Patrick Ewing is likely to join the Washington Wizards as an assistant coach, a move that would send the 63-year-old back to an NBA bench after years away from it. The addition would give Brian Keefe a former Hall of Fame center with 15 seasons of assistant coaching experience.
Wizards in Patrick Ewing
A team source told The Athletic that Ewing is likely to join the Washington Wizards, and the source spoke on condition of anonymity because a contract has not been finalized. That leaves the move short of a finished deal, but it has already reached the point where his return to coaching is being discussed as the next step for the staff.
Ewing began his NBA assistant coaching career with the Wizards during the 2002-03 season, so this would bring him back to a familiar sideline. He later worked with the Houston Rockets under Jeff Van Gundy, with the Orlando Magic under Stan Van Gundy, and as associate head coach with the Charlotte Bobcats and Charlotte Hornets under Steve Clifford.
Brian Keefe and the Wizards
Keefe led the Wizards' coaching staff in April after completing his second full season as head coach, following his stint as interim coach during the second half of the 2023-24 season. Adding Ewing would put another veteran voice beside him at a time when the staff is still taking shape.
That possible pairing also brings together two different tracks of NBA experience: Keefe from the current Wizards bench and Ewing from a long run that stretched across several teams. Ewing spent 15 seasons as an NBA assistant coach, and his history in Washington gives the move an immediate fit.
Georgetown Hoyas and the Knicks
Ewing's coaching résumé also includes Georgetown, where he was head coach from 2017 to 2023. He finished 75-109 there, made one NCAA Tournament appearance, and then moved into a 2024 role with The Knicks as a basketball ambassador.
His playing career still carries weight in the background of this move. The Knicks picked Patrick Ewing No. 1 in 1985, he made 11 All-Star teams, won a spot on the 1992 Olympic Dream Team, and was named to the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team.
If the move closes, the Wizards are not just adding a familiar name. They are bringing in a coach who has already worked in their building and has spent years on NBA benches in front of different front offices, different systems, and different expectations.
