Patrick Ewing is one of the greatest centers in NBA history. While he retired without an NBA Championship win, the New York Knicks legend is revered for his 17-year career at the height of Knicks fandom in the 1990s. The modern era of the franchise is giving its teams a run for their money, but Ewing is the man who led the Knicks to their last NBA Finals appearance in 1999.
Even though Ewing is an undisputed NBA legend, his contributions in the world of college basketball are much greater, as he actually delivered on the promise of winning a championship. Ewing led the 1984 Georgetown Hoyas to the only men’s NCAA basketball title win in the program’s history. He was coached by the legendary John Thompson, who led the Hoyas as HC for 27 years (1972-1999).
Ewing went from college to a successful NBA tenure, where he made $118,223,608 in career earnings. He decided to give back to the program that made him who he is with a $3.3 million donation in 2014. However, instead of putting his name over the new Intercollegiate Athletics Center that was constructed using the money, Ewing decided to honor coach Thompson.
During a recent appearance on the Pivot Podcast, Ewing opened up on his donation to Georgetown and why he chose to honor Thompson instead of immortalizing his name on the campus.
“When I think about Georgetown, I think about (John Thompson). Yes, we were the ones who were physically out there playing, but all the years of hard work, abuse, all the things that he had to endure to get to that point where we won three championships, I mean, I think that’s what it’s all about. He got a lot of abuse, especially because of me.”
“If I did all the interviews they wanted me to do, because I was the No. 1 player coming out of high school that year, I wouldn’t have had time to do anything else. Everybody wanted a piece. So, he took the hit. I thought it was an honor to him.”
The John R. Thompson Jr. Intercollegiate Athletic Center has been on the Georgetown campus since 2018 and continues to remind students of the indomitable spirit that the coach after whom it was named brought to the University.
Thompson was the first African-American head coach in college sports to win the National Championship, and was the first African-American head coach to lead a team to March Madness’ Final Four in 1982. He never made it back to the final after losing in 1985 during Ewing’s final year with the program, but he’s still remembered as one of the most impactful coaches the NCAA has ever seen.
Thompson led Georgetown to three Final Four appearances (1982, 1984, 1985) and six Big East tournament wins (1980, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1989).
Coach Thompson also had a two-year career in the NBA with the Boston Celtics, winning two championships as Bill Russell’s backup center. He retired from the NBA after being drafted by the Chicago Bulls in the 1966 Expansion Draft, choosing to coach high school basketball before joining Georgetown in 1972.
Ewing spent four seasons with the Georgetown Hoyas under coach Thompson, averaging 15.3 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and 3.4 blocks. He won a National Championship in his junior season in 1984, but fell to a heartbreaking loss in the 1985 final to the underdog Villanova Wildcats. He also led Georgetown to the Final Four in his freshman season in 1982.
The greatest era of Georgetown basketball had Ewing and Thompson leading the program together. They both also had great careers independent of each other, but the only time either won the Championship in their careers was while working with each other. Coach Thompson passed away in August 2020, but his name has been immortalized on campus forever due to Ewing’s incredible gesture.
