NBA Wordle #96
Friday, October 9, 2026 · already played
The answer
Spoiler for the puzzle of Friday, October 9, 2026. Today's puzzle is not revealed anywhere on this page.
EWING
Patrick Ewing
C · 1985–2002
Patrick Ewing's career
Patrick Ewing played 17 seasons between 1985 and 2002, across 3 franchises — Knicks, Thunder and Magic. Over 1,183 regular-season games he averaged 21 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists, finishing with 24,815 career points. He was 11× All-Star, 7× All-NBA, Rookie of the Year and member of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.
He entered the league in the 1985 draft, taken first overall, with everything that expectation carries. That makes him a product of the 1980s, and his career totals should be read against the pace and rules of that period.
Across a unusually long career of 17 seasons he was a primary scoring option at 21 points per game. On the glass he was among the players a team could build a defence around.
- Games
- 1,183
- PPG
- 21
- RPG
- 9.8
- APG
- 1.9
- Points
- 24,815
- Rebounds
- 11,607
- Assists
- 2,215
- 3PM
- 19
Teams
- Knicks · 1986–2000
- Thunder · 2001
- Magic · 2002
Honours
11× All-Star · 7× All-NBA · 3× All-Defensive · Rookie of the Year · 2× Olympic gold · NBA 75th Anniversary Team
About the answer
The answer was EWING — 5 letters, made up of 5 distinct letters and beginning with E.
The optional hint offered that day read: “Played for NYK 1986–00, OKC 2001, ORL 2002”.
Why this was a fair answer
Answers are never obscure by design: the pool is every NBA All-Star who debuted in the 1969-70 season or later, plus current players carrying a real scoring role. Patrick Ewing qualifies on the first route, with 11 All-Star selections — a perennial selection rather than a one-off. He was later named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.
With 3 franchises on his record, the shared-team clue was a genuine filter rather than a giveaway. The debut arrow was the fastest way in: anyone opening with a modern player would have been sent back decades immediately. He never won a title, which quietly rules out a large share of the most-guessed names.
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