Knicks Legend and NBA Hall of Famer Willis Reed has died at the age of 80

“When you start as a 13-year-old kid playing on a dirt court in Bernice, LA, & you end up playing for the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on two championship teams, you have to consider it great.” — Willis Reed on being named to the Hall of Fame.

This afternoon, two-time NBA champion Knicks Legend and NBA Hall of Famer Willis Reed died at 80 from congestive heart failure. His death was announced by the National Basketball Retired Players Association, which confirmed it through his family. Willis Reed had been in poor health recently and could not travel to New York when the New York Knicks honored the 50th anniversary of their 1973 NBA championship team during their game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Feb. 25.

Nicknamed “The Captain,” Willis Reed was the undersized center and emotional leader on the Knicks’ two NBA championship teams. The highlight of his legendary career was when he dramatically emerged from the locker room minutes before Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals to spark the New York Knicks to their first championship and create one of the sport’s most enduring examples of playing through pain. It felt like a scene from a Hollywood movie and is often considered one of the greatest moments in NBA Finals history.

Willis Reed was the first NBA player to sweep the MVP awards for the regular season, All-Star Game, and NBA Finals during the 1969–70 NBA season. He was the 1965 NBA Rookie of the Year, a seven-time NBA All-Star (1965–1971), and №19 retired from the New York Knicks. In 1982, Reed was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. In 1996, he was voted among the “50 Greatest Players in NBA History.” In October 2021, Reed was again honored as one of the league’s greatest players by being named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver issued the following statement today regarding the passing of Willis Reed:

“Willis Reed was the ultimate team player and consummate leader. My earliest and fondest memories of NBA basketball are of watching Willis, who embodied the winning spirit that defined the New York Knicks’ two championship teams in the early 1970s. He played the game with remarkable passion and determination, and his inspiring comeback in Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals remains one of the most iconic moments in all of sports. As a league MVP, two-time NBA Finals MVP, and member of the NBA’s 50th and 75th Anniversary Teams, Willis was a decorated player who took great pride in his consistency. Following his playing career, Willis mentored the next generation as a coach, team executive, and proud HBCU alumnus. We send our deepest condolences to Willis’ wife, Gale, his family, and many friends and fans.”

RIP “The Captain!”