Post by KotO on Mar 21, 2023 21:02:16 GMT
www.yahoo.com/sports/willis-reed-knicks-hall-of-famer-and-nba-legend-dies-at-80-191018872.html
Willis Reed, the two-time NBA Finals MVP with the New York Knicks, died at the age of 80. The news was first reported by longtime basketball columnist Peter Vecsey, who added that Reed "suffered from congestive heart problems."
A member of the NBA's 50th and 75th anniversary teams, Reed personified resilience in sports, famously playing Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals with a torn muscle in his right thigh. His effort in what is now known as the "Willis Reed Game" is often referenced whenever an athlete performs admirably through injury.
Reed was a 6-foot-10, 235-pound relentless and punishing center who played all 10 of his NBA seasons for the Knicks, anchoring the most successful era in franchise history and earning his nickname, The Captain.
New York selected the Louisiana native and Grambling State University star with the eighth overall pick in the 1964 NBA Draft. Reed made an immediate impact, playing all 80 games and averaging a double-double to earn Rookie of the Year honors and the first of his seven consecutive All-Star Game selections in 1965.
By 1967, the Knicks made their first playoff appearance in eight years, starting Reed at power forward alongside center Walt Bellamy. The December 1968 trade of Bellamy for power forward Dave DeBusschere returned Reed to his natural center position, and New York transformed into a perennial title contender.
The Knicks lost to Bill Russell's Boston Celtics in the 1969 Eastern Conference finals before breaking through to the 1970 NBA Finals. The series was tied 2-2 opposite Wilt Chamberlain's Los Angeles Lakers when Reed suffered his thigh injury eight minutes into Game 5. New York managed to take a 3-2 series lead before losing Game 6 without Reed in the lineup. Reed shocked Madison Square Garden, and even some of his own teammates, when he emerged from the tunnel to join pregame warmups.
“When Willis Reed came out on the court, I thought my ears were going to explode,” lifelong Knicks fan and Oscar-winning filmmaker Spike Lee told The New York Times in 2020. “Both teams were on the court doing their layup lines, and when Willis came out, the entire Los Angeles Laker team stopped and turned around.”
“I’ll never forget [Jerry] West, Chamberlain, [Elgin] Baylor, three of the greatest players of all time, they stopped doing what they were doing and just started staring at Willis,” Walt Frazier, who played with Reed for the first seven years of his Hall of Fame career, told The Athletic in 2021. “I said to myself, ‘Man, we’ve got these guys.’ That gave me so much confidence. They were so concerned Willis was going to play.”
Reedj, in fact, started and scored their first two field goals. They were his only points, but his 27 minutes inspired a 14-point win and the Knicks' first championship. He earned Finals MVP honors for his effort.
"It was the best example of inspiration by an individual in a sporting event I've ever seen," teammate Bill Bradley told The New York Times upon the game's 20th anniversary. "When I saw Willis finally come out, I got so pumped up, I thought: 'He's here. He's here. He's here.' And I thought, 'If he can fly, so can we.'"
Willis Reed, the two-time NBA Finals MVP with the New York Knicks, died at the age of 80. The news was first reported by longtime basketball columnist Peter Vecsey, who added that Reed "suffered from congestive heart problems."
A member of the NBA's 50th and 75th anniversary teams, Reed personified resilience in sports, famously playing Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals with a torn muscle in his right thigh. His effort in what is now known as the "Willis Reed Game" is often referenced whenever an athlete performs admirably through injury.
Reed was a 6-foot-10, 235-pound relentless and punishing center who played all 10 of his NBA seasons for the Knicks, anchoring the most successful era in franchise history and earning his nickname, The Captain.
New York selected the Louisiana native and Grambling State University star with the eighth overall pick in the 1964 NBA Draft. Reed made an immediate impact, playing all 80 games and averaging a double-double to earn Rookie of the Year honors and the first of his seven consecutive All-Star Game selections in 1965.
By 1967, the Knicks made their first playoff appearance in eight years, starting Reed at power forward alongside center Walt Bellamy. The December 1968 trade of Bellamy for power forward Dave DeBusschere returned Reed to his natural center position, and New York transformed into a perennial title contender.
The Knicks lost to Bill Russell's Boston Celtics in the 1969 Eastern Conference finals before breaking through to the 1970 NBA Finals. The series was tied 2-2 opposite Wilt Chamberlain's Los Angeles Lakers when Reed suffered his thigh injury eight minutes into Game 5. New York managed to take a 3-2 series lead before losing Game 6 without Reed in the lineup. Reed shocked Madison Square Garden, and even some of his own teammates, when he emerged from the tunnel to join pregame warmups.
“When Willis Reed came out on the court, I thought my ears were going to explode,” lifelong Knicks fan and Oscar-winning filmmaker Spike Lee told The New York Times in 2020. “Both teams were on the court doing their layup lines, and when Willis came out, the entire Los Angeles Laker team stopped and turned around.”
“I’ll never forget [Jerry] West, Chamberlain, [Elgin] Baylor, three of the greatest players of all time, they stopped doing what they were doing and just started staring at Willis,” Walt Frazier, who played with Reed for the first seven years of his Hall of Fame career, told The Athletic in 2021. “I said to myself, ‘Man, we’ve got these guys.’ That gave me so much confidence. They were so concerned Willis was going to play.”
Reedj, in fact, started and scored their first two field goals. They were his only points, but his 27 minutes inspired a 14-point win and the Knicks' first championship. He earned Finals MVP honors for his effort.
"It was the best example of inspiration by an individual in a sporting event I've ever seen," teammate Bill Bradley told The New York Times upon the game's 20th anniversary. "When I saw Willis finally come out, I got so pumped up, I thought: 'He's here. He's here. He's here.' And I thought, 'If he can fly, so can we.'"