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New York Knicks: Top five centers in franchise history

By Rob Wolkenbrod

NEW YORK - 1993: Patrick Ewing #33 of the New York Knicks looks on against the Minnesota Timberwolves during a game played circa 1993 at the Madison Square Garden in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1993 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
NEW YORK - 1993: Patrick Ewing #33 of the New York Knicks looks on against the Minnesota Timberwolves during a game played circa 1993 at the Madison Square Garden in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1993 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK – 1993: Patrick Ewing #33 of the New York Knicks looks on against the Minnesota Timberwolves during a game played circa 1993 at the Madison Square Garden in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1993 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
NEW YORK – 1993: Patrick Ewing #33 of the New York Knicks looks on against the Minnesota Timberwolves during a game played circa 1993 at the Madison Square Garden in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1993 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /

1. Patrick Ewing

Not only the best center in New York Knicks history, but someone near or at the top of the franchise’s player hierarchy. That’s Patrick Ewing, who played in the Big Apple from 1985 to 2000.

Ewing never won a championship, which arguably hurt his stick among the NBA’s all-time greats, but he still made two NBA Finals (1994, 1999) and played as one of the game’s elite for the majority of his run, with 13 seasons of averaging at least 20 points and eight rebounds.

Along the way, Ewing made 12 NBA All-Star games, 11 of which happened in consecutive years. He never won an All-Star MVP award, but managed to provide elite production annually to earn this mid-season accolade.

To add to the list, Ewing won the 1985-86 NBA Rookie of the Year award, with 20 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 2.1 blocks per game. The Knicks did not cross 25 wins, but the lone bright spot catapulted them to a decade of success.

Ewing entered the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008, due to his accomplishments in New York. He’s an organizational legend and among the top centers in NBA history, so there’s plenty to celebrate for the head coach at Georgetown.

Next. 25 greatest players in franchise history. dark

Who sits among the best centers in Knicks history? Which players, outside of Ewing, belong in the top five?