All-Time New York Knicks Team

The NBA's most valuable franchise has cashed in off the court, but championships have not come easy for the league's charter member.

All-Time New York Knicks Team

Founded in 1946, the New York Knickerbockers are a charter member of the NBA and have been one of the league’s preeminent franchises since its inception. Playing in "The World’s Most Famous Arena," Madison Square Garden, has helped with popularity, as many young basketball players from New York City and elsewhere have grown up wanting to be a Knick.

The franchise hasn’t lacked for star power from Willis Reed and Walt "Clyde" Frazier to Patrick Ewing and Carmelo Anthony. But the Knicks — which are worth $4 billion and the NBA's most valuable team — have lacked the success of other prominent New York sports teams such as the Yankees or Giants. The Knicks' all-time record is under .500, and they have just two championships in their 73-year history.

You can blame the ownership or the front office, but it’s hard to fault the players, who gave it their all. Here are the best 12 players to lace up the sneakers for the two-time NBA champion New York Knicks.

Walt Frazier — Point Guard

Experience: 13 seasons (1967-79)

Years with Knicks: 10 seasons (1967-77)

Career stats: 825 G, 18.9 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 6.1 APG

Knicks stats: 759 G, 19.3 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 6.3 APG

Championships: 2 (1970, 1973)

All-time Knicks team role: Starter

Bottom line: Walt Frazier was born and raised in Atlanta, but perhaps no player in Knicks history has defined the style and culture of New York City quite like "Clyde" Frazier. He was nicknamed "Mr. Cool" not just because of his elegance on the court but also because of the way he carried himself off it.

Frazier was the head of the snake for those 1970s Knicks teams and was a two-way force on the court. He made both the All-NBA team and the All-Defensive team for six straight seasons.

Frazier became a fashion icon during his playing days and embraced being a New Yorker like few others before or after him.

He still is a big part of the organization and is currently a color commentator for MSG Network.

Earl Monroe — Shooting Guard

Experience: 13 years (1967-80)

Years with Knicks: 9 years (1971-80)

Career stats: 926 G, 18.8 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 3.9 APG

Knicks stats: 598 G, 16.2 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 3.5 APG

Championships: 1 (1973)

All-time Knicks team role: Starter

Bottom line: The other half of perhaps the greatest backcourt in NBA history, Earl Monroe was acquired by the Knicks in 1971 and willingly moved to shooting guard in order to play alongside Clyde Frazier. In Monroe's first full season with the team, the Knicks won their second championship in four years as Monroe and Frazier bested the Laker's Hall of Fame backcourt of Jerry West and Gail Goodrich.

What a player’s peers think about him is often a sign of how much they respect that player and Monroe was adorned with nicknames from fellow players. From "Black Jesus" to "Earl The Pearl" to "Black Magic," Monroe was as respected as any player of his era, and he was the last of the Knicks' champions to retire, hanging it up in 1980.

Carmelo Anthony — Small Forward

Experience: 16 years (2003-present)

Years with Knicks: 7 years (2011-17)

Career stats: 1,064 G, 24.0 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 3.0 APG

Knicks stats: 412 G, 24.7 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 3.2 APG

Championships: 0

All-time Knicks team role: Starter

Bottom line:Bill Bradley had the rings and Bernard King had the highlights, but New York native Carmelo Anthony is the greatest small forward in Knicks history.

He may have forced his way onto the team and then forced his way off the team, but Melo is the second-best Knicks player of the last 40 years.

He made the All-Star game each of his seven seasons with the Knicks, and even though his game is flawed, he was masterful at the most important part of basketball, and that’s putting the ball through the hoop.

It’s hard to believe that Patrick Ewing is the only Knicks player since 1980 to have his jersey retired by the team, but Anthony should join him one day with his No. 7 hanging from the MSG rafters.

Harry Gallatin — Power Forward

Experience: 10 years (1948-58)

Years with Knicks: 9 years (1948-57)

Career stats: 682 G, 13.0 PPG, 11.9 RPG, 1.8 APG

Knicks stats: 610 G, 12.7 PPG, 12.1 RPG, 1.8 APG

Championships: 0

All-time Knicks team role: Starter

Bottom line: What Charles Oakley was for the Knicks in the 1990s, Harry Gallatin was for the team in the 1950s.

