date=May 8, 2019 |archive-date=May 12, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190512104146/https://www.nba.com/article/2019/05/08/nba-draft-lottery-team-participants-2019-patrick-ewing |url-status=live }}</ref> They got the third overall pick in the [[2019 NBA draft]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Pelicans win NBA Draft Lottery |url=https://www.nba.com/article/2019/05/14/pelicans-win-nba-draft-lottery |website=NBA.com |access-date=January 10, 2020 |date=May 14, 2019 |archive-date=January 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200124173955/https://www.nba.com/article/2019/05/14/pelicans-win-nba-draft-lottery |url-status=live }}</ref>

In October 2024, it was announced that Ewing would rejoin the Knicks as a basketball ambassador.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-10-04 |title=Ewing rejoins Knicks as basketball ambassador |url=https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/41602802/sources-patrick-ewing-rejoining-knicks-basketball-ambassador |access-date=2024-10-04 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}</ref>