I New York Knicks mourn the passing of Willis Reed, deceased at age 80 from heart complications.
Reed was the undisputed star of the only two titles in New York franchise history, which came in 1970 and 1973. On both occasions the Knicks center and captain also won the Finals MVP award. Historic was his performance in Game 7 of 1970 against the Lakers, when Reed took the court despite an injury to show his teammates the way: two baskets scored on one leg in the opener, then an extraordinary defense on Wilt Chamberlain to give his team the ring.
Our Captain. pic.twitter.com/2Bg1ro4y37
– NEW York Knicks (@nyknicks) March 21, 2023
He also won the regular season MVP title in 1970, then was called up seven times for the All Star Game and included in the NBA first quintet for five years. He is a member of the Springfield Hall of Fame and finished his career with a 19-point, 13-rebound average. He also had some unfortunate coaching experiences: for about a year on the bench of the same Knicks, for the same period (but a decade later) on the bench of Nets.
