Getty Patrick Ewing attends the Georgetown Hoyas v UCLA Bruins game in 2012.
Patrick Ewing, former NBA Legend and head coach of the Georgetown men’s basketball team announced on Friday that he tested positive for coronavirus. On May 22, he tweeted, “I want to share that I have tested positive for COVID-19. This virus is serious and should not be taken lightly. I want to encourage everyone to stay safe and take care of yourselves and your loved ones.”
I want to share that I have tested positive for COVID-19. This virus is serious and should not be taken lightly. I want to encourage everyone to stay safe and take care of yourselves and your loved ones. pic.twitter.com/a2fMuhIZyG
— Patrick Ewing (@CoachEwing33) May 22, 2020
Ewing, 57, who played in the NBA for 17 years, 15 of those as a star member of the New York Knicks, has been the head coach of the Georgetown Hoyas since 2017. Georgetown Athletics released the following statement in tandem with Ewing’s announcement: “Ewing has elected to share his diagnosis publicly to emphasize that this virus can affect anyone. Ewing is under care and isolated at a local hospital. He is the only member of the Georgetown men’s basketball program to have tested positive for the virus.”
Patrick Ewing’s Children & Wife
Two of Ewing’s three children with ex-wife Rita Williams went to school at Georgetown. His son, Patrick Ewing Jr., wore his father’s jersey number 33 while playing basketball at his dad’s alma mater. He was drafted by the Sacramento Kings No. 43 overall in the 2008 NBA Draft but was then traded to the Knicks. Ewing Jr. never made Knicks’ final roster, and spent most of his career in the NBA D-League and playing overseas. He now has three children of his own.
Ewing’s daughter Randi attended Fordham before transferring to the University of Louisville as a star volleyball player. His youngest daughter, Corey, attended college at Georgetown, and graduated in 2017.
Ewing played basketball at Georgetown for four years during his collegiate career and helped lead the men’s NCAA team to a No. 1 ranking in the nation by his senior year. In 1985, Ewing was drafted as the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft. After the New York Knicks signed him to a 10-year, $32 million contract, he was voted NBA Rookie of the Year and named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in his first year as a pro.
Ewing Discussed His Appearance in Michael Jordan’s ‘The Last Dance’ Earlier This Month
Ewing’s storied career, which includes winning Olympic Gold medals with U.S. Men’s Olympic basketball team in 1984 and 1992, is a two-time inductee into the Basketball Hall of Fame. He was first inducted for his individual career in 2008, and again in 2010, as a member of the “Dream Team,” which was recently highlighted in Michael Jordan’s ESPN docu-series, The Last Dance.
In an interview with Rachel Nichols on The Jump earlier this month, Ewing discussed what it was like seeing Jordan continue trash-talking him in 2020. They played against each other in the NCAA Championship game when Ewing was at Georgetown and Jordan was at the University of North Carolina, and have known each other since they were high school recruits.
“It could’ve been a lot different,” Ewing said. “I played 17 years, and we played against the Bulls six times (in the conference semi-finals). We were only able to win of those times, and unfortunately, he wasn’t there. So, he’s been talking trash since the first day that I met him and he still continues to talk trash and say that I’ve never beaten when it counts. It still hasn’t stopped.”
Laughing, Ewing added, “If I call him right now, he’ll still talk trash.”
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