Patrick Ewing facts for kids

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Patrick Ewing

Ewing in 2021

New York Knicks

Basketball ambassador

Personal information

Born

August 5, 1962 (age 62)
Kingston, Jamaica

Nationality

Jamaican / American

High school

Cambridge Rindge and Latin
(Cambridge, Massachusetts)

Listed height

6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)

Listed weight

240 lb (109 kg)

Career information

College

Georgetown (1981–1985)

NBA Draft

1985 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1st overall

Selected by the New York Knicks

Pro career

1985–2002

Coaching career

2002–present

League

NBA

Career history

As player:

1985–2000

New York Knicks

2000–2001

Seattle SuperSonics

2001–2002

Orlando Magic

As coach:

2002–2003

Washington Wizards (assistant)

2003–2007

Houston Rockets (assistant)

2007–2012

Orlando Magic (assistant)

2013–2017

Charlotte Bobcats / Hornets (assistant)

2017–2023

Georgetown

Career highlights and awards

As player:

11× NBA All-Star (1986, 1988–1997)
All-NBA First Team (1990)
6× All-NBA Second Team (1988, 1989, 1991–1993, 1997)
3× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1988, 1989, 1992)
NBA Rookie of the Year (1986)
NBA All-Rookie Team (1986)
NBA anniversary team (50th, 75th)
No. 33 retired by New York Knicks
NCAA champion (1984)
NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player (1984)
National college player of the year (1985)
3× Consensus first-team All-American (1983–1985)
2× Big East Player of the Year (1984, 1985)
4× Big East Defensive Player of the Year (1982–1985)
3× First-team All-Big East (1983–1985)
Second-team All-Big East (1982)
National high school player of the year (1981)
McDonald's All-American (1981)
2× First-team Parade All-American (1980, 1981)

As coach:

Big East tournament champion (2021)

Career NBA statistics

Points

24,815 (21.0 ppg)

Rebounds

11,617 (9.8 rpg)

Blocks

2,894 (2.4 bpg)

Medals

Men's basketball

Representing United States
Olympic Games
Gold	1984 Los Angeles	Men's basketball
Gold	1992 Barcelona	Men's basketball
Americas Championship
Gold	1992 Portland	Team competition

Patrick Aloysius Ewing Sr. (born August 5, 1962) is a famous Jamaican-American basketball coach and former professional player. He is known as a basketball ambassador for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played most of his career as a starting center for the Knicks. He also played briefly for the Seattle SuperSonics and Orlando Magic. Many people consider Ewing one of the greatest centers of all time. He played a huge part in the New York Knicks' success in the 1990s.

Ewing was a top player in high school and college. He played for Georgetown for four years. His team reached the NCAA championship game three times. In 2008, ESPN called him the 16th greatest college basketball player ever. He played in the NBA for seventeen years. Most of this time was with the New York Knicks. He was an eleven-time All-Star and was chosen for seven All-NBA teams. The Knicks played in the NBA Finals twice (1994 and 1999) while he was there. He won two Olympic gold medals with the 1984 and 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball teams. Ewing was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996. He was also on the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021. He is in the Basketball Hall of Fame twice. Once for his own career (2008) and once as a member of the 1992 Olympic team (2010). The Knicks retired his jersey number 33 in 2003.

Patrick Ewing's Early Life and High School Basketball
Patrick Ewing's College Basketball Career
Patrick Ewing's NBA Career with the New York Knicks
Patrick Ewing's Post-Knicks Career
Patrick Ewing's National Team Career
Patrick Ewing's Awards and Honors
Patrick Ewing's NBA Career Statistics
- Regular Season Stats
- Playoff Stats
Patrick Ewing's Coaching Career
Patrick Ewing's Head Coaching Record
Other Work and Endorsements
Patrick Ewing's Personal Life
Images for kids
See also

Patrick Ewing's Early Life and High School Basketball

Patrick Ewing was born on August 5, 1962, in Kingston, Jamaica. His parents were Carl and Dorothy Ewing. He was born just one day before Jamaica became an independent country. When he was a child, he was very good at cricket and soccer. In 1975, Ewing moved to the United States. He and his family settled near Boston in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Ewing learned to play basketball at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School. His coach, Mike Jarvis, helped him a lot. Even though he only played for a few years, Ewing became one of the best high school players. He was very tall and athletic, which made him a strong player. He led Cambridge Rindge and Latin to win three state championships in Massachusetts from 1979 to 1981.

Patrick Ewing's College Basketball Career

After high school, Ewing decided to play for coach John Thompson at Georgetown University. He chose Georgetown even though many fans in Boston wanted him to play for local schools.

President Ronald Reagan with John Thompson and Ewing after Georgetown won the 1984 NCAA Championship.

