According to ESPN on Wednesday, former New York Knicks superstar Patrick Ewing was robbed recently. He had his two Olympic gold medals, as well as the National Collegiate Athletic Association championship ring stolen from his New York home. With the assistance of former United States Basketball Chairman and former Phoenix Suns owner Jerry Colangelo, Ewing was able to get replacement medals. As for the championship ring, Ewing remarkably was able to get it back after it was determined that someone was trying to sell the ring on eBay.
Despite being a native of Kingston, Jamaica, Ewing won the gold medal for the United States in men’s basketball at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles and the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. He also won the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship with the University of Georgetown Hoyas in 1984. Interestingly, Ewing has been the head coach of the Hoyas, his alma mater, since 2017.
At the 1984 NCAA March Madness Tournament, Ewing was the final four most outstanding player. The University of Georgetown beat the University of Houston 84-75 in the championship game from Seattle.
At the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, Ewing averaged 11 points per game and 5.6 rebounds per game. In the gold medal game, Ewing had nine points and four rebounds, as the United States beat Spain 96-65. Ewing’s best game from the 1984 Olympic Games came in a 104-68 United States win over Uruguay. Ewing had a team-high 17 points and nine rebounds.
Then eight years later as part of the United States Dream Team at the 1992 Olympic Games, Ewing had his best performance offensively in the gold medal game. He scored 15 points as the United States beat Croatia 117-85.
At the National Basketball Association level, Ewing was the NBA Rookie of the Year in 1986 and was an 11-time all-star. He played 17 NBA seasons with the New York Knicks, Seattle SuperSonics and Orlando Magic from 1985 to 2002.
