Hall of Fame basketball player and Georgetown University coach Patrick Ewing revealed Friday night that he was hospitalized after testing positive for coronavirus.
"I have tested positive for COVID-19," Ewing said in a statement. "This virus is serious and should not be taken lightly. I want to encourage everyone to stay safe and take care of yourselves and your loved ones."
Ewing, 57, just completed his third season as head basketball coach at his alma mater. No other members of that team or staff have tested positive, Georgetown said.
The coach has been isolated at a local hospital, according to the school.
"Praying for my friend and his family," former U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr. said in a statement Friday night.
Ewing, a 7-foot center, played 17 seasons in the NBA, 15 for the New York Knicks. He was an 11-time NBA All-Star.
No Knicks player has ever scored more points, grabbed more rebounds or blocked more shots than Ewing.
"Get well soon, Big Fella. Stay strong," the team tweeted.
Ewing was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.
"I went to war with you for ten years," longtime Knicks teammate Charles Oakley tweeted. "I won’t leave you on the battlefield now. Get well Patrick. More fights ahead."
