Patrick Ewing doesn't have many regrets about how his professional basketball career turned out except one: never winning an NBA championship. One of the biggest reasons "Big Pat" never felt the taste of what it's like to be an NBA champion was that his playing years overlapped with Michael Jordan's, whose Chicago Bulls dominated the 1990s.
"… I was very happy that I wound up in New York. The only regret I have about being in New York is the fact that we never won a championship. But other than that, it was a great experience for me," Ewing told SLAM's Russ Bengtson. "With Michael Jordan gettin' all the damn calls, what did you expect ?"
Ewing vs. Jordan
Despite averaging 22.1 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks across 70 games against "His Airness," Ewing lost 30 out of their 43 regular season matchups and 19 out of 27 playoff contests. Jordan and the Bulls were a roadblock, not just for Ewing and his New York Knicks but also for almost all superstars in the 90s.
Mike's dominance against Ewing goes back far beyond their professional days. In the 1982 NCAA championship game, Jordan knocked down the game-winning jumper for the UNC Tar Heels, propelling them against Ewing's Georgetown Hoyas.
Leave the past in the past
Although Ewing could never beat Jordan when it mattered, he's more than content with his basketball career. However, the Hall of Famer doesn't enjoy looking back on his battles against the Bulls legend.
"I had to live through that," Ewing told The Dan Patrick Show after the release of "The Last Dance." "I had to live through all the battles that we had to go through, and now y'all have a documentary that has to keep rubbing it in my face. I watched some of it. I watch a little, then I shut it off and go do other things. Like I said, I lived through it, so I don't need to watch it. I know he's great."
To be fair to Ewing, he's been nothing but a good sport towards Jordan, given that the latter deprived him of the ultimate glory. The Knicks legend knows he's one of the greatest players never to win a championship, but given that the guy he sees as the greatest player of all time is the reason for it, Pat has nothing to be ashamed of.
Related: Michael Jordan urged Patrick Ewing to join the Wizards' coaching staff: "If you like that, we'll let you be a coach"
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