NBA: 50 Greatest Players Of The 1990s
By Phil Watson
50 greatest NBA players from the 1990s — 12. Patrick Ewing
Patrick Ewing had already been to three All-Star games, had been named NBA Rookie of the Year and was a two-time All-NBA and two-time All-Defensive pick by the time the 1990s rolled around.
The New York Knicks’ star kept up the pace throughout the 1990s, as he was named to eight more All-Star berths, five additional All-NBA teams and an All-Defensive squad in 1991-92.
Ewing finished fourth in the MVP voting in both 1992-93 and 1994-95 and was fifth in 1991-92 and 1993-94.
He finished fourth in the NBA in minutes played in 1989-90; was fifth in total rebounds in 1989-90, 1990-91 and 1991-92 and fourth in 1996-97; second in blocked shots in 1989-90 and 1990-91, third in 1991-92, fourth in 1996-97 and fifth in 1993-94; third in total points in 1989-90 and 1990-91, fourth in 1991-92 and fifth in 1992-93 and 1993-94; third in points per game in 1989-90 and fifth in 1990-91; fifth in rebounds per game in 1989-90, 1990-91 and 1996-97 and fourth in 1994-95; and second in blocks per game in 1989-90, third in 1990-91 and fourth in 1991-92.
Ewing also led New York to the NBA Finals in 1994, losing in seven games to the Houston Rockets. He averaged 18.9 points, 12.4 rebounds, 4.3 blocks, 1.7 assists and 1.3 steals in 44 minutes per game in the series, shooting .363/1-for-5/.714.
He was injured and did not play when the Knicks returned to the Finals in 1999.
For the decade, Ewing averaged 24.1 points, 11 rebounds, 2.7 blocks and 2.2 assists in 37.2 minutes per game, shooting .503/.192/.748.
The first overall pick in the 1985 NBA Draft by New York out of Georgetown, Ewing played one more season with the Knicks before he was traded in September 2000 to the Seattle SuperSonics in a massive four-team deal. New York acquired Glen Rice, Travis Knight and a first-round pick in 2001 from the Los Angeles Lakers; Luc Longley from the Phoenix Suns; and Vernon Maxwell, Lazaro Borrell, Vladimir Stepania, two second-round picks in 2001 and a 2002 first-rounder from the Sonics.
In July 2001, Ewing signed with the Orlando Magic as a free agent, retiring in September 2002.
In the 1990s, he was third with 16,914 points, fifth with 7,733 rebounds and an average of 24.1 points per game, fourth with 1,898 blocked shots and seventh with an average of 11 rebounds per game.
The associate head coach of the Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets since 2013, Ewing is 40th in NBA history with 1,183 games, 26th with 40,594 minutes played, 24th with 11,607 rebounds, seventh with 2,894 blocked shots, 21st with 24,815 points, 35th with an average of 21 points per game, 48th with an average of 9.8 rebounds per game and 12th with an average of 2.4 blocks per game.
Named to the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team while still active in 1997, Ewing was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.