© Manny Rubio-USA TODAY Sports
USATSI_5067680-1
(New York, NY) – Knicks legend Willis Reed has passed away at the age of 80. Perhaps best known to NBA fans for playing while injured during the 1970 NBA Finals, Reed helped lead the Knicks to championships that year, and later in 1973. Both times he was named NBA Finals MVP.
A seven-time NBA All-Star, Reed was named MVP of the league in 1970. He eventually became head coach of the Knicks, as well as the New Jersey Nets, and Creighton University. In 1976, two years after he retired from the NBA, Reed’s #19 jersey was retired by the Knicks and now hangs from the MSG rafters.
