Patrick Ewing was not pleased that security didn’t recognize him at Madison Square Garden

“I thought this was my building.”

When it comes to the New York Knicks, there probably isn’t a more recognizable figure than Patrick Ewing. His 15 seasons in New York are basically all Knicks fans have to hold onto these days.

So, you’d probably expect the red carpet to get rolled out for Ewing whenever he returns to Madison Square Garden.

Not exactly.

Ewing — currently Georgetown’s head men’s basketball coach — was back at MSG on Thursday for the Hoyas’ upset win over top-seeded Villanova in the Big East Tournament. But it wasn’t all smiles for the Knicks legend after the game.

He was taken aback at how often he was “accosted” by security and asked to show his credentials throughout the arena. Patrick Ewing. In. The Garden.

Ewing said:

“But I do wanna say one thing, though: I thought this was my building. And I feel terrible that I’m getting stopped, accosted, asking for passes. Everybody in this building should know who the hell I am. I’m getting stopped. I can’t move around this building. I was like, ‘What the hell? Is this Madison Square Garden?’ I’m gonna have to call Mr. Dolan and say, ‘Jeez, is my number in the rafters or what?'”

While the people working security at MSG are just doing their jobs during a pandemic (and Ewing was likely wearing a mask), it’s still reasonable for Ewing to expect the arena staff to know that the Georgetown head coach is The Patrick Ewing.

With Georgetown heading to Friday’s semifinal, I’m sure those postgame comments will put an end to the unwanted encounters with security.

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