Patrick Ewing likely to join Washington Wizards as an assistant coach: Source

WASHINGTON — Former Georgetown Hoyas and New York Knicks great Patrick Ewing is likely to join the Washington Wizards as an assistant coach, a team source told The Athletic. The source spoke on condition of anonymity because a contract has not been finalized.

Ewing, 63, worked as the Hoyas’ head coach for six seasons (2017 to 2023), compiling a 75-109 record and making one NCAA Tournament appearance.

Ewing spent 15 seasons as an NBA assistant coach, beginning with the Wizards during the 2002-03 season. He later worked as an assistant coach with the Houston Rockets under Jeff Van Gundy and the Orlando Magic under Stan Van Gundy, and as the Charlotte Bobcats’ and Charlotte Hornets’ associate head coach under Steve Clifford.

It would be a natural assumption to perceive the Hall of Fame center as someone who specializes in coaching big men, and he did indeed work closely with Dwight Howard during their overlapping tenures with the Magic. But Ewing’s assistant-coaching responsibilities ran the gamut when he worked with the Van Gundys and Clifford and were not limited to working with the teams’ big men.

Ewing worked for years to receive a head-coaching opportunity before accepting the job as the Hoyas’ head coach.

The Wizards’ coaching staff is led by Brian Keefe, who in April completed his second full season as head coach after serving as the team’s interim coach during the second half of the 2023-24 season.

Ewing was a three-time consensus first-team All-American during his playing career at Georgetown, leading the Hoyas to three NCAA Tournament finals and one NCAA Tournament championship. The Knicks picked him No. 1 in 1985, and he made 11 All-Star teams, was a member of the 1992 Olympic Dream Team and was named to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team.

In 2024, the Knicks hired Ewing as a basketball ambassador.

Ewing’s discussions with the Wizards about joining the team’s coaching staff were reported first by SNY.