The New York Knicks are currently one of the most valuable franchises in the NBA. But ever since winning two NBA titles in 1970 and 1973, the Knicks really haven’t had huge success in the league in terms of winning rings. There are many reasons for that, but not having superstar talent on the roster is certainly not one of them.
Speaking of legends of the New York Knicks, there is hardly any player who can match the legacy of Patrick Ewing. Ewing spent 15 seasons with the Knicks and made them a mainstay in the NBA playoffs. He even took them to two NBA Finals trips in 1994 and 1999 but failed to win a title.
Patrick Ewing Had Enough Of The Knicks Fanbase In 1996
By 1996, Ewing had already established himself as one of the greats of the game. Although he was arguably the biggest fan-favorite, there were times when he was disrespected by the fanbase.
After winning against the Los Angeles Clippers in 1996, Ewing lashed out at the fans for their hypocrisy.
Via New York Times:
”They’re annoying me,” Ewing said, talking calmly but firmly about Knicks fans after the game. ”If they’re going to act the way they act, they might as well stay home. If they’re going to support us, then support us. If you go other places, when the team is playing bad, the fans still support them. Here, they support you one minute, then if something goes wrong, they jump off the bandwagon. I’m just tired of it. It has been like that for 12 years. I’m fed up with it.”
The New York Knicks would realize the value of Ewing after they traded to the Seattle Supersonics. Since trading Ewing, the Knicks have won just one playoff series and 10 playoff games in total. That’s certainly a huge dip in the performance of the franchise.
During Ewing’s time with the Knicks, he averaged 22.8 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.0 SPG, and 2.4 BPG over 15 seasons. Unsurprisingly, Patrick Ewing was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame after retiring from the league.
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