Just a few days after the passing of basketball icon Willis Reed, one of the world's foremost writers on New York Knicks basketball joins Ariel Helwani to look back on the legendary career of Reed: a Hall of Famer, MVP, 7x All-Star, and 2x NBA champion.

On today's episode, Ariel and Araton reflect on the life and career of a basketball pioneer by discussing the following:

Why "The Captain" is remembered so vividly and viscerally for his lasting impact on the game

How Reed used to take younger players under his wing

Comparing the 1970 Knicks championship team to the 1973 squad

How a story Araton wrote contributed to the Knicks firing Reed as a head coach

Some of Araton's favorite stories from throughout the time he covered Reed and the Knicks

Araton's final interactions with Reed

And unfortunately, what it was like to write the obituary for a man Araton considered to be not just an athlete he covered ... but also a friend.

Harvey Araton is a former sports columnist and reporter for The New York Times, where he spent 25 of 40 illustrious years in the sportswriting business. He remains a contributor for the paper. He's also the author of nine books, including The Garden of Eden, the 2011 bestseller which ESPN later turned into a 30 for 30 film.