Willis Reed, an NBA Hall of Famer who played his entire career with the Knicks, died Tuesday morning, the NBA Basketball Retired Players Association announced. He was 80 years old.
Reed was born in Louisiana and played college basketball at Grambling State, winning three NAIA championships in four years. The Knicks drafted him in the second round of the 1964 NBA draft, and he would instantly become a contributor.
In 1965, Reed won the NBA Rookie of the Year award and made the first of seven straight all-star game appearances, ultimately averaging a double-double in each of those seven seasons.