As a freshman in the 1981–82 season, Ewing was one of the first freshmen to be a star player. He helped the Hoyas win their second Big East tournament title. They also reached the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament. In the championship game, they played against North Carolina. This game had many future NBA stars, including Michael Jordan. North Carolina won the game in the final seconds.

In the 1982–83 season, Georgetown was ranked second in the country. They played against the top-ranked Virginia team. Even though Virginia won, Ewing showed his skill by dunking over their star player, Ralph Sampson. The Hoyas made it to the NCAA Tournament again. However, they lost in the second round. This was the only season Ewing's Georgetown team did not reach the National Championship game.

During the 1983–84 season, Ewing led Georgetown to win the Big East regular season and tournament championships. He was also named the Big East Player of the Year. The Hoyas reached the Final Four again. They defeated Kentucky to reach the National Championship game. In the final, they played against the University of Houston, led by Hakeem Olajuwon. Ewing and Georgetown won 84–75. This gave Georgetown its first NCAA Championship. Ewing was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

In his senior year, the 1984–85 season, Georgetown was ranked number one for most of the year. Ewing was again named Big East Player of the Year. The team won the Big East tournament title. They reached the Final Four for the third time in four years. In the semifinal, they easily beat St. John's. However, they were upset by Villanova in the championship game, losing 66–64. Villanova shot incredibly well in that game. After the season, Ewing won several national player of the year awards.

Ewing's college career was very successful. He helped Georgetown reach the NCAA Tournament final three times. They won three Big East tournament titles. He also won four Big East Defensive Player of the Year awards. He was named an All-American three times. He also started a trend by wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt under his jersey.

Patrick Ewing's NBA Career with the New York Knicks

Ewing played 15 seasons (1985–2000) with the New York Knicks.

Patrick Ewing was expected to be the first player picked in the 1985 NBA draft. The NBA changed its draft rules that year. Teams that didn't make the playoffs were put into a lottery. The New York Knicks won the first pick in this lottery. They drafted Ewing, starting his 15-year career with the team. The Knicks signed him to a big 10-year, $32 million contract.

Even though he had some injuries in his first year, Ewing was named NBA Rookie of the Year. He also made the NBA All-Rookie First Team. He averaged 20 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game. Soon, he was seen as one of the best centers in the league. Ewing had a very successful career. He was an NBA All-Star eleven times. He was named to the All-NBA First Team once and the All-NBA Second Team six times. He was also on the NBA All-Defensive Second Team three times. He was part of the famous "Dream Team" at the 1992 Olympic Games. He was also named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.

In the 1992 playoffs, the Knicks played the Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan. Ewing played great in Game 1, scoring 34 points and grabbing 16 rebounds. The Knicks won that game. In Game 6, with the Knicks facing elimination, Ewing played through a bad ankle injury. He scored 27 points to help the Knicks win. However, the Bulls won Game 7 and eliminated the Knicks.

In 1993, the Knicks had a great regular season. They had the best record in the Eastern Conference. They faced Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls again in the playoffs. The Knicks took a 2–0 lead in the series. But the Bulls came back to win the series in six games. This was another season where Ewing and the Knicks didn't win a championship.

With Michael Jordan retired, the 1993–94 season was open for other teams. Ewing believed it was the Knicks' year. He led the Knicks to the 1994 NBA Finals. This was their first Finals appearance since 1973. They had a tough path, beating the Bulls and the Indiana Pacers in seven-game series. In the Finals, they played Hakeem Olajuwon's Houston Rockets. The series went to seven games. The Rockets won the last two games to win the championship. Ewing set a record for most blocked shots in a Finals series with 30. He also set a record for most blocks in one Finals game with 8.

The next year, the Knicks lost to the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. In the 1995–96 season, the Knicks were eliminated by the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls had a record-setting 72 wins that year.

In the 1997 playoffs, the Knicks played the Miami Heat. Ewing was involved in a fight during Game 5. The Knicks were leading the series 3–1, but they lost the next three games and were eliminated.

In the 1997–98 season, Ewing suffered a serious wrist injury. He missed most of the season. He worked hard to recover quickly. He returned for the playoffs against the Pacers. However, the Knicks lost to the Pacers in five games.

The next season, the Knicks made the playoffs as the eighth seed. Ewing, despite an achilles tendon injury, led the Knicks to beat the Heat again. They then swept the Atlanta Hawks. They also defeated the Pacers in the Conference Finals. However, the Knicks lost in the Finals to the San Antonio Spurs, 4–1.

In Ewing's last season with the Knicks in 1999–2000, the team reached the Conference Finals again. They beat the Toronto Raptors and the Heat. But they lost to the Pacers in six games. In his final year with the Knicks, Ewing played his 1,000th NBA game. He holds the franchise record for most games played with the Knicks.

