Walt Frazier

Walter "Clyde" Frazier Jr. (born March 29, 1945) is an American former professional basketball player of the National Basketball Association (NBA). As their floor general and top perimeter defender, he led the New York Knicks to the franchise's only two championships (1970 and 1973), and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987. Upon his retirement from basketball, Frazier went into broadcasting; he is currently a color commentator for telecasts of Knicks games on the MSG Network. In 1996, Frazier was honored as one of the league's greatest players of all time by being named to the NBA 50th Anniversary Team.[1] In October 2021, Frazier was again honored as one of the league's greatest players of all time by being named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.[2]

Walt Frazier
Frazier in March 2020
Personal information
Born (1945-03-29) March 29, 1945
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High schoolDavid T. Howard (Atlanta, Georgia)
CollegeSouthern Illinois (1963–1967)
NBA draft1967: 1st round, 5th overall pick
Selected by the New York Knicks
Playing career1967–1979
PositionPoint guard
Number10, 11
Career history
1967–1977New York Knicks
1977–1979Cleveland Cavaliers
Career highlights and awards
Career statistics
Points15,581 (18.9 ppg)
Rebounds4,830 (5.9 rpg)
Assists5,040 (6.1 apg)
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com
Basketball Hall of Fame as player
College Basketball Hall of Fame
Inducted in 2006

High school and college

The eldest of nine children, Frazier attended Atlanta's David Tobias Howard High School. He quarterbacked the football team, and played catcher on the baseball team. He learned basketball on a rutted and dirt playground, the only facility available at his all-black school in the racially segregated South of the 1950s. Although he was offered other scholarships for his football skills, Frazier accepted a basketball offer from Southern Illinois University, saying that "there were no black quarterbacks, so I played basketball."[3]

Frazier hoists the 1967 NIT championship trophy with co-captain Ralph Johnson.

Frazier became one of the premier collegiate basketball players in the country. He was named a Division II All-American in 1964 and 1965. As a sophomore in 1965, Frazier led SIU to the NCAA Division II Tournament, only to lose in the finals to Jerry Sloan and the Evansville Purple Aces 85–82 in overtime. In 1966, he was academically ineligible for basketball.

SIU moved up from Division II to Division I in 1967, and Frazier and SIU won the National Invitation Tournament, defeating Marquette University 71–56 in the final, in the last college basketball game played at the old Madison Square Garden in New York. Frazier was named Most Valuable Player of the 1967 tournament.

Professional career

New York Knicks (1967–1977)

Frazier was drafted fifth overall by the New York Knicks, going on to average 9.0 points per game and be named to the NBA All-Rookie Team during the 1967–68 season. During his rookie season with the Knicks, he picked up the nickname "Clyde" because he wore a fedora similar to that worn by Warren Beatty in his portrayal of Clyde Barrow in the 1967 film Bonnie and Clyde.[4][5]

As a sophomore, Frazier's 17.5 points, 7.9 assists, and 6.2 rebounds per game averages made him one of the most improved players in the league.

Frazier with the ball while guarded by Lucius Allen in 1969

On October 30, 1969, Frazier recorded 43 points to go along with 9 rebounds and 5 assists in a 123–110 win over the Houston Rockets.[6] Frazier was chosen as an NBA All-Star during the 1969–70 season, the first of seven selections during his 10-year stint with the Knicks.

The Knicks made it to the 1970 NBA Finals thanks to the great play of both Frazier and star teammate Willis Reed. However, in game five, Reed suffered a painful leg injury. With Reed out, chances of the Knicks winning the championship were slim. However, Reed returned to the series, playing the first two minutes of game seven and scoring the Knicks' first four points before limping off. With Reed out, Frazier went on to post one of the greatest performances in NBA playoff history, tallying 36 points, seven rebounds, 19 assists, and six steals in leading New York to victory in what is referred to by ESPN as one of the best game sevens ever played.[7]

Frazier in 1977

The Knicks were unable to repeat as champions in 1971, falling to the Baltimore Bullets and their star shooting guard Earl Monroe in the second round of the playoffs despite Frazier's 20.4 points per game average during the second series.