He was a tough, rugged player who played bigger than his size, and at 6 feet, 6 inches tall, he is tied for the shortest player in NBA history to lead the league in rebounds.

An NBA ironman, Gallatin didn’t miss a game for his last eight seasons with the Knicks and even served as the team’s head coach in the mid-1960s.

Patrick Ewing — Center

Experience: 17 years (1985-2002)

Years with Knicks: 15 years (1985-2000)

Career stats: 1,183 G, 21.0 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 1.9 APG

Knicks stats: 1,039 G, 22.8 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 2.0 APG

Championships: 0

All-time Knicks team role: Starter

Bottom line: You have to wonder if Patrick Ewing would be more appreciated if he played in a different era.

He didn’t have the dominance of Shaq, the grace of David Robinson or the skill of Hakeem Olajuwon, but he exemplified the Pat Riley/Jeff Van Gundy style of play. You could say that those coaches' schemes prevented Ewing from reaching his full potential, but it’s hard to top being one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history and a Hall of Famer.

Besides being the all-time starting center for the Knicks, he also may be the best big man on the list of "Best Players to Never Win an NBA Championship." His Knicks teams were good but never great. Seven times during Ewing’s career, the team that he lost to in the playoffs went on to win the NBA championship that season.

Willis Reed — Center

Experience: 10 years, all with Knicks (1964-74)

Career stats: 650 G, 18.7 PPG, 12.9 RPG, 1.8 APG

Championships: 2 (1970. 1973)

All-time Knicks team role: Reserve

Bottom line: Willis Reed is the only MVP in Knicks history, as well as the only Finals MVP (two times) in team history, but his career just wasn’t long enough to bump Patrick Ewing out of the starting center spot.

Willis played in just 650 games in his career, which is less than eight full seasons, as recurring injuries forced Reed to retire at 31. But Reed was the fulcrum for the Knicks while on the court and provided one of the most iconic calls in sports history.

In Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals, Reed limped out of the locker room and onto the court after a torn muscle knocked him out of the previous game. Broadcaster Marv Albert famously said, "Here comes Willis!" as the MSG crowd went wild.

Reed scored just four points in the game, but his presence was all the Knicks needed to topple the Lakers for their first championship in franchise history.

Carl Braun — Combo Guard

Experience: 13 years (1947-50, 1952-62)

Years with Knicks: 12 years (1947-50, 1952-60)

Career stats: 788 G, 13.5 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 3.7 APG

Knicks stats: 740 G, 14.1 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 3.8 APG

Championships: 1 (1962)

All-time Knicks team role: Reserve

Bottom line: The first great Knicks player, Carl Braun was an NYC native who joined his hometown team in the NBA’s second season in 1947-48.

He played three seasons with the team before serving a two-year military commitment from 1950 to 1952. When he rejoined the team, he went to five straight All-Star teams and did it from both positions in the backcourt.

Much to the chagrin of Knicks fans, Braun spent 12 seasons with the team without ever winning a ring. However, he joined the Celtics during his final NBA season and won a championship before calling it a career.

Charles Oakley — Power Forward

Experience: 19 years (1985-2003)

Years with Knicks: 10 years (1988-98)

Career stats: 1,282 G, 9.7 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 2.5 APG

Knicks stats: 727 G, 10.4 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 2.3 APG

Championships: 0

All-time Knicks team role: Reserve

Bottom line: Charles Oakley made just one All-Star team in his career, but he is in the NBA Enforcer Hall of Fame.

Oakley was renowned for his toughness, which started when he was called on to protect a young Michael Jordan in Chicago, and then continued as part of a formidable front line alongside Ewing and Anthony Mason in New York.

Even though Oakley's style of play likely would be outlawed in today’s NBA, a mythical team such as this one could use someone like Oakley for sheer intimidation alone.

