{"id":49474,"date":"2026-02-27T13:13:47","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T18:13:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/?p=49474"},"modified":"2026-02-27T13:13:47","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T18:13:47","slug":"nba-legend-patrick-ewing-grateful-for-parents-move-to-u-s-that-made-his-success-possible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/2026\/02\/nba-legend-patrick-ewing-grateful-for-parents-move-to-u-s-that-made-his-success-possible.html","title":{"rendered":"NBA Legend Patrick Ewing Grateful For Parents\u2019 Move to U.S. That Made His Success Possible"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Fox 5 NY \/ YouTube | Inset: Seidenstud \/ commons.wikimedia.org<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For NBA legend Patrick Ewing, success has never been just about talent or trophies \u2014 it\u2019s about gratitude.<\/p>\n

Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Ewing moved to the United States as a young boy, a decision he credits as life-changing. Decades later, the Hall of Famer says he still thanks his parents for the sacrifice they made to give him opportunities he might never have had otherwise.<\/p>\n

Speaking at an event for KIPP Charter Schools in New York, Ewing encouraged students to recognize and seize the chances placed in front of them \u2014 no matter where they come from.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s great. I\u2019m from Jamaica\u2026 There\u2019s a lot of Black and Brown people who have moved here to this country and have done extremely well,\u201d he said. \u201cI thank my mom and dad every time I go to their grave for bringing me to this country and for me to be able to achieve the dreams that I was able to dream.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a message that resonates deeply with young people navigating their own paths. Ewing knows firsthand that the road to success isn\u2019t always smooth \u2014 and that belief often matters as much as ability.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose are the kinds of things I try to echo to these kids,\u201d he explained. \u201cNo matter where they\u2019re from, they may be immigrants, they may be American or born here, it\u2019s about the opportunity. When given an opportunity, you take advantage of it. When you have a passion for something, make sure you put the work in.\u201d<\/p>\n

That mindset helped carry Ewing from immigrant kid to basketball icon. After starring at Georgetown University, he was selected No. 1 overall in the 1985 NBA Draft by the New York Knicks. Over the next decade and a half, he became one of the franchise\u2019s most beloved players, earning 11 All-Star selections and cementing his legacy as one of the greatest centers in league history. He later finished his career with the Seattle SuperSonics and Orlando Magic, averaging 21 points and 9.8 rebounds across his Hall of Fame tenure.<\/p>\n

But for Ewing, the heart of his story isn\u2019t statistics \u2014 it\u2019s perseverance.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t let anybody tell you that you cannot do it,\u201d he said. \u201cOnce upon a time, somebody told me that I wasn\u2019t going to be able to do it and if I had listened to that person, I wouldn\u2019t have been what I became.\u201d<\/p>\n

Today, Ewing is passionate about passing that encouragement forward. Whether through youth programs or community events, he hopes young people \u2014 especially those from immigrant or under-resourced backgrounds \u2014 understand that their circumstances do not define their ceiling.<\/p>\n

His journey stands as a powerful reminder: sometimes the greatest gift parents can give isn\u2019t comfort or certainty, but opportunity. And when that opportunity is met with hard work and belief, it can change not only one life \u2014 but generations to come.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For NBA legend Patrick Ewing, success has never been just about talent or trophies \u2014 it\u2019s about gratitude. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Ewing moved to the United States as a young boy, a decision he credits as life-changing. Decades later, the Hall of Famer says he still thanks his parents for the sacrifice they made…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":462,"featured_media":49477,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49474","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-television"],"yoast_head":"\nNBA Legend Patrick Ewing Grateful For Parents\u2019 Move to U.S. That Made His Success Possible<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Patrick Ewing moved to the United States as a young boy, a decision he credits as life-changing.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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