May 12, 2020 marks the 35th anniversary of the 1985 NBA Draft Lottery, which saw rejiggered odds vault the New York Knicks to the number one overall selection, later taking Georgetown center Patrick Ewing. However, on the anniversary of the controversial lottery, Ewing opened up about wanting the Golden State Warriors to win it and draft him first overall.
“We were all there watching and waiting,” Ewing said on SiriusXM NBA Radio, via Bleacher Report. “First I wanted to go to Golden State because Eric Floyd played there and he was a teammate of mine at Georgetown. And the next one was the Knicks. Once Golden State didn't win, I definitely wanted to go to the Knicks.”
Today marks the 35th anniversary of the Knicks winning the first ever Draft Lottery!
🔊 @CoachEwing33 remembers that night with @TheFrankIsola.
Hear the full interview tomorrow morning on The Starting Lineup! pic.twitter.com/9hhPuQA97r
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) May 12, 2020
The Warriors, who ended up selecting Hall of Fame forward Chris Mullin, fell five spots in the 1985 draft lottery and totally missed out on Patrick Ewing.
For his part, Ewing spent 15 years in New York, making the playoffs 13 straight years and reaching the NBA Finals twice in the 1990s — only to be stopped by the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs at the biggest stage.
Mullin, a college rival of Ewing's, ended up playing very well for Golden State. He joined forces with guards Tim Hardaway and Mitch Richmond to form the “Run-TMC” trio.
While Mullin never experienced the same success as Ewing and the Knicks during his Warriors tenure, frequently exiting the first or second round of the postseason, the former Red Storm star forward was a great addition to the organization. He averaged 20.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.7 steals per game in 13 seasons with the Golden State franchise.
Follow Us
Subscribe