Not many players coming out of college get a chance to play in the NBA, but even fewer get the chance to play most of their games on the biggest stage, Madison Square Garden.
Despite their recent lack of success, playing for the New York Knicks is second only to playing for the Los Angeles Lakers or Boston Celtics. It’s a big deal. While they don’t have the NBA Championships to match those other teams, they’ve had some great players come out of this organization.
Most of the names on this list are not only NBA legends but Hall of Famers. Although most aren’t NBA champions, they made a huge impact on the league. Here are the 10 best New York Knicks of all time.
10. Allan Houston, shooting guard
Allan Houston started his career with the Detroit Pistons but became a star with the Knicks. Houston played in NY for nearly 10 years and, during that time, he was a two-time All-Star who averaged 17 points and nearly three rebounds per game. Houston’s biggest contribution to the Knicks was in the 1999 NBA Finals where he averaged nearly 22 points versus the San Antonio Spurs in his only Finals appearance.
9. John Starks, shooting guard
John Starks is one of the most beloved players in Knicks history. Starks was an NBA All-Star, made the second-team All-NBA Defensive team, and won NBA Sixth Man of the Year in 1997. While Patrick Ewing was the star for those Knick teams, fans loved Stark’s grittiness and hard play on the court. Sometimes it got him in trouble, but that made him even more lovable to Knick fans.
8. Carmelo Anthony, small forward
Carmelo Anthony came to the Knicks as a star. The Syracuse Orange legend spent the first half of his NBA career with the Denver Nuggets but eventually came to the Knicks. Anthony was a 10-time All-Star, 2013 NBA scoring champ, and was part of the NBA’s 75th anniversary team. Anthony retired in 2023 having averaged 22 points per game, amounting to over 28,000 points in his career. He also has three Olympic gold medals.
7. Dave DeBusschere, power forward
Unless you are a true Knicks fan, you might have forgotten about Dave DeBusschere. DeBusschere was a defensive specialist for NY during their championship years. He was a two-time NBA champion, eight-time All-Star, and made the NBA All-Defensive team six times. He is also part of the NBA’s 50th and 75th-anniversary teams. During his time with the Knicks, he averaged 16 points and 11 rebounds per game. DeBusschere was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 1983.
6. Charles Oakley, power forward
Charles Oakley was the enforcer for the Knicks during his playing time. Oakley, who started his career with the Chicago Bulls, earned a reputation early on for being a tough player. He was named to the NBA’s All-Rookie team, named an NBA All-Star in 1994, and made the NBA’s All-Defensive team twice. Oakley was part of the Knicks team that played in the NBA Finals against the Houston Rockets. In that series, Oakley averaged a double-double with 11 points and almost 12 rebounds per game.
5. Earl Monroe, shooting guard
Earl “The Pearl” Monroe wasn’t interested in basketball when he was younger, preferring baseball and soccer. That changed and so did his career trajectory. He is not only part of the College Basketball Hall of Fame but also the Naismith Hall of Fame. For starters, he is an NBA champion, four-time All-Star, the NBA Rookie of the Year, and he is one of the few Knicks on this list to have his jersey retired. He is also part of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary team. Monroe ended his NBA career by scoring 17,454 total points with 3,594 assists on 46% shooting. He averaged 18.8 points, 3.9 assists and 3.0 rebounds.
4. Bernard King, small forward
In college, Bernard King was part of the “Ernie and Bernie Show.” But in New York, he was the whole show. King was with the Knicks between 1982 and 1987. While there, he became the first player since Rick Barry in 1967 to score 50 points or more in back-to-back games. The next year, he became only the 10th player in NBA history to put up 60 or more points. King retired with 19,655 points in 874 games, good for a 22.5 points per game average and number 16 on the all-time NBA scoring list at the time of his retirement.
3. Willis Reed, center
Willis Reed will always be a hero to Knicks fans because of his dramatic return to the 1970 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers, but there was so much more to the man than that one game. Reed is a two-time NBA champion, two-time NBA Finals MVP, 1970 NBA MVP, NBA Rookie of the Year, seven-time All-Star, and was part of the NBA’s 50th and 75th Anniversary teams. Reed ended his career averaging 18.7 points and 12.9 rebounds per game. He is also a gold medal winner and is part of both the College Basketball and Naismith Hall of Fame.
2. Patrick Ewing, center
Patrick Ewing brought the franchise back to life in the 1980s with his arrival from Georgetown. He brought the spark that this team needed and, for a while, the Knicks were the Beast of the East. Ewing led the Knicks to the NBA Finals twice during his tenure. He was also an 11-time All-Star, 1986 NBA Rookie of the Year, and was part of the NBA’s 50th and 75th Anniversary teams. Ewing is also part of the College Basketball Hall of Fame and Naismith Hall of Fame.
1. Walt Frazier, point guard
Perhaps the greatest Knick of all time was Walt Frazier. Frazier is a two-time NBA champion, seven-time NBA All-Star, All-Star MVP, made the NBA All-Defensive team seven times, and was part of the NBA’s 50th and 75th Anniversary teams. When Willis Reed got hurt in the Finals, it was Frazier who stepped up with 36 points, seven rebounds, 19 assists, and six steals, leading New York to victory in what many consider the greatest seven-game series of all time. For years, Frazier held the Knicks franchise record for most games (759), minutes played (28,995), field goals attempted (11,669), field goals made (5,736), free throws attempted (4,017), free throws made (3,145), assists (4,791) and points (14,617). Frazier is now an iconic Knicks broadcaster, adding to his legend.
