Patrick Ewing was truly just a shadow of the dominant force he was with the New York Knicks during his year in Orlando, but he was still Patrick Ewing. That, alone, counts for something.
The Magic got Ewing on his last NBA stop for 65 games in the 2002 season and he averaged six points and four rebounds per game, which was all done in just 13 minutes a night (less than half of what he played the previous season for the Seattle Supersonics, while starting 79 games).
Ewing eventually just kind of hit the wall, and it was a bit strange to see it happen in pinstripes rather than Knicks blue and orange. But Hakeem Olajuwon wandered to Toronto. Sometimes these legends finish in strange places, and having Ewing in Orlando was a nice touch, which later led to his assistant coaching job with the team.
Ewing is a first ballot Hall of Famer and made the NBA’s Top-50 at its 50th Anniversary, and when people reflect on his career, the memories will be relived in Madison Square Garden, not the Orlando Arena. But he made his pitstop in Orlando and while the casual NBA fan may not have tucked that anywhere into the memory bank, Magic fans were appreciative to have ol’ Pat around for a short stint before he hung it up.
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