Patrick Ewing could have finished his career as a member of the New York Knicks, but he ultimately requested a trade and finished his career with the Seattle Supersonics and Orlando Magic.
The decision still haunts him to this day, Ewing revealed in interview with Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical Podcast:
New Woj Pod: Patrick Ewing on asking for trade out of NY. "I should've stayed. I should've ended my career there." https://t.co/H3gbSguKDW
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 30, 2016
Ewing also discussed many other things with Wojnarowski, including his life before becoming famous. Originally from Jamaica, he moved to Boston when he was 11 where his basketball career took off but wasn’t always easy to handle.
Ewing got into his famous recruiting trip to North Carolina where he and Michael Jordan engaged in an epic battle of one-on-one in street clothes. Obviously he ended up choosing Georgetown, and the rest is history. He and Jordan would have many more competitive battles, though Jordan got the better of his peer more often than not.
He also detailed his desire and preparedness to get into a head coaching gig in the NBA. Ewing has been an assistant the past decade-plus with the Washington Wizards, Houston Rockets, Orlando Magic and the Charlotte Bobcats, where he currently serves in an associate head coach capacity.
Indeed, given his vast experience, which is now three decades deep — 17 years as a player and 13 as a coach — one wonders why Ewing isn’t already a head coach. He certainly deserves a shot, and it’s not like there are 30 other amazing head coaches in the Association right now.
Back to his trade, Ewing isn’t likely to be the only one who wishes he had never made the demand to be traded. No doubt many fans of the franchise and even many of the players he played with and against over the years wish he had stayed in New York to close out his career.