Happy 80th Birthday, Walt "Clyde" Frazier

Walt Frazier with the New York Knicks. Photo credit: George Kalinsky.

One of the most prolific point guards in NBA history who also doubles as the most identifiable figure in the history of New York Knick basketball celebrates a milestone birthday on Saturday, March 29 as Walt “Clyde” Frazier turns 80.

A man who first became known for his outstanding exploits on the basketball court and then his style and colorful way with words off of it, Frazier is one of the greatest point guards in the history of the NBA. 

A native of Atlanta, Ga., Frazier attended Southern Illinois University where he starred as a Division II All-American in 1964 and 1965. The Salukis made the 1965 Division II National Championship, losing to the University of Evansville 85-82 in overtime, and again made the Final in 1966, losing 54-51 to Kentucky Wesleyan College. In his 50 game college career, Frazier averaged 17.7 points and 10.5 rebounds on 47% shooting.   

Frazier was the fifth overall pick in the 1967 Draft by the Knicks, three selections behind his fellow Hall-of-Famer and future Knick teammate Earl Monroe, and four selections ahead of another Hall-of-Famer, forward Mel Daniels. The draft also included Hall-of-Fame head coaches Pat Riley (7th) and Phil Jackson (17th). 

Coming to a Knick team that had won 36 games the previous season, Frazier played sparingly as a rookie under head coaches Dick McGuire and Red Holzman (after 38 games, Holzman replaced McGuire and guided the Knicks to a 28-16 record for the remainder of the season). Holzman did not believe in playing rookies, as the star guard who took over after Frazier, Michael Ray Richardson, also found out by starting just five games in his rookie season. Frazier started 15 games, and played 21.5 minutes per game on his way to averages of 9.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 4.1 assists on 45% shooting. 

In Frazier’s second season, he averaged 17.5 points, 7.9 assists, and 6.2 rebounds in 36.9 minutes per game, 80 games and 55 starts, 51% on 13 shots. The Knicks won 54 games and made the 1967 Eastern Division Finals where they lost to the Boston Celtics in six games. Frazier scored 34 points in Game 1 and 26 points in Game 3 and averaged 21.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 6.7 assists on 51% shooting in the series, playing 41.5 minutes per game. That season, Frazier also made his first of seven consecutive All-NBA defensive teams.

Frazier’s coming out party was the next season of 1969-70, when he made his first of seven All-Star games, his first of four All-NBA 1st teams, and finished fourth in Most Valuable Player voting. 20.9 points, 8.2 assists, 6.0 rebounds, 52% from the field, 77 starts, 39.5 minutes per game were his averages. The Knicks won 60 games (a mark that would be matched in 1992-93 by Riley’s group), and defeated Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor and the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games in the NBA Finals. Frazier put together a masterful Game 7 performance that to this day is one of the greatest playoff performances in history: 

36 points, 19 assists, 7 rebounds, 12-for-17 shooting, 12-for-12 from the line. He averaged a double-double in the Final, 17.6 points, 10.4 assists, 7.7 rebounds on 54% shooting. His 43.1 minutes per game were the second most in the series behind West’s 47.9 and Chamberlain’s 47.6. Willis Reed’s 23.0 points and 10.5 rebounds against Chamberlain allowed him to garner Finals MVP honors.

In 1970-71, Frazier made 2nd team All-NBA (21.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 49%, 80 games, 43.2 minutes) as the Knicks won 52 games. Despite losing in seven games to the Washington Bullets in the Eastern Conference Finals, Frazier averaged 20.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.1 assists on 54% shooting in the series and put up 28 points with 7 rebounds on 11-for-19 (6-for-7 from the line) in the Knicks’ crucial 89-84 Game 5 victory. 

