“You Guys Sleep on Patrick Ewing”: Charles Barkley Praises Knicks Legend, Calls Him One of the Greats

Forgotten within the mix of the NBA’s greatest big men of all time, is Knicks legend, Patrick Ewing. His contemporaries such as Shaquille O’Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon, and David Robinson typically rank higher than Ewing due to their championship wins. In most cases, it diminishes the true skill Ewing possessed. Hall-of-Fame forward Charles Barkley declares that the former Knicks big man deserves more respect.

On a guest appearance on The Mark Jackson Show, Jackson and Barkley began reminiscing about their glory days in the NBA, when they gave flowers to those who were great during their era. A player Barkley went head-to-head on many occasions was none other than Patrick Ewing. The Inside The NBA star felt the urge to give Ewing the praise he deserved. He said,

“Easy first-ballot Hall-of-Famers. I tell people, man, you guys sleep on Patrick. None of us could get past Michael, but that man was great… Man you talk about one of the great people I’ve ever been around, Patrick Ewing”

“I tell people, man you guys sleep on Patrick. None of us could get past Michael, but that man was great…Man you talk about one of the great people I’ve ever been around, Patrick Ewing”

— Charles Barkley pic.twitter.com/Y31W6p73vX

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) December 12, 2024

There are only a few players in the history of the NBA who are no doubt first-ballot Hall-of-Famers, and Barkley claims Ewing is one of them. This isn’t an opinion but more so a fact. Ewing is one out of the 54 players who were selected as first-ballot Hall-of-Famers.

The 7-foot big man dominated in his collegiate career at Georgetown and carried that to his professional career. He earned 11 All-Star team selections along with seven All-NBA team honors. Ewing’s excellence led the Knicks to become a powerhouse in the Eastern Conference throughout the 1990s.

Unfortunately, Ewing could never get past Michael Jordan and his Bulls. As a result, fans began to undermine the capabilities of the dominant big man. However, team success isn’t the only measure of what makes a great player.

Charles Barkley believes Patrick Ewing is one of the most underrated players ever

It’s hard to become an NBA player. It’s even harder to be an elite NBA player. Ewing did both and cemented himself as one of the greatest ever. However, he is still undermined by fans of the sport. Barkley’s been around for most of the peaks of the best players in the league. Yet, he considers Ewing as one of the most underrated centers ever.

“First of all, I think Patrick Ewing is probably the most underrated of all the great centers because he did not win the championship,” Barkley said in an episode of NBA TV’s Open Court.“I will say this about him, he’s a man,”

Ewing finished in the top five in MVP voting six times in his career. At the time, people understood the value he brought to his team. Barkley is at the forefront of those leading the charge to give Ewing the rightful praise he deserves.