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American basketball player (1942–2023)

Willis Reed Jr. (June 25, 1942 – March 21, 2023) was an American professional basketball player, coach, and general manager. He spent his entire ten year pro playing career (1964–1974) with the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Reed was a seven time NBA All Star and five time All NBA selection, including once on the first team in 1970, when he was named the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP). He was a two time NBA champion (1970, 1973) and was voted the NBA Finals MVP both times. In 1982, Reed was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He was named to both the NBA's 50th and 75th anniversary teams. After retiring as a player, Reed served as assistant and head coach with several teams for nearly a decade, then was promoted to general manager and vice president of basketball operations (1989–1996) for the New Jersey Nets. As senior vice president of basketball operations, he helped to lead them to the NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003.

Born on June 25, 1942, in Hico, Louisiana, Willis Reed Jr. was the only child of Willis Sr. and Inell Reed. His parents moved from his grandparents' farm to Bernice, Louisiana, where they worked to ensure Reed got an education in the segregated South. Reed attended Grambling State University, a historically black college. Playing for the Grambling State Tigers men's basketball team, Reed scored 2,280 career points, averaging 26.6 points per game and 21.3 rebounds per game during his senior year. He led the Tigers to one NAIA title and three Southwestern Athletic Conference championships.

The New York Knicks selected Reed with the first pick in the second round of the 1964 NBA draft. while also being named to the NBA All Rookie First Team. For a few years, the Knicks struggled while adding valuable players through trades and drafts. Midway through the 1967–68 season, Dick McGuire was replaced as coach with Red Holzman. The Knicks had accumulated a 15–22 record under McGuire but then in the part of the season that Holzman led them achieved a 28–17 record, for a 43–39 season, its first winning record since the 1958–59 season. Reed continued to be selected annually for the NBA All Star Game. By that time he was playing as a power forward to open up the center position for Walt Bellamy. Reed averaged 11.6 rebounds in 1965–66 and 14.6 in 1966–67, both ranked top 10 best in the league. He averaged 20.9 points in the latter season. In 1968–69, the Knicks had traded Bellamy and Howard Komives to the Detroit Pistons for Dave DeBusschere, allowing the Knicks to move Reed back to center. Due to a severe thigh injury, a torn muscle that had previously kept him out of game six, he was considered unlikely to play in game seven. However Reed surprised the fans by walking onto the court during warmups, prompting widespread applause. Starting the game, he scored the Knicks' first two field goals on his first two shot attempts, his only points of the game. The Knicks slipped to a 52–30 record in the 1970–71 season; despite this, the Knicks took first place in the Atlantic Division. In the middle of the season against the Cincinnati Royals, Reed tied Harry Gallatin's all time team record of 33 rebounds. He started again in that season's All Star Game. His season average was 20.9 points and 13.7 rebounds per game, but the Knicks were knocked out by the Baltimore Bullets in the Eastern Conference Finals. After a two week hiatus, he returned to the court, only to have the injured knee prevent him from playing shortly thereafter; in total, he played 11 games for the season. Without Reed, the Knicks still managed to make the NBA Finals, but were defeated in five games by the Los Angeles Lakers. The 1972–73 Knicks' season concluded with a 57–25 record, and they proceeded to win another NBA championship. Averaging only 11.0 points in 69 regular season games, Reed's contribution was a far cry from his record two seasons prior. In the playoffs, the Knicks defeated the Bullets and upset the Boston Celtics, and again faced the Lakers in the NBA Finals. After losing the first game, the Knicks won four straight, securing their second NBA championship with a 102–93 victory in game five, as Reed scored 18 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, and recorded seven assists in the deciding victory. After the win, Reed was named NBA Finals MVP. Reed's career was cut short by injuries, and he retired after the 1973–74 season. For his career Reed averaged 18.7 points and 12.9 rebounds per game, playing 650 games. He played in seven All Star Games.

Reed spent several years coaching before moving into general management.

He coached the Knicks in 1977–1978, and left the team 14 games into the following season (49–47 record).

He was the head coach at Creighton University from 1981 to 1985 and volunteer assistant coach for St. John's University.

Reed served as an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks from 1985 to 1987.

Reed served as an assistant coach for the Sacramento Kings from 1987 to 1988.

Reed debuted as head coach of the New Jersey Nets on March 1, 1988, one week after the Nets' star forward (and Reed's cousin) Orlando Woolridge was suspended by the league and was to undergo drug rehabilitation. He compiled a 33–77 record with the Nets.

In 1989, he stepped down as coach and became the Nets' vice president of basketball and business development. He was given the responsibility for personnel in 1993, receiving a three year contract extension and gaining general manager duties. During that time, he drafted Kenny Anderson and Derrick Coleman, He retired in 2007.

Rap songs have mentioned Reed, recognizing his impressive athleticism and skill. Examples include Kurtis Blow's 1984 hit "Basketball" on his Ego Trip album, and the Beastie Boys' "Long Burn The Fire" on their 2011 album Hot Sauce Committee Part Two. Reed's name has become synonymous with playing through injury, as Cris Collinsworth described an injured Aaron Rodgers as having a "Willis Reed kind of night" on the NBC Sunday Night Football broadcast on September 9, 2018.

Reed and his first wife, Geraldine Oliver, married when both were still attending Grambling State University. They had two children, Karl Vance and Veronica Marie, and the marriage ended in divorce. Reed died from heart failure in Houston, Texas, on March 21, 2023, at age 80.