Patrick Ewing says Olympic gold medals, Georgetown title ring had been stolen

May 6 (UPI) -- NBA legend Patrick Ewing says someone once stole his two Olympic gold medals and Georgetown national championship ring.

Ewing said the items were taken during a 1999 break-in at his home in Englewood Cliffs, N.J. He spoke about the incident Tuesday on The Dan Patrick Show.

"My house got broken into in [New Jersey] and at one point they stole my medals," Ewing said. "So I called [former USA Basketball chairman] Jerry Colangelo, and he was great to be able to get me two replacement medals.

"He [Colangelo] took care of me. He's a great guy."

Ewing said he recovered his 1984 national title ring in 2003 after he found out someone tried to sell it on eBay. The Hoyas legend was also the 1984 Final Four Most Outstanding Player.

The Basketball Hall of Famer is now the men's basketball coach at Georgetown. Ewing won the gold medals with Team USA in 1984 and 1992. The 1992 squad -- or the "Dream Team" -- also included Michael Jordan and has been discussed on the ESPN documentary series The Last Dance.

Ewing was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1985 NBA Draft. His decorated NBA tenure included 11 All-Star selections and seven All-NBA nods. Ewing's New York Knicks never won an NBA championship.

The Knicks beat the Chicago Bulls in the post-season and advanced to the NBA Finals in 1994, but Jordan was retired that season. The Knicks went on to lose to Houston Rockets in the 1994 NBA Finals.

The Bulls were 4-0 in playoff series against Ewing's Knicks when Jordan was in the lineup. Jordan also beat Ewing in college when North Carolina beat Georgetown in the 1982 national championship.

Ewing said he hasn't watched much of The Last Dance, despite being interviewed for the documentary series.

"I had to live through that and all of the battles we had to go through," Ewing said. "Now y'all have a documentary and have to keep rubbing it in my face. I watched some of it. I watch a little, then I shut it off."