Patrick Ewing, one of the greatest players in Knicks history, today was named to the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Joining Ewing in the Class of 2008 is former Knicks coach Pat Riley, along with Dick Vitale, Hakeem Olajuwon, Adrian Dantley, Cathy Rush and Bill Davidson.
“Like I’ve said before whenever I’ve been asked the question if I ever thought I would make the Hall of Fame, the answer is no,” Ewing told knicks.com. “I never really thought about it. I’ve been to the Hall of Fame numerous times growing up, taking tours of it, and I never thought one day I’d be in it, but it’s great.”
Ewing was a three-time consensus first team All-America (1983, ’84, ’85) and led Georgetown to three appearances in the NCAA Final Four (including the 1984 national championship). He was drafted by the Knicks with the first pick of the 1985 NBA Draft, a result of the first draft lottery in league history.
The 1986 NBA Rookie of the Year landed a spot on 11 NBA All-Star rosters, including 10 in a row from 1988-97. He is the Knicks’ all-time leader in points, rebounds, blocked shots and steals.
“This means the world to him,” former teammate John Starks told knicks.com. “As great as he was during his playing days, and the commitment he put in to get better and to improve his team, it’s paid off in the end with him getting into the Hall of Fame. For me, personally, just having the opportunity to play alongside of him, it was special.”
Ewing and Starks led the Knicks to the 1994 NBA Finals, where they lost to the Houston Rockets in seven games. With Ewing, the Knicks made the playoffs 13 straight seasons and reached four Eastern Conference finals.
His No. 33 was retired by the Knicks in February, 2003.
Ewing also is a two-time Olympic gold medal winner (1984, ’92) and a member of the NBA’s 50th Anniversary Team. He scored 24,815 points with 11,607 rebounds during a 17-year NBA career that ended with Seattle and Orlando.
Ewing was coached by Riley from 1991-95, the relationship peaking with the trip to the 1994 Finals. Riley was 223-105 with the Knicks, the best winning percentage (.680) in team history.
“Pat and I’ve spoken about getting in together, and it’s great,” Ewing told knicks.com. “Pat’s one of the coaches that brought this great franchise to its glory days, and was one of my best coaches. I’m honored to go in with him.”
Riley was a three-time NBA Coach of the Year and is third on the all-time wins list (behind Lenny Wilkens and Don Nelson). He won five NBA championships, four as head coach of the Lakers (1982, ’85, ’87, ’88) and with the Miami Heat (2005).
Vitale, a native of Passaic, N.J., was a successful coach before joining ESPN as a broadcaster in 1979.
The Class of 2008 will be enshrined in September at the Hall in Springfield, Mass.
With knicks.com; hoophall.com