Patrick Aloysius Ewing was born August 5, 1962, and was a famous NBA basketball player, spending most of his professional career playing center for the New York Knicks. Born in Jamaica, he came to the United States with his family at the age of 12 and was settled at Cambridge, Massachusetts. After high school, he attended Georgetown University in Washington, DC, where he became known as one of the greatest college basketball players of his era.

Ewing was taken by the Knicks as the first overall draft pick in 1985, and, though he had a less than perfect season due to injuries, was named the NBA Rookie of the year, averaging 20 points and 9 rebounds per game. He was soon to be recognized as one of the top centers in the league. An 11-time All-Star, he was also a member of the 1992 US Olympic Dream Team, winning a gold medal.

Though he earned many honors and is renowned as a great player, Ewing never led the Knicks to a championship game. In 1993, it seemed that this situation would change, but even with the best record in the conference, they were knocked out of the finals by Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls.