“I know I'm not 25 anymore; I'm 35… But age is a state of mind” – Patrick Ewing of the Knicks responds to criticism about his age in 1997

For most players reaching the twilight of their careers, accepting that they are past their prime is difficult. However, in the case of Patrick Ewing , who played for the New York Knicks from 1985 to 2000, he still had what it takes to compete with younger players.

Standing at 7 feet, his height made him a force to reckon with. However, he needed to be healthy enough to play games. Going through his career, Big Pat endured injuries that forced him out at times. A lot of this bothered him in his rookie year, and little did he know it would mar his NBA run in the following seasons.

Age is just a number

When healthy, there is no question that Ewing was one of the best players the NBA ever saw. From 1987 to 1997, he made himself available by playing in most of the Knicks’ regular-season games. But aside from injuries, age was fast creeping up on him. It would not be an issue for the Georgetown product, who would continue dominating the middle.

“I know I'm not 25 anymore; I'm 35,” Ewing said in 1997 via the New York Times . “But age is a state of mind. My body feels good. You just have to be smarter. I think I've been smart my whole career. It's all about taking care of your body, doing the right things.”

Related: Michael Jordan opens up about his older brother Larry not making the NBA: "He has always been a good player, but he just didn't grow enough"

The turning point

Ironically, the next few seasons would not be kind to the All-Star center. He would incur one serious injury after another, forcing him to miss many games. In his final season with the Knicks, he played the most, 69 regular-season and 14 playoff games.

However, his production started to show signs of decline. Since the 1997-98 season, Pat’s scoring and rebounding have slowly dipped despite being given the same amount of playing time. He requested a trade and was sent to the Seattle Supersonics in 2000. At this point, Ewing was no longer at ease in New York, allegedly feeling disrespected, according to fellow Georgetown Hoya Alonzo Mourning.

“The bottom line is he felt totally disrespected, and he felt it was time for him to move on,” Mourning said via ESPN .

After one season, he moved to the Orlando Magic. Try as he might, Ewing realized that it was time for him to retire, doing so in September 2002. Thus ended the career of Big Pat, arguably one of the best players the NBA has ever had.

If not for his injuries, there is no telling if Ewing could have remained efficient until his 40s. Height is something that cannot be taught and Patrick certainly showed that for the majority of his NBA years.

Related: Patrick Ewing breaks down why he would be dominant in today's game: "I was more athletic than Embiid"