Biography

The American basketball legend Patrick Ewing, Sr. was born in 1962 in Kingston, Jamaica. Ewing moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts with his family when he was twelve years old, and while growing up in the area he learned to play a number of sports, and he quickly became one of his school’s most promising basketball players. An offer for a scholarship from Georgetown University brought Patrick to the university as a freshman player in 1981.

At Georgetown, Ewing was one of the first college players to start for the varsity team while still a freshman. His star status was often eclipsed by relentless racism he experienced on and off the courts, with accounts of spectators tossing objects in his direction from the stands. But Patrick rose above it all, and went on to become one of the nation’s most celebrated basketball players, playing for the New York Knicks and the Orlando Magic.

Highlights of Ewing’s professional career include: Rookie of the Year Award (1986); AP College Player of the Year (1985), Adolph Rupp Trophy (1985); one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996); two-time Olympic gold medalist (1984 and 1992); and recognition as a two-time Basketball Hall of Fame inductee. In pop culture, Patrick Ewing has appeared as himself in film, television, and video games, including the films Space Jam (1996) and Senseless (1996), and on the television shows: Spin City, Mad About You, Webster, and Herman’s Head. Ewing has also endorsed products such as Adidas, and his own Ewing Athletics line of footwear.

Currently, Patrick Ewing continues to contribute to basketball by serving as the associate head coach for the Charlotte Hornets.