New York Knicks legend Patrick Ewing said he was treated disrespectfully at Madison Square Garden on Thursday.
Ewing, the ex-NBA superstar who serves as head coach of the Georgetown University Hoyas basketball team, said he was stopped by security in the building where his former jersey hangs in the rafters.
The coach was answering a question at the post-game press conference about freshman Dante Harris, who had a huge game, leading the team to victory with game-winning free throws, when he added his frustration with MSG security.
“[Harris] stepped up, and he’s been playing magnificently for us. But I do want to say one thing, though,” Ewing said. “I thought this was my building.”
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“And I feel terrible that I’m getting stopped, accosted, [people] asking for passes. Everybody in this building should know who the hell I am, and I’m getting stopped — I can’t move around this building. I was like, ‘What the hell? Is this Madison Square Garden?’”
Ewing asserted that he would be calling Knicks owner James Dolan about the incident.
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In a statement, MSG Entertainment said, “Jim [Dolan] and Patrick have a long-standing relationship; they spoke this afternoon and reaffirmed that. We all know, respect and appreciate what he means to The Garden and New York. Good luck to him and his Hoyas in the Big East semi-finals.”
Ewing played with the Knicks for most of his stellar career, from 1985 to 2000. He also played a season apiece for the Seattle Supersonics and Orlando Magic before retiring in 2002, then was inducted into the Hall of Fame six years later. He has been the head coach of the Georgetown Hoyas since 2017.
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The Jamaican-born center wore number 33, which was retired by the Knicks.
Ewing is not the first Black NBA figure to complain about security at Madison Square Garden. Former player Charles Oakley was thrown out of the arena in a nasty scuffle in 2017, and Knicks superfan Spike Lee complained about treatment from security in March 2020 just before the league shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. He was barred from entering through his usual entrance.
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