Allan Houston — Shooting Guard

Experience: 12 years (1993-2005)

Years with Knicks: 9 years (1996-2005)

Career stats: 839 G, 17.3 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 2.4 APG

Knicks stats: 602 G, 18.5 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 2.5 APG

Championships: 0

All-time Knicks team role: Reserve

Bottom line: Allan Houston was a nice player and good shooter, but even the most die-hard Knicks fan will tell you he was miscast as the best player on a team.

He never averaged even 20 points per game in a season before signing a $100 million contract in 2001, and he never played in a playoff game after signing the contract.

But he did provide Knicks fans with the memorable game-winner in the first round of the 1999 NBA playoffs against the Heat.

Houston’s shot with 0.8 seconds remaining eliminated former Knicks coach Pat Riley from the playoffs and helped the Knicks become the second No. 8 seed in NBA history to knock off a No. 1 seed.

Richie Guerin — Shooting Guard

Experience: 13 years (1956-67, 1968-70)

Years with Knicks: 8 years (1956-63)

Career stats: 848 G, 17.3 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 5.0 APG

Knicks stats: 518 G, 20.1 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 5.3 APG

Championships: 0

All-time Knicks team role: Reserve

Bottom line: Richie Guerin played long before the addition of the 3-point line, but he was one of the NBA’s original sharpshooters. He routinely finished among the league leaders in field-goal percentage despite being a guard and playing on the perimeter.

But Guerin was more than just a shooter and scorer. He was an all-around great player, and his 16 triple-doubles in a Knicks uniform are second only to Walt Frazier.

When Guerin retired in 1970, he was just one of four players in NBA history to average at least 17 points per game, 5 rebounds per game and 5 assists per game with the others being Oscar Robertson, Jerry West and Bob Cousy.

Dave DeBusschere — Power Forward

Experience: 12 years (1962-74)

Years with Knicks: 6 years (1968-74)

Career stats: 875 G, 16.1 PPG, 11.0 RPG, 2.9 APG

Knicks stats: 435 G, 16.1 PPG, 11.2 RPG, 2.6 APG

Championships: 2 (1970, 1973)

All-time Knicks team role: Reserve

Bottom line: You could say that Dave DeBusschere was the missing piece for the Knicks. In his first full season with the team after being acquired in a trade, the Knicks won their first championship.

The Knicks traded away Hall of Famer Walt Bellamy for DeBusschere’s services, and the swap ended up being one Hall of Famer for another.

Apart from DeBusschere’s tenure as a player, he also will always be revered for his work as a Knicks executive and winning the 1985 draft lottery, which enabled the team to draft Patrick Ewing first overall.

Bernard King — Small Forward

Experience: 14 years (1977-85, 1987-91, 1993)

Years with Knicks: 4 years (1982-85, 1987)

Career stats: 874 G, 22.5 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 3.3 APG

Knicks stats: 206 G, 26.5 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 2.8 APG

Championships: 0

All-time Knicks team role: Reserve

Bottom line: Bernard King played just 2.5 seasons worth of games for the Knicks, but those years were so legendary that he earned a spot on this list.

He scored 60 points on Christmas Day in 1984, which was a Knicks franchise record that stood for 30 years.

King also was the first Knick to lead the league in scoring and ranks second in franchise history in points per game.

King and Patrick Ewing were supposed to form an inside-outside tandem in the mid-1980s, but recurring injuries limited the pair to just six games played together.

Red Holzman — Head Coach

Experience: 18 years (1953-57, 1967-82)

Years with Knicks: 14 years (1967-82)

Career record: 696 wins, 603 losses, .536 winning percentage

Knicks record: 613 wins, 483 losses, .559 winning percentage

Championships: 2 (1970, 1973)

All-time Knicks team role: Head coach

Bottom line: If you’ve ever wondered how Phil Jackson became so successful in getting his teams to buy into the "team" concept, you can look no further than his former coach, Red Holzman.

Holzman molded a talented collection of individuals into a cohesive unit during the early 1970s and led the Knicks to their only two championships.

His second championship-winning team in 1973 featured seven future Hall of Famers — meaning seven outsized egos — and Holzman got them all to buy in and defeat the favored Lakers in the NBA Finals.

That's the definition of an all-time coach.