During the off-season, in May 1971, Frazier scored 26 points and was named MVP of an exhibition game played between NBA and ABA All-Stars in Houston's Astrodome.[8]

Following the 1970–71 season, the Knicks traded for Monroe, who was always difficult for Frazier to guard. Not many people thought the two players’ styles would mesh, but Monroe and Frazier soon became one of the best backcourts in the league, even earning the nickname the "Rolls-Royce" backcourt.[9]

The Knicks returned to the NBA Finals in 1972, but fell to the Los Angeles Lakers, who completed a record-setting season with an NBA championship.

Frazier led the Knicks to a second NBA championship in 1973, topping the Lakers in a five-game series. His defense on Jerry West played a major role in defeating the star-filled team.

In 1976, Frazier was selected for his seventh and final NBA All-Star Game.

Frazier held Knicks franchise records for most games (759), minutes played (28,995), field goals attempted (11,669), field goals made (5,736), free throws attempted (4,017), free throws made (3,145), assists (4,791) and points (14,617). Patrick Ewing eventually broke most of those records, but Frazier's assists record still stands.

Cleveland Cavaliers (1977–1979)

Frazier was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers after the 1976–77 season for the younger Jim Cleamons. The trade left the NBA world stunned, as many people were furious that New York was willing to let go of arguably the greatest player in franchise history.

Frazier played only 66 games over the course of three seasons with the Cavaliers. He retired midway through the 1979–80 season, when he only played 3 games and averaged career-lows of 3.3 points and 2.7 assists before being waived.

Honors
  • Won 2 NBA championships (1970, 1973) with the New York Knicks.
  • 4x NBA All-NBA First Team (1970, 1972, 1974, 1975)
  • 2x NBA All-NBA Second Team (1971, 1973)
  • 7× NBA All-Star (1970–1976)
  • NBA All-Star Game MVP (1975)
  • Frazier's no. 10 jersey was retired by the New York Knicks on December 15, 1979.
  • Frazier's no. 52 retired by the Southern Illinois Salukis
  • Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987
  • Named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996.
  • In September 2012, Frazier was honored by the Ride of Fame and a double-decker tour bus in New York City was dedicated to him.[10]
  • Elected to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021.
  • In September 2022, Frazier was honored with the Curt Gowdy Award,[11] the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame's annual tribute given to outstanding broadcasters and journalists.

NBA career statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
 †  Won an NBA championship

Regular season
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1967–68 New York 74—21.5.451—.6554.24.1——9.0
1968–69 New York 80—36.9.505—.7466.27.9——17.5
1969–70† New York 77—39.5.518—.7486.08.2——20.9
1970–71 New York 80—43.2.494—.7796.86.7——21.7
1971–72 New York 77—40.6.512—.8086.75.8——23.2
1972–73† New York 78—40.8.490—.8177.35.9——21.1
1973–74 New York 80—41.7.472—.8386.76.92.0.220.5
1974–75 New York 78—41.1.483—.8286.06.12.4.221.5
1975–76 New York 59—41.1.485—.8236.85.91.8.219.1
1976–77 New York 76—35.4.489—.7713.95.31.7.117.4
1977–78 Cleveland 51—32.6.471—.8504.14.11.5.316.2
1978–79 Cleveland 12—23.3.443—.7781.72.71.1.210.8
1979–80 Cleveland 3—9.0.364.0001.0001.02.7.7.33.3
Career 825—37.5.490.000.7865.96.11.9.218.9
All-Star 7726.1.449—.8573.93.71.3.012.6

Playoffs
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1968 New York 4—29.8.364—.7785.56.3——9.5
1969 New York 10—41.5.503—.5967.49.1——21.2
1970† New York 19—43.9.478—.7647.88.2——16.0
1971 New York 12—41.8.529—.7335.84.5——22.6
1972 New York 16—44.0.536—.7367.06.1——24.3
1973† New York 17—45.0.514—.7777.36.2——21.9
1974 New York 12—40.9.502—.8987.94.01.8.322.5
1975 New York 3—41.3.630—.8136.77.03.7.023.7
Career 93—42.5.511—.7517.26.42.1.320.7

