2023 Curtain Call: Reed Passes, New York Lowers Its Flag

In March 2023 Willis Reed died in New York at age 80. The Knicks issued a long tribute, Madison Square Garden lowered its flag, and active and retired stars mourned the captain.

Reed's passing took with it a plain heroism. After him the league entered the era of superstars and stat lines; Reed represented another basketball—quiet, united, playing for the man behind you. The limping figure of 1970 became that era's gentlest and hardest footnote.

The Knicks wrote: "Willis Reed was not only the maker of our first title, but the very shape of this team's soul." That year his No. 19 was retired, hanging with Frazier and other legends under the rafters.

When we ask "what is a captain?" Reed's name should be first. With one hurt entrance, he defined a city's basketball character. The captain is immortal; New York remembers.

Related Reading

• From Player to Coach: Reed’s Post-Playing Life
• The Defensive Anchor: How Reed Built the Knicks’ Iron Interior
• 1973 Again: Reed’s Second Finals MVP
• Willis Reed: The Man Who Walked Out Hurt, and the Knicks’ First Crown
• To Willis Reed: Slowest to Walk, First to Arrive