Patrick Ewing recalls how Moses Malone gave him a rude welcome to the NBA

Patrick Ewing ended his career as one of the best big men to play in the NBA despite not winning a championship. Going up against plenty of other superstars prevented him from securing a ring. It wasn't for lack of trying, though, as the New York Knicks were a perennial contender with the legend at the helm. The competition just proved too tough.

Interestingly, he had a taste of what was to come for him in the NBA right from the get-go. In an appearance on the "Knuckleheads" podcast in 2020, Ewing shared his experience facing another legend, Moses Malone of the Philadelphia 76ers, in his very first game in the Association.

"I got my a-- busted by a lot of dudes, but the first one was Moses Malone," Pat said. "I can still remember that game. It was my first regular-season game, and we played against the Sixers. I looked up to Doc. I looked up to Moses my whole life in basketball."

"Big Mo" bringing the pain

According to Ewing, he actually had a good first possession against Malone. It all went downhill from there because the three-time MVP hounded him the entire evening.

"I remember the first shot, it came off the board, and I went over to Moses and dunked it. The rest of the game, Moses wore my but out; he kicked my a*s. He was all over me, so yeah, Moses was the first. He wasn't the last, but he was the first," the legendary big man added.

To be fair to Ewing, he performed well in his NBA debut, all things considered. He had 18 points, albeit on 8-21 shooting, six rebounds, three blocks, and two steals. Of course, those numbers weren't enough, especially since Malone notched 35 points and 13 rebounds. The "Chairman of the Boards" was also pretty aggressive on offense, as evidenced by his 18 free-throw attempts.

The star-studded Sixers went home with the dub, as the Knicks had few answers for a lineup headlined by Malone, Julius Erving, Charles Barkley, and Maurice Cheeks.