It was an out-and-out New York Knicks show on the recent episode of the Roommates Show. The hosts of the podcast, Knicks stars Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart welcomed one of the biggest legends of the franchise, Patrick Ewing to the show. Now, Ewing had a lot of stories to tell from his long career as a Knick but Hart wanted to start with the dunk story he heard about three weeks ago from John Starks.
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The 61-year-old said that his defense against Stark’s attempt to dunk on him turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the latter.
Standing at 7 feet, Ewing had a significant height advantage over Starks’ 6’5 frame. But that didn’t stop the 1994 All-Star from trying to dunk on him during practice. However, this would actually help Starks retain his spot on the team amid the management making cuts on the roster.
Ewing’s fierce defense against Starks ended up injuring him. The 11-time All-Star said during the podcast,
“You know how John is. We were practicing and they were going to make cuts that day and they were going to cut him. Back then…if you get hurt, they can’t cut you until after you get better.”
So, while operating under the threat of being let go by the franchise, Starks thought that dunking over the franchise superstar might impress the coaches.
However, Pat wasn’t going to just let him have his moment. Ewing continued, “So, he tried to dunk on me, and I tried to take his head off. Fortunately, but unfortunately, he got hurt.”
After that incident, the Knicks couldn’t cut him out as he was injured, and Starks managed to stay with the team. Luckily for him, several other players got injured along the way and the shooting guard found a place in the squad.
Starks’ version of the story was similar to what Ewing detailed. He was recruited from the World Basketball League and was brought in for trials with the Knicks. But on the last day, he feared that he will be cut out by the team.
During his podcast appearance, Starks told Hart and Brunson, “Even though I had a good preseason, I wasn’t sure if they were going to keep me or not.” When he was working out a plan in his head, Starks saw Ewing at his left and decided in that moment, to go for the dunk.
He said, “This is a good chance to impress the coaches. I went in… I went to go dunk on him, he caught it, and I came down and I twist my knee.”
Worried that he has torn something in his knee, Starks was unaware how beneficial that failed dunk was going to be for him. He ended up staying with the Knicks from 1990 to 1998. He became one of the most important members of the NY franchise in the 90s and is now referred to as a bona fide Knicks legend.
