Patrick Ewing may be a New York Knicks legend, but that hasn’t stopped Madison Square Garden security from asking him for his credentials.
Ewing is in town for the Big East tournament, where he hopes to lead his alma mater, the Georgetown Hoyas, to a championship. But according to Ewing himself, the arena’s security might need to bone up on their Knicks history.
“I thought this was my building? And I feel terrible that I’m getting stopped, accosted, asking for passes,” Ewing said in a Thursday press conference. “Everybody in this building should know who the hell I am. And I’m getting stopped. … I’m like ‘What the hell? Is this Madison Square Garden?’ I’mma have to call [James Dolan] and say, ‘Geez. Is my number in the rafters or what?’”
Ewing played 15 years for the Knicks, was an 11-time All-Star, led them to two NBA Finals in 1994 and 1999, and is the franchise leader in points, minutes, rebounds, steals, and blocks. In other words, he’s likely the greatest Knick ever.
Despite the security issues, Ewing was able to coach his team to an upset win over the top-seeded Villanova Wildcats on Thursday.
“We took another step — in my house, by the way. This is my house,” Ewing said, per the Associated Press. “It’s a great win. Huge win. We played against the Cadillac, the Bentley, whatever you want to call them, of the Big East — the class of the Big East. And once upon a time that was us. But we took a huge step to be able to knock them off.”
They’re now gearing up to play in the tournament’s semi-finals at 6 p.m. ET on Friday.
