WILLIS REED

New York Knicks Great Hall-Of-Famer, died at 80

Hall of Famer Willis Reed, the beloved former New York Knicks player who won two championships, has died at the age of 80.

“As we mourn, we will always strive to uphold the standards he left behind,” the Knicks said in a statement. “His is a legacy that will live forever.”

The seven-time All-Star spent his decade-long career with the Knicks, where he famously took the court in Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers despite suffering a leg injury earlier.

Reed became the first to earn regular-season MVP, Finals MVP and All-Star MVP honors in one season in 1970, before leading the Knicks to their second championship in 1973. Beloved by fans and known as "the Captain," he retired in 1974, having averaged 18.7 points and 12.9 rebounds per game, and was the first player for the Knicks to have his jersey retired by the team.

He returned to the Knicks to coach the team in the 1977-78 season. He later coached and was an executive with the Nets when they played their games in New Jersey and was an executive with the New Orleans Hornets from 2004-07. The first member of the Knicks to have his number retired, Reed was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982 and was named among the 50 Greatest Players in NBA history during the 1996-97 season.

Captain, you will be missed and remembered by many, Rest In Peace.

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