Patrick Ewing was born August 5, 1962.
Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Ewing moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, when he was 12.
Playing for coach John Thompson at Georgetown, Ewing became one of the greatest players in college basketball history.
In his four years with the Hoyas, Ewing averaged 15.3 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 3.4 block. He was named AP Player of the Year in the 1984-85 season, and led his team to a national championship in 1984.
With Ewing expected to be top pick in the 1985 draft, the league introduced a lottery among non-playoff teams to determine the order rather than what had been the traditional coin flip between the last-place finishers in each conference. The New York Knicks won the lottery and took Ewing.
Ewing averaged 20 points and 9 rebounds in 50 games was named Rookie of the Year.
During his 15 seasons with the Knicks (1985-2000), Ewing made six All-NBA Second Teams, one All-NBA First Team, and was an 11-time All-Star. He was also a member of the original Dream Team at the 1992 Olympics.
He currently holds the Knicks' franchise records for the most points, rebounds, steals, and blocks all-time.
During a period when Jordan and the Bulls reigned supreme, Ewing was never able to secure an NBA Championship in his illustrious career. But when Jordan was out of the league in the 1993-94 season, Ewing declared that it would be the Knicks year.
Although the Knicks were able to reach the NBA Finals that season, they ultimately fell to the Houston Rockets in seven games.
In the final years of Ewing's career, he played for both the Seattle SuperSonics and Orlando Magic before retiring in 2002.
On February 28, 2003, the Knicks retired Ewing's number 33 jersey.
He was inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.