Style

Since the late 1960s, Frazier has been known for being a fashion icon, and was one of the first major pro athletes to be acclaimed as such. The website Clyde So Fly[12] catalogs and grades every suit he wears while broadcasting New York Knicks games on the MSG Network.[13]

Frazier has a line of Puma sneakers named after him.[14] The first Puma Clyde was released in 1973. Until that time, the Converse Chuck Taylor, launched in 1917, was the only basketball sneaker bearing a player's name. Frazier, then, is the first modern NBA star to have his own line of sneakers.[15] The promotional material references Frazier's "signature colorful style".[16]

Frazier's loquacious, rhyming broadcast commentary has become part and parcel of his image. His phrase "posting and toasting" — a description of player moving close to the basket and scoring over a rival — inspired the name of the popular Knicks blog, postingandtoasting.com.[17] And his phrase for playing tough defense, "tenacious D," provided the name for actor Jack Black's humorous musical duo Tenacious D.[18]

Personal life

Frazier lives in Harlem with his long-term girlfriend, Patricia James,[19] and they also have a home in St. Croix.[20] He is the father of a son referred to both as Walt Jr.[21] and, later, Walt III.[22] Frazier is a member of the fraternity Alpha Phi Alpha.

See also

References
  1. "NBA at 50: Top 50 Players | NBA.com". NBA.com.
  2. "NBA's 75 Anniversary Team Players | NBA.com". NBA.com.
  3. "Beginnings: Walt Frazier". msgnetworks.com. MSG Networks. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
  4. Bradley, Bill (1976). Life on the Run. New York: RosettaBooks. ISBN 9780795323263.
  5. "1967: Knicks draftee Walt Frazier earns his "Clyde" nickname for his "Bonnie and Clyde" style hat". New York Knicks. (NBA). September 7, 2016. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  6. "Houston Rockets 110 - New York Knicks 123". NBA.com/Stats. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  7. "1970 Willis Reed vs. Lakers tops Game 7's list". ESPN. May 7, 2010.
  8. "N.B.A. All‐Stars, Without Alcindor, Defeat A.B.A., 125‐120, at Astrodome", The New York Times, May 29, 1971
  9. "1971: Knicks Trade for Earl "The Pearl" Monroe to Form "Rolls-Royce" Backcourt". New York Knicks. September 11, 2016. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  10. Zwerling, Jared (September 19, 2012). "Kickin' it with a (former) Knick: Walt Frazier". ESPN. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
  11. "Knicks legend Walt 'Clyde' Frazier to get Hall of Fame honor as broadcaster". New York Post. September 9, 2022. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  12. "Clyde So Fly – Grading Walt "Clyde" Frazier's suits one game at a time". clydesofly.com. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
  13. "Personalities". msgnetworks.com. MSG Networks. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
  14. "Search → Clyde". pumacom. Puma. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
  15. Bowers, Brendan. "From Chuck Taylor to LeBron X: Year-by-Year Evolution of NBA Sneakers". Bleacher Report. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  16. "PUMA CLYDE | PUMA | uk.PUMA". Archived from the original on November 11, 2016.
  17. Seth (March 8, 2007). "Welcome to Posting and Toasting!". Posting and Toasting. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  18. Bryan, Steve. "Black tells origin of 'Tenacious D'". STLtoday.com. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  19. Frazier, Harvey (February 25, 2010). "Home and Garden – At Home With Walt Frazier – The Transition Game". The New York Times. p. D1. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
  20. "Walt Frazier Is Still Living the Penthouse Life". The Wall Street Journal. July 19, 2016. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
  21. Newman, Chuck (February 3, 1986). "Penn's Walt Frazier Jr. Has a Tough Dad to Follow". Philadelphia Inquirer. p. C01. Retrieved June 12, 2007.
  22. Hughes, C.J. (June 12, 2011). "Q & A with Walt Frazier III, Keller Williams broker and son of NBA great". therealdeal.com. The Real Deal – New York Real Estate News. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
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