Patrick Ewing is finally an NBA champion
· Yahoo Sports
It was a long and arduous journey to get here, but Patrick Ewing is finally an NBA champion.
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For years, Ewing has endured one of the worst imaginable labels for an NBA legend. The 11-time All-Star was one of the best players to never win a championship. To be clear, lots of people, even great players, never win an NBA title. But that doesn't take the sting off any less for someone like Ewing, who never had that glorious moment of orange and blue confetti streaming around him while celebrating the Larry O'Brien Trophy with his New York Knicks teammates.
No matter how you compartmentalize it, the pain always remains.
The 2026 Knicks changed this reality for Ewing. With the former legendary Knicks big man serving as a team ambassador for the past two seasons, that meant Jalen Brunson and Co.'s ultimate success was just as much his. He got to be around another Knicks team that captured the heart of New York City. He got to serve as an unofficial advisor and friend to young men who finally got the monkey off his back after the four-plus decades since his Georgetown days.
Look at the expression on Ewing's face here while celebrating the Knicks' championship drought-breaking title and try to tell me he wasn't waiting, agonizing for a moment like this.
You'd be lying through your teeth if you said otherwise:
Ewing had two separate chances to win a title as a player in the 1990s, with his Knicks making both the 1994 and 1999 NBA Finals, but New York couldn't seal the deal on either occasion. The latter Finals appearance, where Ewing was out while injured with a torn Achilles, even birthed the infamous "Ewing Theory," which posited that the Knicks actually played better without their superstar center.
What cruel irony. Imagine not only never reaching the pinnacle of your profession, your greatest dream, but also knowing that many folks thought your teammates were better off without you.
After retiring in 2002, Ewing has had to live with these shortcomings for nearly a quarter-century. But no longer.
The 2026 Knicks, in bringing every New Yorker along for their magical carpet ride, also brought along every formerly tortured Knick. That includes Ewing, who deserves every last bit of this joy.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Patrick Ewing finally wins Knicks championship after tortured career