Ewing Rejoins Knicks as Basketball Ambassador

You can always go home.

New York Knicks legend and Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing is returning to the organization where he began his professional basketball career back in 1985.

The Knicks announced Friday that Ewing will take on a role as a basketball ambassador for the franchise, assisting with basketball and business operations.

“As I said the day my number 33 jersey lifted into the rafters at MSG, I will always be a Knick and I will always be a New Yorker. I can’t wait to get started in this new position and to officially be back with the organization that I love so much,” Ewing said in a statement. “The Garden has always been my home and I’m looking forward to working with [team president] Leon Rose, Coach [Tom] Thibodeau, the team and everyone else that makes this place so special.”

Ewing played 15 of his 17 NBA seasons with the Knicks, helping them become title contenders in the Eastern Conference and led the team to Game 7 of the 1994 NBA Finals against Hakeem ‘The Dream’ Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets.

The Knicks retired Ewing’s No. 33 in February 2003 and he was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.

After playing his final two seasons with the Seattle Supersonics and the Orlando Magic, Ewing still wanted to give back to the game and moved into coaching. He paid his dues along the way and was first an assistant with the Washington Wizards before moving on to a similar role with the Rockets. After taking a season off, he joined Stan Van Gundy’s staff in Orlando.

Ewing then spent four years as an assistant with the Charlotte Bobcats before securing his first head coaching job at his alma mater where he stared in the early 80s, Georgetown University. He coached the Hoyas for six seasons and led them to one NCAA tournament appearance before being relieved of his duties in March 2023.

Ewing rejoins the Knicks at an exciting time in the organization’s history. They are coming off a 2023-24 season where they finished in second place in the Atlantic Division and reached the Eastern Conference semifinals under Thibodeau.

Madison Square Garden was the place to be, with the stars out in droves, and standing room only, much like in the days when Ewing played, thanks to the play of Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby and Josh Hart, just to name a few. Excited and ready to go even further in their hunt for a third NBA title in franchise history and their first since 1973, Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns were among the names the Knicks added in the offseason.