The Oklahoma City Thunder (and the Seattle Supersonics before them) have 51 jersey numbers worn by the players who have suited up for the franchise since its founding at the start of the 1967-68 season. To commemorate the players who wore those numbers, Thunder Wire is covering the entire history of jersey numbers and the players who sported them since the founding of the team.
And while those Supersonics jerseys may not remain part of the franchise history should a new team be established in Seattle as was the case with the return of the Charlotte Hornets, they are part of the Thunder’s history today.
For this article, we continue with the 33rd jersey number in the series, jersey No. 33, with 17 players in total having donned the jersey in the history of the franchise.
The eighth of those players did so in the Seattle SuperSonics era, big man alum Patrick Ewing. After ending his college career at Georgetown, the Hall of Fame big man was picked up with the first overall selection of the 1985 NBA draft by the New York Knicks.
The 11-time All-Star would play the first 15 seasons of his pro career with the Knicks, traded to Seattle in 2000. His stay with the team would span a single season, coming to an end when he signed with the Orlando Magic in 2001.
During his time suiting up for the Sonics, Ewing wore only jersey No. 33 and put up 9.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and as many blocks per game.
All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Thunder jersey history No. 33 – Patrick Ewing (2000-01)
