Former Knicks player joins Wizards coaching staff

Patrick Ewing said he accepted an assistant coaching position with the Wizards after two seasons in a non-coaching role with the Knicks. The Hall of Famer stated the Knicks' coaching staff had no openings. He said he viewed the Wizards position as an opportunity to return to coaching.

Knicks tenure Ewing spent two seasons as a basketball ambassador for the Knicks. He said he appreciated the organization and its leadership during that time. He added that he learned from the Knicks' coaching staff while serving in the ambassador role.

Decision to join the Wizards "I take my hat off to the Knicks.

Both Leon [Rose] and World Wide Wes and Mr. [James] Dolan have done a great job in terms of what they've done in making all of us feel like we're all a part of everything that's going on," Ewing said. "But their [assistant] bench was already stacked.

So I think they have some great guys there. I enjoyed being around them, learning from them, picking their brains. So there was not an opportunity there for me.