“You were always my favorite player.” Something that Patrick Ewing might have heard more than enough times. But to hear it from arguably the most dominant player ever must be a thing in itself. Yep, Shaquille O’Neal was a big-time Patrick Ewing fan. Big Pat’s impact, however, has not been lost on the modern-day NBA stars. One such confession came from a 23-year-old Detroit Pistons star.

After a thrilling 124-119 win over the Knicks, Isaiah Stewart let fans in on a heartfelt moment. “I love Patrick… He recruited me in high school… When he was at Georgetown… I have a past relationship with him,“ he shared during a post-game interview. Stewart’s admiration, however, goes even deeper.

He revealed, “Growing up, I wore 33 because of Patrick Ewing. So, you know, to see him, you know, sitting sideline… Being right there is just… You can’t explain it. It’s a great feeling.”The moment was even more special considering ‘Big Pat’ is one of the greatest players in Knicks history—a dominant force in the paint on both ends of the floor who solidified his place as one of the NBA’s legends, even without a championship to his name.

The Pistons star, however, isn’t the first to pay tribute to Ewing this way. Shaquille O’Neal also wore the iconic number 33, and his reasoning? Pure admiration for Ewing. As a young player, Shaq saw Ewing as the blueprint—a dominant big man who controlled the paint on both ends of the court. Shaq even admitted to modeling his game after him.

On an episode of The Big Podcast, Shaquille even shared a heartfelt confession: “Pat, I know me and you had some tough battles, but you were always my favorite player. I don’t think you know this, but I wore number 33 in high school and college because of you.”

But a Shaq story wouldn’t be complete without a classic O’Neal move!

The time when Shaquille O’Neal was ready to fight Patrick Ewing

By 2000, Ewing’s legendary career was winding down, while O’Neal was dominating the NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers. It was a classic clash of eras when the Lakers faced the Knicks, a team still strong enough to compete for a championship. The drama unfolded during a heated regular-season game.

It all started when Kobe Bryant and Knicks guard Chris Childs got into it, with Childs throwing a punch at Kobe. The scuffle quickly escalated into a full-blown brawl, pulling in players from both sides.

Now, imagine this: Shaq sees Patrick Ewing, one of his childhood idols, stepping in. What does he do? In Shaq Talks Back, he revealed, “Right after the altercation, I pushed Patrick Ewing. I wanted Ewing to come back. I was gonna mess Ewing up… Promise you I was.”

Can you picture it: Shaquille O’Neal standing there, ready to throw hands with Ewing? “If he stepped up, I was gonna give Ewing a two-piece. I was gonna knock Ewing out, hit him with a bip-bip-bip. For real. Just to take the attention off Kobe’s getting hit,” he added.

Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed, and the fight didn’t escalate. But Shaq had the last laugh anyway as his Lakers won three straight NBA titles from 2000 to 2002. Interestingly, despite the near-showdown, Shaquille O’Neal has always admired Ewing.

In 2013, he even got emotional talking about him, calling Ewing one of the greats. From Shaq to Isiah Stewart, it’s a reminder that Patrick Ewing’s impact has transcended the generational gap.