Injuries have derailed and shortened countless careers in the NBA. The question is: who are the greatest New York Knicks players to fall victim to injuries?
Over the past 40 years, few NBA teams have been as unlucky as the New York Knicks. Aside from the ping pong balls bouncing in their favor in 1985, the Knicks haven’t been blessed with many positive bounces.
One could easily argue that nothing has hurt the organization more than the long list of star-caliber players who suffered injuries.
There’s no way to predict an injury, nor is there a science to preventing it. Teams can rest, rehabilitate, and protect their players however they may please, but all it takes is one bad step, hit, or angle and everything can change.
The Knicks know that all too well, as countless championship-caliber teams were lost to the injury bug.
In some instances, it was a star player who was forced to retire in the prime of their careers. In others, it was a player who played through the pain, but never managed to reach their full potential.
The question is: who are the greatest Knicks players whose careers were derailed by injuries?
Next: Following The Career Year
5. Allan Houston
Knicks Years: 1996 to 2005
Position: Shooting Guard
Career Knicks Averages: 36.1 MPG, 18.5 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.5 3PM
Career Knicks Accolades: 1999 NBA Finals Appearance, 2x All-Star
Allan Houston was a big-game performer who played a defining role in the New York Knicks reaching the 1999 NBA Finals. He and Latrell Sprewell led New York on a legendary run from the No. 8 seed to the grandest stage of them all—no, not WrestleMania.
Just one year after he set a career-high by averaging 22.5 points per game, injuries set in and took Houston from the Knicks.
It must be noted that Houston was already 32 years of age when the injuries began to catch up to him. It’s also worth noting that younger Knicks fans tend to remember his contract instead of what he brought to the table.
Those who watched Houston, however, know that he had an approach to the game that would’ve extended his career deep into his 30s.
Houston was an outstanding 3-point shooter who could kill teams from midrange and take over in the playoffs. He led the Knicks in minutes played per game during the run to the 1999 NBA Finals and averaged 40-plus minutes during the run to the 2000 Eastern Conference Finals.
To date, the 1998-99 Knicks are the only No. 8 seed in league history to reach the NBA Finals.
Next: The Bad Back
4. Larry Johnson
Knicks Years: 1996 to 2001
Position: Forward
Career Knicks Averages: 33.5 MPG, 12.3 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 1.8 ORPG, 2.3 APG, 0.6 3PM
Career Knicks Accolades: 1999 NBA Finals Appearance
Larry Johnson encountered back issues before he joined the New York Knicks. True as that may be, he wasn’t truly slowed down by the injury until he was traded from the Charlotte Hornets to the Knicks in 1996.
LJ may have been stopped in his tracks by back problems, but Grandmama is still one of the greatest Knicks of all-time.
Johnson’s bad back hurt him in countless ways, but nothing was more damaging than the loss of his post game. Jonson was one of the best post players in the NBA, but couldn’t continue working with his back to the basket for obvious reasons.
Johnson also lost some of the explosiveness that made him a household name as a transition terror and above-the-rim sensation.
Despite the injuries, Johnson still played an iconic role in the Knicks reaching the 1999 NBA Finals. His four-point play is right behind a certain NBA Finals comeback as, arguably, the most recognizable moment in franchise history.
Had Johnson’s back not given him so much trouble, the Knicks would’ve had a very legitimate opportunity to win the 1999 NBA championship.
Next: The Lost Piece
3. Amar’e Stoudemire
Knicks Years: 2010-2015
Position: Power Forward, Center
Career Knicks Averages: 29.1 MPG, 17.3 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 2.2 ORPG, 1.3 APG, 1.1 BPG
Career Knicks Accolades: All-NBA Second Team, All-Star
During his first season with the New York Knicks, Amar’e Stoudemire single-handedly rejuvenated a dormant organization. He led New York to 28 wins through 54 games—before the Carmelo Anthony trade—after it was 29-53 the previous year.
Stoudemire missed at least 17 games in three of his four full seasons with the Knicks, however, thus causing a rude awakening from that dream.
Stoudemire finished his first season in New York with averages of 25.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.5 offensive boards, 2.6 assists, and 1.9 blocks on 50.2 percent shooting. He led New York to its first postseason appearance in seven years.
For his efforts, Stoudemire was named to the All-Star Game and All-NBA Second Team during that glorious 2010-11 season.
Unfortunately, Stoudemire and his uninsured contract reared their ugly head soon thereafter. He never played more than 65 games again, including the 47 he was active for in 2011-12 and the 29 appearances he made in 2012-13.
Had Stoudemire managed to remain healthy, there’s no telling what he, Carmelo Anthony, and Tyson Chandler could’ve achieved together.
Next: The Greatest Scorer In Franchise History
2. Bernard King
Knicks Years: 1982 to 1987
Position: Small Forward
Career Knicks Averages: 34.7 MPG, 26.5 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 1.7 ORPG, 2.8 APG, 1.2 SPG
Career Knicks Accolades: 2x All-NBA First Team, 2x All-Star, 1985 Scoring Champion
In the eyes of many, the greatest New York Knicks career taken by injury belongs to Bernard King. He was one of the most dominant scorers that’s ever graced the game, whether NBA or otherwise.
Unfortunately, King missed nearly 100 games over the course of his final two seasons with the Knicks.
In four seasons with the Knicks, King made two All-NBA First Team appearances and won the 1985 scoring title. He also made a pair of All-Star Game appearances and set the franchise record for scoring in a single season.
Entering the 2016-17 NBA season, no player in Knicks history has averaged more points per game than the 32.9 King posted in 1984-85.
Unfortunately, 1984-85 was also the start of King’s downward injury spiral. He tore his ACL, broke his leg, and suffered other torn cartilage in his knee, thus resulting in his missing the entire 1985-86 season and his playing in just five games in 1986-87.
Had King not suffered such a terrible injury, Knicks fans may have seen he and Patrick Ewing playing side by side in the 1980s and early 1990s.
Next: The NYK Goat?
1. Willis Reed
Knicks Years: 1964 to 1974
Position: Center, Power Forward
Career Knicks Averages: 35.5 MPG, 18.7 PPG, 12.9 RPG, 2.5 ORPG, 1.8 APG, 1.1 BPG
Career Knicks Accolades: 2x NBA Champion, 2x Finals MVP, 1970 NBA MVP, All-NBA First Team, 4x All-NBA Second Team, All-Defensive First Team, 7x All-Star, 1970 All-Star Game MVP
Note: Blocks and offensive rebounds per game weren’t recorded as official statistics until Reed’s final season: 1973-74.
For those with a loose grasp on the history of the New York Knicks and NBA, this may come as a surprise. Willis Reed won two NBA championships, two Finals MVP awards, and the 1970 NBA MVP award.
Unfortunately, Reed succumbed to incessant injuries during the prime of his Hall of Fame career.
Reed turned 31 years of age leading into the final season of his illustrious NBA career. The final three years of his career were marred by injuries, meaning he wasn’t healthy at the ages of 29, 30, or 31—peak years.
For perspective: Reed was named MVP, Finals MVP, and All-Star Game MVP during his final healthy NBA season.
He also made the All-NBA First Team, All-Defensive First Team, and All-star Game.
Even in 1970-71, when the injuries began to catch up with Reed, he averaged 20.9 points and 13.7 rebounds per game. He won a second NBA championship and Finals MVP award in 1973, but he was a shell of his former self.
New York won its only two championships with Reed as the featured player and Finals MVP.
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One can only imagine how many more titles the Knicks would’ve won had Reed not fallen victim to injuries.