Patrick Ewing adidas 1

Number 33 Was Retired at MSG Twelve Years Ago Today

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Twelve years ago today, Patrick Ewing was brought into the company of Knicks legends. He joined the company of Walt Frazier, Dick Barnet, Earl Monroe, Dick McGuire, Willis Reed, Dave DeBusschere, Bill Bradley, and Red Holzman. Patrick Ewing is the only man among these greats without a championship ring. The Knicks celebrated the retirement of Ewing’s number 33 with Patrick Ewing Night. Check out the video below.

Ewing’s number 33 is the last jersey number retired by the Knicks; no other number has been brought up into the rafters since Patrick Ewing Night in 2003. No other Knick has scored more points, played more games, grabbed more rebounds, stolen more balls, blocked more shots, played more minutes, achieved more field goals, or scored more free throws than Patrick Ewing. Many people say, Knick fan or not, that Patrick Ewing was one of the most consistent players in NBA history. He would always have a good half and bad half, but during his good half he would always score his points and get his ~10 rebounds.

The number 33 was retired at MSG twelve years ago today and for this occasion I’d like to detail Ewing’s sneaker history. It all started in the early 80s, 81-85 specifically, which were Ewing’s Georgetown years. When he met former president Ronald Reagan in 1984 for a Sports Illustrated cover, he was wearing Nikes. Ewing helped make the Nike Terminator a classic.

After leaving Georgetown for New York, Ewing signed an endorsement deal with adidas. He rocked some of the adidas classics of the time including the Conductor and Attitude. The adidas promotional posters of the time featuring Ewing were also great.

Patrick Ewing adidas 1

Patrick Ewing adidas Poster

In 1991, Patrick Ewing left adidas to create his own brand, Ewing Athletics. Next Sports was behind the licensing deal and they produced shoes under the Ewing Athletics name until 1996. At the time, Ewing creating his own brand was huge news, something lost to history when looking back from today. Their last shoe, the Ewing Empire, was what Ewing wore in the 1996 All-Star Game and the 95-96 season. While the retail version was a mid, the version Ewing wore was a high custom made for him (EwingAthletics.com). The shoe was a great send off for the brand; it featured zigzagging everywhere, from the stitching on the tongue to the bright orange zigzag on the upper to overlay panels at the top of the ankle.

The brand eventually went under due to internal struggles and afterwards Ewing wore various Nike models like the Air Total Max II and the Air Big Flyer Force. However, in a little over five years, Ewing Athletics produced many phenomenal silhouettes that could not and can not be confused with shoes from any other footwear brand. The brand’s resurgence has made many Ewing fans very happy. It would be awesome to see some of the crazier models like the Eclipse Hi (USA), Extreme Hi, and Wrap Hi return. One thing I miss from Ewing Athletics is the naming; today, brands don’t name sneakers the way they did back then. Models like the Orion, Rogue, Anode, Kross, these are bold names. Tell that to generics like the Kobe 9, LeBron XII, etc..

 

patrick-ewing-brand-shoes

 

Below is almost every model Ewing Athletics produced. One thing to note when looking at the originals is how incredibly tall and straight the backs of the shoes were; no basketball high top produced today is that straight. Check out the absolutely gorgeous leather on some of these silhouettes. Take a look at this feature on an awesome Ewing collector Dave Goldberg. Which Ewing model would you like to see return? Let me know in the comments below.

 

Ewing Rebound Hi
Ewing Rebound Hi: The very first Ewing Athletics shoe in 1989 that saw very limited distribution, this was actually a pre existing model that just had the Ewing logo added on, Patrick wore this shoe for most of the 1989 season.
Ewing 33 Hi
Ewing 33 Hi: The flagship Ewing Athletics shoe, it came in a myriad of colorways. Features classic reversible ankle strap that can be worn on the front or back of the shoe. Worn by Patrick in the 1990 season and seen in many early 90s movies, videos and album covers.
Ewing Guard Mid
Ewing Guard Mid: A mid cut based on the 33 Hi silhouette, it was released in 1991 and featured the same sole and midsole, but no ankle strap and a lower cut.
Ewing Center Hi
Ewing Center Hi: Worn by Patrick in the 1991 season as the followup to the 33 Hi, it came in several colorways and featured an extra padded tongue.
Ewing Extreme Hi
Ewing Extreme Hi: A high cut performance shoe that debuted in 1992, this was the only Ewing shoe ever to have a clear sole and came in only a few colorways.
Ewing Concept
Ewing Concept: Worn by Patrick in the 1992 season, it featured a unique forefoot strap that went around the entire shoe. Came in numerous colorways.
Ewing Orion Low
Ewing Orion Low: A very popular base model from 1993 that featured a gumsole with cupsole construction. A mid version also released that had a rear ankle strap. Both Lo and Mid came in many colorways.
Ewing Key Mid
Ewing Key Mid: A 1993 mid range shoe that featured an ankle strap with a suede upper.
Ewing Kross Mid
Ewing Kross Mid: A mid cut cross trainer, it was released in 1993 and featured an ankle strap and lateral support system.
Ewing Eclipse Hi
Ewing Eclipse Hi: A lightweight performance shoe, this model was worn by Patrick during the 1992 Summer Games where the US team would win the Gold Medal. This model came in several colorways, but the most famous is the White/Navy/Red which came with a special box and faux gold medal with a #6 on it.
Ewing Eclipse Hi USA
Ewing Eclipse Hi (USA)
Ewing Sport Lyte
Ewing Sport Lyte: A lightweight cross trainer from 1993, this shoe featured breathable mesh inserts and a lateral support system.
Ewing Focus
Ewing Focus: Perhaps the second most popular Ewing shoe in the line after the 33 Hi, Patrick wore this shoe in the 1993 season and at the time of release it was the most technologically advanced shoe the company had released. Featured a textured, lightweight midsole, neoprene inserts and an embedded ankle strap and came in several bright colorways.
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