Patrick Ewing's Post-Knicks Career

In 2000, Ewing asked to be traded from the Knicks. He was sent to the Seattle SuperSonics. After one season with the SuperSonics and another with the Orlando Magic, he retired on September 18, 2002. After retiring as a player, he became an assistant coach for the Washington Wizards.

In his 17 seasons, Ewing played 1,183 games. He averaged 21.0 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game. As of 2021, he was 23rd on the NBA's all-time scoring list. On February 28, 2003, the Knicks retired his jersey number 33 in a special ceremony. In October 2024, Ewing returned to the Knicks as a basketball ambassador.

Patrick Ewing's National Team Career

Ewing won Olympic gold medals with the 1984 and 1992 United States men's basketball teams. In 1984, he averaged 11.0 points per game. He was also the top shot blocker in the tournament. The 1992 "Dream Team" is called "the greatest collection of basketball talent on the planet."

Patrick Ewing's Awards and Honors

Ewing's college jersey in the Basketball Hall of Fame museum in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Rookie of the Year (1986)
All-NBA First Team (1990)
All-NBA Second Team (1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1997)
NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1988, 1989, 1992)
11-time All-Star
One of 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996)
2-time Olympic gold medalist (1984, 1992)
3-time All-American (1983–1985)
NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player (1984)
Naismith College Player of the Year (1985)
AP College Player of the Year (1985)
NABC Player of the Year (1985)
Sporting News College Player of the Year (1985)
Adolph Rupp Trophy (1985)
No. 33 retired for the New York Knicks
Basketball Hall of Fame inductee (2008 as an individual, 2010 as a member of the Dream Team)
NBA 75th Anniversary Team (2021)

Ewing was a great defensive player throughout his career. He was often among the top players in many statistics. In 1993, he led the NBA in defensive rebounds. He was in the top ten for field goal percentage eight times. He was also in the top ten for rebounds, points, and blocks many times. In 1999, Ewing became only the 10th player in NBA history to reach 22,000 points and 10,000 rebounds.

Patrick Ewing's NBA Career Statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

Regular Season Stats

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1985–86	New York	50	50	35.4	.474	.000	.739	9.0	2.0	1.1	2.1	20.0
1986–87	New York	63	63	35.0	.503	.000	.713	8.8	1.7	1.4	2.3	21.5
1987–88	New York	82	82	31.0	.555	.000	.716	8.2	1.5	1.3	3.0	20.2
1988–89	New York	80	80	36.2	.567	.000	.746	9.3	2.4	1.5	3.5	22.7
1989–90	New York	82	82	38.6	.551	.250	.775	10.9	2.2	1.0	4.0	28.6
1990–91	New York	81	81	38.3	.514	.000	.745	11.2	3.0	1.0	3.2	26.6
1991–92	New York	82	82	38.4	.522	.167	.738	11.2	1.9	1.1	3.0	24.0
1992–93	New York	81	81	37.1	.503	.143	.719	12.1	1.9	.9	2.0	24.2
1993–94	New York	79	79	37.6	.496	.286	.765	11.2	2.3	1.1	2.7	24.5
1994–95	New York	79	79	37.0	.503	.286	.750	11.0	2.7	.9	2.0	23.9
1995–96	New York	76	76	36.6	.466	.143	.761	10.6	2.1	.9	2.4	22.5
1996–97	New York	78	78	37.0	.488	.222	.754	10.7	2.0	.9	2.4	22.4
1997–98	New York	26	26	32.6	.504	.000	.720	10.2	1.1	.6	2.2	20.8
1998–99	New York	38	38	34.2	.435	.000	.706	9.9	1.1	.8	2.6	17.3
1999–00	New York	62	62	32.8	.435	.000	.731	9.7	.9	.6	1.4	15.0
2000–01	Seattle	79	79	26.7	.430	.000	.685	7.4	1.2	.7	1.2	9.6
2001–02	Orlando	65	4	13.9	.444	.000	.701	4.0	.5	.3	.7	6.0
Career		1,183	1,122	34.3	.504	.152	.740	9.8	1.9	1.0	2.5	21.0
All-Star		9	3	17.8	.537	.000	.692	6.7	.8	1.2	1.8	11.8

