In the 1990s, Ewing only had no championships, and his historical status in the future will become lower and lower.

On May 21, in the history of the NBA, the 1990s was known as the golden age of centers, the four centers - Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O'Neal, David Robinson and Patrick Ewing - each wrote brilliant chapters. However, compared with the other three, Ewing has always lacked a championship ring in his career, a flaw that has become the core of controversy in his historical status. Although Ewing's personal abilities are unquestionable, his legend seems to be fading over time in the NBA evaluation system with deep-rooted championship culture. Ewing's career began in 1985 and was selected by the New York Knicks as the No. 1 pick, and he quickly became the cornerstone of the team. Throughout the 1990s, Ewing averaged 21 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game, was selected as the All-Star 11 times, and was selected into the All-Squad 7 times, and led the Knicks to the Finals in 1994. That year, his peak showdown with Olajuwon has been regarded as a classic. Although he was ultimately defeated, Ewing's dominance on both sides of the offense and defense is amazing. His signature jump shot, strong under the basket defense and leadership temperament at critical moments define the iron-blooded spirit of New York basketball. In 1999, 36-year-old Ewing once again helped the team create the "Black Eight Miracle" to enter the finals, and this tenacity is enough to be recorded in history.

However, the cruelty of competitive sports is that the number of champions is often the yardstick of greatness. Olajuwon twice topped the top in 1994-1995, and in 1995 he led the team to win the championship; O'Neal completed three consecutive championships from 2000-2002; Robinson twice won the cup in 1999 and 2003, in 2003 he took the initiative to give power to Duncan's mind more legendary. By contrast, Ewing's two finals trips ended in failure, a contrast that has been magnified by contemporary fans' discussions. In the era of social media, young fans are more likely to be influenced by the intuitive data of the number of champions, but they may ignore the fierce competition in the Eastern Conference in the 1990s - Jordan's Bulls, Miller's Pacers, and Morning's Heat were all insurmountable walls for the Knicks. The judgment of historical status is never static. Since the 21st century, centers such as Dwight Howard, Nikola Jokic, and Joel Embiid have won the championship one after another, and their achievements have continuously refreshed people's perception of top centers. Jokic, as the core of the organization's championship model, Embiid's combination of traditional low posts and modern projections is redefining the value standards of centers. In this context, Ewing's traditional center image, which relies on singles and defensive deterrence, will inevitably be labeled as "outdated". What is more noteworthy is that modern basketball data analysis often underestimates the contribution of defensive centers, and Ewing is precisely one of the best defensive pillars in NBA history - his career defensive victory contribution is as high as 66.3, ranking 13th in history.

But it is obviously unfair to simply attribute Ewing's historical status to "no crown". In the professional basketball critics, most people still regard him as the top fifty players in history. His technical comprehensiveness is commendable: he can not only end the offense with a textbook jump shot, but also complete high-level support like a modern center; his defensive coverage is comparable to that of Olajuwon, and his career total blocks ranks seventh in history. During the 1992 Dream Team selection, Ewing was the undisputed starting center, which itself was the highest recognition of his strength. Famous coach Pat Riley once commented: "Ewing defines what it means to be a player who is ready to fight every night '. "

The lack of a championship has indeed affected Ewing's legend, but it should not conceal his contribution to basketball. He set a precedent for international players to succeed in the NBA (although he played for the United States, he was born in Jamaica); he trained a group of outstanding centers such as Alonzo Moening; his injured 1999 playoff journey is still a model of professionalism. Contemporary centers such as Embiid and Towns have publicly stated that they have studied Ewing's game video, proving that their technology still has modern value.

When evaluating historical status, we may need to surpass the dualism of the number of champions. Bill Russell has 11 rings but is often ranked behind Chamberlain; Carl Malone still ranks second largest forward without a crown. Ewing's tragedy is that he lived in the 1990s under Jordan's rule, and coincided with the peak of Olajuwon, and this bad luck should not be a reason to deny his greatness. When we compare players from different eras, we should pay more attention to how they can push their limits in their own eras—and Ewing won eternal respect in the demanding city of New York with 18 seasons of persistence.

Time may dilute the memories of young fans of Ewing, but the real history of basketball will not be forgotten: in that era of muscle collision, a Jamaican giant used his signature roar and solid footsteps to inject iron-blooded soul into Madison Garden Square. The champion ring can define a lot, but it cannot define everything a warrior. As Ewing himself said: "I would rather stay true without a champion than change who I am for the sake of the ring." This kind of competitive philosophy is perhaps more worthy of history than any trophy.