NBA legend Patrick Ewing fell in love with the game of basketball at an older age. That’s because when he grew up in Kingston, Jamaica, the sport was barely known around his community. In fact, Ewing excelled at cricket and soccer before discovering what basketball even was. In an interview with SLAM ’s Russ Bengtson in 2009, “Big Pat” talked about growing up without basketball.
“ Nah, I didn’t even know what basketball was. They had a thing called netball, which I guess that was similar, and I saw that being played once. Basically, all I played was soccer. We called it football back then-and cricket. But those-with track and field-were the three most popular sports in the Caribbean back then ,” Ewing said.
How Ewing discovered basketball
It was only when Ewing moved to the United States in 1975, particularly to Cambridge, Boston, that he discovered the game, which eventually turned him into a legend. The young Pat was at a park watching a couple of young people play basketball—the same ones who invited him to hoop with them.
“I told ’em I didn’t know how to play. They didn’t care because they just needed another body. I played it, I liked it, took me a while to become good at it. But like any other kid, you go through trials and tribulations, people teasing you because you’re not that good and because I was very tall. But you know, I just said, I’m not playin’ for them, I’m playin’ for myself. I enjoy doin’ this thing, so I’m gonna continue to do it ,” Ewing added.
From there, the 11-time All-Star kept learning about the sport and developing his skills. It also helped that Ewing was enrolled at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, where he further learned the sport from John Fountain and his coach, Mike Jarvis.
The big man not only became one of the best high school players in the country but also a sought-after recruit. He eventually took his talents to Georgetown University, where he led the Hoyas to three final four appearances and a national title in 1984.
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The best shooting center in NBA history
Ewing, who was dubbed as the next Bill Russell , didn’t exactly win as many championships as the Boston Celtics legend, but he blazed his own trail on the New York Knicks . He donned the Knicks jersey for 15 memorable seasons and ended his professional career with 24,815 points, 11,607 rebounds, and 2,894 blocks.
In addition, what set the Knicks legend apart from his fellow talented big men competitors in his era was his ability to convert baseline jumpers, which made him one of the best shooting centers in NBA history.
“ In the NBA, I mean, the offense was opened up. And when I came in, everybody was bigger than me. I was tall, but I wasn’t as strong as a lot of those guys, so they were beatin’ the hell out of me. So I stepped out on the block a little bit, developed a pump-fake drive move. But first, you gotta be able to hit that shot to bring ’em up. So I started consistently hitting my jump shot, and when they came up, I tried to go around ’em, use my quickness. So that’s where my game developed ,” the all-around center said.
It all started because of those teenage boys at the park in Boston, who invited Ewing to play the game with them. If it weren’t for them, we possibly wouldn’t have witnessed one of the greatest players of all time.
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