It’s almost a natural progression in basketball that no matter how dominant or athletic a player may be during his peak years, age eventually slows everyone down. Their explosiveness declines, their flair becomes less overwhelming and younger defenders begin believing they can finally contain them.
That was exactly the perception surrounding Kareem Abdul-Jabbar during the final stretch of his career, especially considering he averaged just 14.0 points per game combined over his last three NBA seasons. Many stopped paying that much attention to the six-time MVP simply because he was past his All-NBA Team prime.
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And that was the same mistake Rick Pitino made during his tenure as the New York Knicks head coach. By choosing not to double-team Abdul-Jabbar, Pitino unintentionally left Patrick Ewing exposed to the wrath of an aging legend who still knew exactly how to dominate games with skill, IQ and efficiency.
“We’re getting ready to face the Lakers. Rick was like, ‘No, we’re not going to double Kareem,” Ewing recalled. “He’s getting older.’ I’m like, ‘Rick, he may be getting older, but he is still good.’ Kareem got heated and I don’t care what I did; I could push him to the three-point line. He was still rolling and then that skyhook. I said, ‘Rick, what did I tell you? We need to double-team him. He hit six consecutive skyhooks over me.”
An aging Kareem left his mark against Pat
Looking at the timeline, Pitino coached the Knicks during the 1987-88 and 1988-89 seasons, which also happened to be the last two years of Kareem’s iconic career. Yet, despite being close to the finish line, “Cap” made his presence felt against the Knicks.
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For instance, when the Lakers met the Knicks on January 22, 1988, Abdul-Jabbar outscored Ewing 24-21 while shooting 61.1 percent from the field.
Then, during the following year, when Big Pat had entered his All-NBA, All-Defensive team prime, Kareem still averaged 13.0 points over their two regular-season meetings.
That is perhaps why Ewing even admitted in the same interview that he is often left disappointed that Kareem doesn’t get the recognition his career warrants in GOAT conversations.
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Ewing knew he was no Kareem
Interestingly, when Pat Riley, who had coached Kareem in his prime, became the head coach of the Knicks in 1991, Ewing revealed that he wanted him to develop a skyhook similar to Kareem’s.
But Ewing made it clear that what Kareem possessed was something entirely unique and impossible to replicate. Thus, for Ewing, the skyhook looked effortless when Kareem executed it – in reality, it was one of the most difficult scoring weapons the NBA had ever seen, but it was not something he could execute as efficiently or add to his scoring arsenal.
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“I’m like, ‘Coach, that’s not my game. The Captain was special. That’s his thing.’ I’m a jump shooter,” Ewing made his point to Riley.
Perhaps had there been social media in that era, modern-day fans could have witnessed Kareem dominating young superstars like it was nothing.
Still, there are stories like these from NBA legends that remind us how great Abdul-Jabbar was, even when he was well past his prime.
Related: Better than Patrick Ewing? Jeff Teague crowns Jalen Brunson the greatest Knick of All Time
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on May 25, 2026, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.