New York Knicks legend Willis Reed dead at 80

Willis Reed, who played for the New York Knicks and was widely regarded as one of the greatest NBA players of all time, has died. He was 80 years old.

Reed died on Tuesday morning after suffering from congestive heart problems over the past year or so, sports columnist Peter Vecsey said. He had recently gone through rehab to walk again.

Reed spent his entire professional playing career with the New York Knicks, from 1964 to 1974, and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982.

Reed was the first player to be named MVP, Finals MVP and All-Star Game MVP in the same season.

In 1996, Reed was voted as one of the “50 Greatest Players in NBA History.” And in 2021, he was chosen as one of the NBA 75, which honored the league’s greatest players of all time.

Aside from playing, Reed was also head coach and general manager for the New Jersey Nets.