Spike Lee Weighs in on Patrick Ewing’s Madison Square Garden Debacle

New York Knicks legend Patrick  Ewing vented during a postgame interview that he was “accosted” by security at the arena Thursday while preparing to coach Georgetown in the Big East Tournament. Knicks superfan Spike Lee weighed in as he made an apparence on ESPN’s “First Take” to further the argument of disrespect against the Knicks legend.

“I’m not blaming this on [James] Dolan,” Lee said. “There has to be something just wrong at Madison Square Garden. Can any of you imagine Derek Jeter being stopped entering Yankee Stadium? Magic Johnson being stopped entering the Staples Center? Michael Jordan – the G.O.A.T. – being stopped entering the United Center? WTF!”

Spike Lee isn’t happy about the Patrick Ewing incident: “Can any of you imagine Derek Jeter being stopped entering Yankee Stadium?”

🎥 @FirstTake | @stephenasmith pic.twitter.com/PTeFQT2UOP

— Anthony Puccio (@APOOCH) March 12, 2021

Ewing’s name and number hangs in the rafters at MSG, and his 15-year run with the team ended after the 1999-2000 season.

“The indignity, the disrespect, even if I’m a young kid born after Patrick was with the Knicks’ glory years, he’s 7-foot-2!” Lee said. “And you tell me there is no one in the vicinity as Patrick is going through the metal detector to say, ‘Yo, you, that’s Patrick. Let him through.’ How does that happen? I don’t understand it. That’s not going to happen at Yankee Stadium. There has to be some common sense.”

You can watch the entire interview below:

The New York Knicks legend returns to Madison Square Garden to coach Georgetown against Seton Hall in the Big East semifinals at 6 p.m. Friday night. My guess is they’re going to roll out the red carpet for him.

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