Patrick Ewing Explains How Michael Jordan’s Belief Set Him Apart

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Patrick Ewing Explains How Michael Jordan’s Belief Set Him Apart

Originally posted on AirJordanChronicles
By Nandjee Ranjan | Last updated Apr 22, 2026 5:34 PM ET

Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing dueled even before they became pros, but the latter didn’t think then that Jordan would one day be largely considered the greatest of all time.

Ewing saw Jordan during their battles in college. He was impressed with Jordan’s athleticism and skills, but never thought he was the best player.

“The thing that separated [Michael Jordan] from a lot of people… he had a belief in himself,” Ewing told Ryan Clark on The Pivot podcast. “He had a drive and also the athleticism. And I think all that separated him from anybody else.”

“The thing that separated {Michael Jordan} from a lot of people… he had a belief in himself”- Patrick Ewing

Patrick Ewing left high school as the number 1 player in the country, but it was a guard from Wilmington, North Carolina who would end up being widely considered the… pic.twitter.com/73GTVluX5m
— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) April 22, 2026

The former NBA legends’ career paths crossed in college before Jordan came to Chicago in 1984. In the 1982 NCAA Final, Jordan and North Carolina would defeat Ewing’s Georgetown for the title.

Back in 2007, in his interview with SLAM, Ewing revealed his early impression of Jordan.

“Back then, you thought he was good, but you didn’t think he was gonna be as great as he turned out,” he said.

Jordan and Ewing’s college fight continued in the NBA, where it only got worse over time. Jordan won 35 of the 43 regular-season games they played against each other, while Ewing only won 8.

The lopsided record underscored the Bulls’ era of dominance over their Eastern Conference rivals.

In the playoffs, the two legends faced off 27 times, and Jordan won 19 of those games, just like in the regular season. Jordan maintained a dominant 49-21 advantage across their 70 career meetings.

Yet despite the lopsided record, Ewing had a different take on whether the two were ever truly rivals.

Patrick Ewing denies rivalry with Michael Jordan

Although Jordan’s Bulls had a rivalry against the Knicks, Ewing denied having a rivalry with Jordan, who happens to be one of his closest friends.

“You talk about Jordan, he didn’t play in my position,” the Knicks legend said on Club 30 with Henrik Lundqvist.

The statistics reflect their distinct positional responsibilities. Jordan primarily played shooting guard, while Patrick Ewing was a dominant center.

Jordan averaged 32.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 2.4 steals, and 1.0 blocks in their head-to-head matchups.

Ewing, on the other hand, averaged 22.1 points, 10.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.9 steals, and 2.4 blocks. Each player was better in the areas that defined their position rather than directly competing against each other.

In 17 years in the NBA, Ewing averaged 21.0 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks in 1183 games. The Knicks legend was an 11-time All-Star and made 7x All-NBA Team selections.

Do you think Ewing and Jordan had a true rivalry? Comments down below!

This article first appeared on AirJordanChronicles and was syndicated with permission.

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