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.