Patrick Ewing has been trying to get a head coaching job in the NBA for a while. He will finally get his chance at an audition on Friday.
Ewing will serve as acting head coach for the Charlotte Bobcats against the Knicks, the team announced. It will be his first game as a head coach at the NBA level after five years as an assistant.
Ewing is coaching in place of Steve Clifford, who experienced chest pains while eating dinner Thursday night and had to be admitted to the hospital, according to the Bobcats. In a statement, the team said Clifford had two stents placed in his heart on Friday morning and is resting comfortably at home.
Ewing, 51, played 17 seasons, 15 of them in New York. He averaged 22.8 points and 10.4 rebounds as a Knick and led New York to the 1994 NBA Finals. He did not coach last season after being asked by the Knicks to coach their D-League affiliate.
