Willis Reed, 1942- 2023

Last week saw the passing away of another NBA legend, a 6-9 undersized but ruggedly physical center facing opposition the likes of Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain.  He was a big factor in the New York Knicks’ only two league titles - 1970 and 1973, where he was named the Finals MVP in both title runs.

Unlike today’s league super divas, where at they flop and drop to the floor if they feel like it, Willis Reed was willing to play hurt, and that endeared him to Knickebocker faithful, especially during the 1970 championship series with the LA Lakers.

In the first quarter of Game 5 of that series, Reed had a severe thigh injury.  Without him, the Knicks won that game at Madison Square Garden.  In anticipation of a possible seventh game, he did not play in Game 6 at Los Angeles, which the Lakers won with Chamberlain scoring 45 points.

Back in New York for Game 7, in a game he was not supposed to play, he limped out of the locker room to loud cheers from the crowd of the packed MSG and joined the team doing warm-ups.  Playing injured, Reed only scored 4 points in 27 minutes but Walt Frazier took over and in the end, the Knicks got their first franchise title.

Born in Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, Reed was drafted by the Knicks in 1964 where he spent all 10 years of his playing career.  He was the 1965 ROY, a 7-time NBA All Star, 1970 league MVP, 1970 All-Star MVP and had career averages of 18.7 points and 12.9 rebounds. 

He was chosen by the NBA for its 50th and 75th anniversay teams.  His number 19 jersey was the first to be retired by the Knicks in 1976 and was enshriend into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982.  His playing days over, Reed was either coach or executive for the Knicks, New Jersey Nets and New Orleans Hornets.

A relentlessly physical force in the middle which we rarely see today, Reed fought almost the entire Laker team in October 1966.  He and Laker power forward Rudy LaRusso had been playing physical and later came to blows which somehow found themselves in front of the Lakers bench, that sprung to La Russo’s defense.

Reed decked 6-10 center Darrell Imhoff and fractured 6-9 rookie center John Block’s nose.  Police restored order on the court where both Reed and LaRusso were ejected from the game and fined, get this, $50 each.  The 6-8 LaRusso later admitted that Reed gave him “a couple of good ones.” 

After the brawl, Reed warned teammates never to restrain him if he got into fights because they could be floored if they tried.  He was upset that none of his teammates joined the melee.  Teammate Dick Barnett reportedly remarked, “Man, you were winning.”  Many years later when asked about it, Reed said it was “a good fight.”  The NBA was not too particular about fights those days that they were not suspended, merely fined.

For a legend simply known as The Captain, Reed succumbed to congestive heart issues.  He was 80.