Hall of Famer ends decade long wait for return to NBA coaching role after lifelong dream achieved

Patrick Ewing is arguably the New York Knicks’ greatest ever player.

Whilst he never got his hands on a coveted NBA championship as a player, Ewing served in an ambassador role with the Knicks when they won the 2026 championship.

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Having achieved a lifelong ambition of winning a ring in the Big Apple, the 63-year-old has decided that now it is time to move on.

According to a report from ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Georgetown legend has agreed to join the coaching staff of the Washington Wizards in an assistant coaching role under head coach Brian Keefe.

This would mark Ewing’s second spell with the organization, having been an assistant coach at Washington from 2002-2003 in the immediate aftermath of retiring from playing.

Other reports also indicate that longtime NBA coach Steve Clifford is joining the coaching brass as an adviser – a role which he has previously held with the Phoenix Suns and Brooklyn Nets in the past.

This would form a reunion in the nation’s capital with Ewing and Clifford having worked together at the Orlando Magic from 2007-2012, before Ewing became an assistant under Clifford at the Charlotte Hornets from 2013-2017.

In total, this marks Ewing’s fifth coaching role in the NBA, having also been an assistant with the Houston Rockets, before undertaking the head coach role at his alma mater Georgetown from 2017-2023.

For Ewing, though, even though he has now departed the Knicks, he will forever be ingrained in the Orange and Blue skies.

“As I said the day my number 33 jersey lifted into the rafters at MSG, I will always be a Knick, and I will always be a New Yorker. … The Garden has always been my home,” Ewing said when he rejoined the Knicks franchise in his ambassador role back in 2024.

Of course, Ewing, who was drafted by the Knicks with the first overall pick in 1985 – only the franchise’s fourth No. 1 overall pick in their history, and most recent one to date – saw his iconic No. 33 jersey retired by the team back in 2003.

Five years later he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, and then the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012, having led Georgetown to the 1984 NCAA national championship.

Ewing’s addition to the coaching staff can help Wizards take steps in right direction

There is some internal optimism that Ewing can help transform what has been a struggling franchise for a number of years into a genuine contender in the Eastern Conference.

This comes as the Wizards will enter the 2026-27 NBA season with a fresh roster spearheaded by Trae Young and Anthony Davis, who have a combined 14 NBA All-Star nods between them.

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After having missed the playoffs for the fifth successive season, the Wizards also had the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, which they used to select BYU star AJ Dybantsa.

They also recently acquired former No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton via a trade with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Also having former No. 2 overall pick Alex Sarr, who has made a huge leap in development from Year 1 to Year 2, the Wizards are constructing a strong core mixed with veteran talent – and championship pedigree – and up-and-coming stars.

Therefore, the hope is that a former player and coach of Ewing’s caliber around the organization will help propel this team even further into achieving new heights.

Although winning any more than 20 games of their 82 games next season will be considered a vast improvement, having failed to do so since the 2023 campaign.

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