New York Knicks legend and two-time NBA champion Willis Reed has died at the age of 80.
Hall of Famer played his entire career with the Knicks.

Seven-time NBA All-Star, two-time champion and Basketball Hall of Famer Willis Reed died Tuesday at the age of 80, the National Basketball Retired Players Association announced Tuesday.
A second-round pick out of Grambling State University in 1964, Reed spent his entire 10-year NBA career playing for the New York Knicks.
He was the NBA’s most valuable player in the 1969-70 season, winning Finals MVP in both of the 1970s’ New York championships (1970 and 1973).
Reed is best known for his performance in Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals.
Reed suffered a torn hamstring early in the series and missed Game 6 as a result.
He was widely expected to miss Game 7 as well, but surprisingly managed to start the game and score New York’s first two goals.

Those were the only points he scored in the game, but he stayed on the court for a total of 27 minutes and, perhaps more importantly, excited the Madison Square Garden crowd enough to help the Knicks win the league title.
He helped win the championship.
Lakers.

After the news of Reed’s death was confirmed, the Knicks released the following statement: “The Knicks organization is deeply saddened to announce the passing of our beloved captain Willis Reed.
We are grieving.
We are grieving, but we will always strive to maintain our standards,” he said.
I left ethics behind.
His legacy will live on forever.
A player who dropped out of a historically black college despite facing competition from the likes of Knicks legends Earl Monroe and Charles Oakley.
1973-74 Although injuries ended Reed’s career after his season, he played several positions in and out of professional basketball.
He coached the Knicks for 96 games in the late 1970s and then spent four years at Creighton University.
He eventually worked as an assistant with St.
John’s and the Hawks and Kings.
He returned to the New York area as a coach when he took over the New Jersey Nets in 1988, but lasted only 110 games with a 33-77 record.
He resigned from that position to become the team’s general manager and vice president of basketball operations, a position he held until 1996.
His last basketball position was with the New Orleans Hornets until he retired in 2007.
“Willis Reed was the ultimate team player and absolute leader,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement.
“My earliest memories of NBA basketball are watching Willis embody the winning spirit that characterized the New York Knicks championship teams of the early 1970s.
His emotional comeback in Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals remains one of the most iconic moments in all of sports.
He was the league’s MVP and two-time NBA Finals MVP.
Willis, a member of the NBA’s 50th and 75th anniversary teams, was an excellent player who took great pride in his consistency.
Throughout his playing career, Willis was a coach, team manager, and a member of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team.

As an alumnus of a prestigious HBCU, he mentored the next generation.
Our deepest sympathies go out to Willis’ wife Gail, his family, and his many friends and fans.
“