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The week in Knicks history: Willis Reed’s number gets retired

The 2019-20 season is nearly here and we’re arguing about things like which point guard will start over Frank Ntilikina and where Allonzo Trier is going to fit into the rotation, but before we begin this year’s journey let’s travel back 43 years, to the week Willis Reed became the first Knick to have his jersey retired.

The ceremony to send Reed’s number 19 to the Madison Square Garden rafters took place on Oct. 21, 1976, only two years after he’d retired at 32 years of age because of incessant injuries.