Patrick Ewing: Beast of the East
Patrick Ewing was born on August 5th, 1962 in Kingston, Jamaica. He went on to be a 11x All-Star a great defender and one of the best centers during the 80’s and 90’s. Although Ewing never won a championship, he was one of the best centers of his era.
Ewing went to college at Georgetown for 4 years (1981-1985). He won a National Championship in 1984 and was named Final Four Most Outstanding Player. He was drafted with the 1st overall pick in the 1985 draft by the New York Knicks. In Ewing’s rookie year, they did poorly, but they soon became one of the most dominant teams in the East. In 1994, they made it all the way to the NBA Finals before losing to the Houston Rockets. They made it again in 1999, only to lose again to Tim Duncan and David Robinson of the San Antonio Spurs. In 1989-90, he averaged 28.6 points, 10.9 rebounds and 4.0 blocks. Overall, Ewing made 11 All Star Teams, All NBA First Team (1990), 6x All NBA 2nd Team, 3x All Defensive 2nd Team, Rookie of the Year (1986), All Rookie 1st Team (1986), NCAA Championship (1984), Final Four Most Outstanding Player (1984), 2008 Hall of Fame Inductee (individual), 2009 Hall of Fame Inductee (Dream Team), 2012 College Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee.
Ewing had a long career in the NBA and is coaching at Georgetown to this present day. He is very underrated and forgotten really because he never won a championship like the other great centers of his era. But, let it be known, Ewing was a beast.
I hope you enjoyed this edition of This Day In History, please leave a comment on which player I should do next and on which day.