Banner-era giants sit beside shot-blockers, post scorers and short Garden stays that still earned a spot; the middle of this list is where the arguments start.
1Patrick EwingFirst overall pick in 1985 who spent 15 seasons in New York and is the Knicks' career leader in points and rebounds.1000pts
2Eddy CurryPost scorer acquired from Chicago in 2005 who averaged 19.5 points for the Knicks in 2006-07.461pts
3Harry GallatinHall of Fame big man of the late 1940s and 1950s who led the NBA in rebounding in 1953-54.407pts
4Willis ReedKnicks captain who was the 1970 regular-season MVP and Finals MVP of both the 1970 and 1973 championships.407pts
5Marcus CambyShot-blocker acquired for Charles Oakley in 1998 who played a key role in the 1999 run to the Finals as an eighth seed.407pts
6Tyson ChandlerCenter who won the 2011-12 Defensive Player of the Year award in his first season with the Knicks.407pts
7Bill CartwrightThird overall pick in 1979 who made the All-Star team as a rookie and was traded to Chicago for Charles Oakley in 1988.344pts
8Jerry LucasBig man acquired from San Francisco in 1971 who backed up and played alongside Willis Reed on the 1973 champions.271pts
9Isaiah HartensteinCenter who signed with the Knicks in 2022 and started for the team in the 2024 playoffs before leaving for Oklahoma City.271pts
10Bob McAdooFormer scoring champion acquired from Buffalo in 1976 who made the All-Star team as a Knick in 1977 and 1978.271pts
11Karl-Anthony TownsBig man acquired from Minnesota in 2024 who made the All-Star team in his first Knicks season, which ended in the conference finals.185pts
12Mitchell RobinsonSecond-round pick in 2018 who set the NBA single-season field-goal percentage record at 74.2 percent in 2019-20.185pts
13Walt BellamyHall of Fame center acquired from Baltimore in 1965 and traded to Detroit in the 1968 deal that brought Dave DeBusschere.0pts
Photo credits
- Patrick Ewing — User:Seidenstud (Seidenstud on the English Wikipedia), CC BY-SA 3.0
- Eddy Curry — Arbor to SJ, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Marcus Camby — Megan H, CC BY 2.0
- Tyson Chandler — scott mecum, CC BY 2.0
- Bill Cartwright — COD Newsroom, CC BY 2.0
- Isaiah Hartenstein — All-Pro Reels, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Karl-Anthony Towns — Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0
- Mitchell Robinson — Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0