The 48-34 Knicks of 1971-72 made the Finals once again, this time losing to the Lakers and their historic ‘72 team in five games. During the regular season, Frazier was All-NBA 1st team, averaging a career-high 23.2 points with 6.7 rebounds, and 5.8 assists. 77 games, 51% shooting, 40.6 minutes per game. The 27-year-old led all playoff performers in points  (388) and led the Knicks in scoring in the Finals series with 23.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 8.0 assists on a blistering 59% shooting. His 45.4 minutes were second on the Knicks in the series to his Hall-of-Fame teammate Jerry Lucas’ 46.6. 

In 1972-73, the Knicks rebounded, winning 57 games and defeating the Lakers in five games in a Finals’ rematch (Reed, 16.4 points and 9.2 rebounds, was again Finals MVP).

Frazier played his first of five full seasons alongside Hall-of-Fame guard Earl “The Pearl” Monroe. 21.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 5.9 assists were Frazier’s averages that season, shooting 49% from the field in 78 games (40.8 minutes) while making 2nd team All-NBA. His 16.6 points per game average in the Finals were second on the team to Bill Bradley’s 18.6. Frazier also put up 6.8 rebounds and 5.2 assists on 48% shooting. 

Over his last three All-Star seasons in New York, Frazier averaged: 

‘73-’74: 80 games, 20.5 points, 6.9 assists, 6.7 rebounds, 2.0 steals, 47%, 41.7 minutes, 1st team All-NBA 

‘74-’75: 78 games, 21.5 points, 6.1 assists, 6.0 rebounds, 2.4 steals, 48%, 41.1 minutes, 1st team All-NBA

‘75-’76: 59 games, 19.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.8 steals, 49%, 41.1 minutes, 7th and final All-Star appearance

Frazier’s last season in New York would be 1976-77, a season in which he averaged 17.4 points, 5.3 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.7 steals on 49% shooting while starting 67 games and averaging 35.4 minutes. 

Prior to the 1977-78 season, Frazier’s tenure in New York came to a close as the organization dealt him to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Jim Cleamons. The now 32-year-old averaged 16.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.5 steals on 47% shooting in 51 games in his first season in Cleveland. Frazier played 15 games in his final two seasons combined due to foot issues, totaling 66 games overall as a Cavalier with averages 14.6 points, 3.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.4 steals on 47% shooting in 29.8 minutes per game.

Just three games into the 1979-80 season, Frazier retired, and his Hall-of-Fame career was complete after 13 seasons, 7 All-Star games, two championships, 7 All-Defensive 1st teams (1969-75), 6 All-NBA teams (four 1st team) and an All-Star Game MVP (1975, 30 points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals, 10-for-17, 10-for-11). 

The 1987 Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame inductee averaged 19.3 points, 6.3 assists, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.0 steals on 49% shooting and 78% from the line in his 10 years in New York, playing 759 games (666 starts) in his Knicks’ No. 10, which the franchise retired on December 15, 1979.

Frazier ranks first all-time in team history in assists with 4,791, and his 759 games are second to Patrick Ewing’s 1,039. His 28,995 minutes are also second to Ewing, as are his 5,736 field goals made and his 11,669 field-goal attempts. His 2.0 steals per game as a Knick are second to Richardson (1973-74 was the first season that the NBA began to track stats). His 6.3 assists per game average is seventh all-time in franchise history, and his 4,830 career rebounds are the 10th-most by a point guard in NBA history. 

Since 1987, Frazier has been a broadcaster in both radio and television for MSG Networks, after serving as an NBA analyst for TBS in 1981 when he served as an announcer for Atlanta Hawks’ games. Currently, he serves as a color commentator on MSG broadcasts, alongside Mike Breen, his primary broadcast partner, and Kenny Albert. 

When it comes to coolness and flair, there is no one like Walt Frazier - Julius Erving may be the only other that gets a seat at that table. The hats, the suits, the cars. Frazier made Puma, a German company that he has repped since 1973 that is more known for its soccer branding, en vogue on the hardwood. His suits are always flavorful, his style one of a kind.

When it comes to New York City basketball, there is no one bigger.

Happy 80th Birthday, Walt Frazier.