Basketball player Ewing Patrick: biography, achievements

North America is experiencing a sports boom. Basketball, American football, hockey, baseball - have a frenzied popularity, as a simple fan, and in the eyes of potential advertisers. A special place in this list is basketball. An important factor of phenomenal interest is the social component. Basketball to some extent smooths the line that exists between the well-off strata of the population and socially disadvantaged. It was he who became the game through which many people from poor neighborhoods, children from low-income families found their place in life. At the initial stage attracts the general availability of the game. Virtually every American court is equipped with basketball rings. A huge number of open basketball courts, where everyone can improve their playing skills.

Patrick Ewing - the legend of basketball

If you look at the popularity of basketball in the world, the National Basketball Association (NBA) has a huge influence on the growth of its popularity in the world. League, in the ranks of which are collected the best basketball players of the world. The huge popularity of the game gives birth to its idols. One of them is the world-size star Ewing Patrick.

Childhood

Among the North American countries, Jamaica stood out in the sporting plan except for runners for short distances. Basketball in Jamaica has never been a particularly popular sport. Therefore it is surprising that it was in this country that one of the greatest basketball players of our time, Ewing Patrick, was born.

Patrick was born on August 5, 1962 in Kingston, in an ordinary family. Already in his childhood among peers the boy stood out for his height. Such growth initially did not leave much of a choice in the sports plan. The choice fell on basketball. In 1973, the Ewing family decided to move to the United States in search of a better life. It is in the United States that Patrick begins to seriously engage in basketball. Already at the school level, the makings of a future star were visible. Success in the games for the school team helped the teenager to enter the university. A promising basketball player was in demand in sports university circles. As a result, he chose the Georgetown University of Washington.

Student years

Four years spent Ewing Patrick in the team "Goyas". During this time, the team played three times in the NCAA final. The main success was the victory in the final of 1984. The successful game of the young basketball player did not pass the attention of the coaches of the US national team, who included him in the team. At the Summer Olympics in 1984, Patrick Ewing won a gold medal in the US team.

Career in the NBA

In 1985, Ewing made his debut in the strongest basketball league in the world. As a result of the draft, Patrick Ewing, whose photo you see in the article, became a player of the "New York Knicks". The debut season was twofold for the athlete. Injuries received during the season, did not allow to fully realize their gaming potential. But on the other hand, even after conceding a number of matches due to injuries, Ewing became the best rookie of the season.

15 full seasons in the NBA basketball player held in New York Knicks, speaking on the position of center. Ewing Patrick, whose height was 2.13 m, comfortably felt himself under a stranger ring. After the performance for the New York team, he was awarded a huge number of personal titles, but the highest basketball top was never submitted to the athlete. The Ewing team was never able to win the championship title. Excellent chances for the championship were in the 1993-94 season. "New York Knicks" reached the finals and there, in a dramatic fight, lost to "Houston".

Patrick Ewing is a basketball player, who in 1992 became a two-time Olympic champion. At the Olympic Games in Barcelona, the American team did not leave any chances to rivals. According to experts, the US team of the 1992 convocation remains one of the strongest teams in the history of world basketball.

In 2000, in the career of Patrick Ewing there was a sharp turn. As a result of the exchange the athlete was in Seattle. In the "Seattle Supersonics" Patrick spent only one season, after which he moved to the "Orlando Magic". It was in Orlando, in September 2002, the basketball player announced the end of his sports career.

Awards and achievements

The main achievement of Patrick Ewing for a long sporting career can be considered Olympic gold. In the game sports, the value of the Olympic victory grows many times. And the more significant is the fact that Patrick twice became an Olympic champion.

During the time spent in the NBA basketball player received a huge number of personal awards. A special place here are the awards for the best newcomer of the league and regular hits in the symbolic NBA team for the season. In 1996, Patrick was included in the list of "50 greatest players in the history of the NBA." In the same year he was included in the Basketball Hall of Fame in Medisson Square Garden.

Life after a gaming career

At the end of his career, the leadership of the NBA decided to withdraw the 33 number, under which the basketball player played, from circulation. Which is an additional proof of the game authority and the recognition of the sporting skills of Patrick Ewing. Also in the track record of Ewing work as assistant coach in "Houston Rockets" and "Orlando Magic". At the turn of the 2000s, Patrick headed the Association of NBA Players for four years.

Now in the footsteps of his father went Patrick Ewing, Jr., professionally engaged in basketball.