Walt Frazier

• 1. Segregated Courts And College Choice

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  Walter Frazier Jr. was born on the 29th of March 1945, in Atlanta, Georgia. He grew up as the eldest of nine children attending David Tobias Howard High School during a time when facilities were strictly divided by race. The basketball court he learned to play on was rutted and made of dirt, the only option available at his all-black school in the racially segregated South of the 1950s. Before focusing on hoops, he quarterbacked the football team and played catcher for the baseball squad. Although scouts offered him scholarships based on his football abilities, Frazier chose Southern Illinois University instead. He explained that there were no black quarterbacks, so he decided to play basketball. This decision launched a collegiate career that would see him named a Division II All-American in both 1964 and 1965.

• 2. The Fedora And First Sneaker Line

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  Frazier picked up the nickname Clyde during his rookie season with the New York Knicks because he wore a fedora similar to that worn by Warren Beatty in the 1967 film Bonnie and Clyde. His distinctive fashion sense made him one of the first major professional athletes to be acclaimed as a style icon. In 1973, Puma released the first shoe bearing his name, marking a historic shift in sports marketing. Until that moment, the Converse Chuck Taylor, which had launched in 1917, remained the only basketball sneaker featuring a player's name. Frazier became the first modern NBA star to have his own line of sneakers, with promotional material referencing his signature colorful style. Decades later, the website Clyde So Fly catalogs and grades every suit he wears while broadcasting games on the MSG Network.

• 3. Game Seven And The Championship Run

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  On the 30th of October 1969, Frazier recorded 43 points along with nine rebounds and five assists in a 123, 110 win over the Houston Rockets. This performance set the stage for his legendary role in leading New York to its franchise's first championship in 1970. Star teammate Willis Reed suffered a painful leg injury in game five of the Finals series, leaving the Knicks' chances slim without him. Reed returned to play the first two minutes of game seven before limping off after scoring the team's first four points. With Reed out, Frazier posted one of the greatest performances in playoff history by tallying 36 points, seven rebounds, 19 assists, and six steals. ESPN later referred to this contest as one of the best game sevens ever played. He led the Knicks to a second title in 1973, where his defense on Jerry West played a major role in defeating the star-filled Lakers team.

• 4. The Rolls-Royce Backcourt Dynamic

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  Following the 1970, 71 season, the Knicks traded for Earl Monroe, who was always difficult for Frazier to guard himself. Many observers doubted that their playing styles would mesh together effectively. Instead, Monroe and Frazier soon became one of the best backcourts in the league, earning the nickname the Rolls-Royce backcourt. Their partnership revitalized the Knicks' offense during the early 1970s despite falling to the Baltimore Bullets in the playoffs that year. The duo helped New York return to the NBA Finals in 1972, though they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers who completed a record-setting season with an NBA championship. This era marked a peak period of synergy between two distinct talents who learned to complement rather than compete against each other.

• 5. Siberia And The Final Whistle

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  Frazier was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers after the 1976, 77 season for the younger Jim Cleamons. He later commented that the move felt like getting traded to Siberia. Repeated foot injuries limited his play to only 66 games over three seasons with the Cavaliers. He retired midway through the 1979, 80 season when he played just three games and averaged career-lows of 3.3 points and 2.7 assists before being waived. Despite these struggles, he held Knicks franchise records for most games at 759 and minutes played totaling 28,995. His assist record of 4,791 still stands today even as Patrick Ewing broke most of the other team records.

• 6. Broadcasting Rhymes And Hall Of Fame

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  Upon retiring from basketball, Frazier transitioned into broadcasting where he serves as a color commentator for telecasts of Knicks games on the MSG Network. His loquacious, rhyming commentary has become part and parcel of his public image. One of his phrases posting and toasting inspired the name of the popular Knicks blog postingandtoasting.com. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987 after winning two NBA championships. In 1996, he was honored as one of the league's greatest players by being named to the NBA 50th Anniversary Team. October 2021 saw him named again to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. In September 2022, Frazier received the Curt Gowdy Award, the Hall of Fame's annual tribute given to outstanding broadcasters and journalists.