Playoff Stats

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1988	New York	4	4	38.3	.491	.000	.864	12.8	2.5	1.5	3.3	18.8
1989	New York	9	9	37.8	.486	—	.750	10.0	2.2	1.0	2.0	19.9
1990	New York	10	10	39.5	.521	.500	.823	10.5	3.1	1.3	2.0	29.4
1991	New York	3	3	36.7	.400	—	.778	10.0	2.0	.3	1.7	16.7
1992	New York	12	12	40.2	.456	.000	.740	11.1	2.3	.6	2.6	22.7
1993	New York	15	15	40.3	.512	1.000	.638	10.9	2.4	1.1	2.1	25.5
1994	New York	25	25	41.3	.437	.364	.740	11.7	2.6	1.3	3.0	21.9
1995	New York	11	11	36.3	.513	.333	.686	9.6	2.5	.5	2.3	19.0
1996	New York	8	8	41.0	.474	.500	.651	10.6	1.9	.1	3.1	21.5
1997	New York	9	9	39.7	.527	.000	.643	10.6	1.9	.3	2.4	22.6
1998	New York	4	4	33.0	.357	—	.593	8.0	1.3	.8	1.3	14.0
1999	New York	10	10	31.5	.430	—	.593	8.7	.5	.6	.7	13.1
2000	New York	14	14	32.9	.418	—	.697	9.5	.4	1.1	1.4	14.6
2002	Orlando	4	0	16.8	.320	.000	.588	5.5	1.0	.3	1.0	6.5
Career		139	135	37.5	.469	.348	.718	10.3	2.0	.9	2.2	20.2

Patrick Ewing's Coaching Career

From 2002 to 2003, Ewing was an assistant coach for the Washington Wizards. His former rival, Michael Jordan, owned the team. From 2003 to 2006, Ewing was an assistant coach for the Houston Rockets. He then left to spend more time with his family. On July 3, 2007, Ewing became an assistant coach for the Orlando Magic.

The Magic reached the 2009 NBA Finals, but they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers. In 2010, Ewing got to coach his son, Patrick Ewing Jr., who played for the Magic in the summer league.

Ewing being interviewed as Georgetown head coach in 2018

In 2013, Ewing became an assistant coach for the Charlotte Bobcats (now Charlotte Hornets). He even served as interim head coach for a short time. This was when the regular head coach had heart surgery.

On April 3, 2017, Ewing was hired as the head coach for his old college team, the Georgetown Hoyas. In his first season, the Hoyas finished with a 15–15 record. In his second season, Georgetown improved to 19–14. They also made it to their first postseason tournament since 2015.

In his fourth season, Ewing led the Hoyas to win the 2021 Big East Conference tournament. They were the eighth seed in the tournament. This win qualified them for the 2021 NCAA Division I basketball tournament. This was Georgetown's first NCAA tournament appearance in several years. However, the next two seasons were tough. In his fifth season, they won only 6 games. In his sixth season, they won 7 games. On March 9, 2023, Ewing was no longer the coach for Georgetown.

Patrick Ewing's Head Coaching Record

Season	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing	Postseason
Georgetown Hoyas (Big East Conference) (2017–2023)
2017–18	Georgetown	15–15	5–13	8th
2018–19	Georgetown	19–14	9–9	T–3rd	NIT First Round
2019–20	Georgetown	15–17	5–13	T–8th
2020–21	Georgetown	13–13	7–9	8th	NCAA Division I Round of 64
2021–22	Georgetown	6–25	0–19	11th
2022–23	Georgetown	7–25	2–18	11th
Georgetown:		75–109 (.408)	28–81 (.257)
Total:		75–109 (.408)
National champion Conference regular season champion Conference tournament champion Conference regular season and conference tournament champion Conference division champion

Other Work and Endorsements

Ewing worked as an intern for Senator Bob Dole during his college summers. He also appeared in the 1996 movie Space Jam. In the movie, his basketball talent was stolen by aliens. He also had small roles in other movies and TV shows. These included Senseless, Spin City, and Mad About You. He even appeared in a Snickers candy bar ad.

Ewing also co-wrote a painting how-to book for children called In the Paint. In 2014, Ewing and sports agent David Falk donated $3.3 million to Georgetown University. This was for a new athletics center. The amount, $3.3 million, was a nod to Ewing's jersey number, 33.

Ewing's first sneaker deal was with Adidas in 1986. Later, a company called Next Sports created a new brand called Ewing Athletics. This brand released shoes under Ewing's name. In 2012, the Ewing Athletics shoe line was brought back to stores.

Patrick Ewing's Personal Life

Ewing in 2018

Patrick Ewing has three children. His son, Patrick Ewing Jr., also played basketball. When his friend and fellow NBA player Alonzo Mourning had a kidney problem, Ewing offered to donate one of his kidneys. However, Mourning's cousin was a better match.

Patrick Ewing Jr. went to his father's old college, Georgetown University. He wore the same jersey number, 33, that his father wore. He was drafted by the Sacramento Kings in the 2008 NBA draft. He was then traded to the New York Knicks, his father's old team.

Images for kids

In Spanish: Patrick Ewing para niños