In Appreciation of the Great Clyde Frazier

On March 30^th, the Knicks picked up a comfortable win against the Portland Trailblazers. The win was not memorable, but it occurred on a memorable night: the 80^th birthday of Walt “Clyde” Frazier. Knicks players wore “80 years of Clyde” t-shirts, and Frazier’s longtime broadcast partner Mike Breen made sure he felt the love as the Garden faithful sang Happy Birthday.

Clyde has been a fixture for the Knicks for 58 years. He is, in many ways, the link between multiple generations of Knicks fans. For those that remember the 1970s, he is a symbol of the golden era that saw two championships. For the children of those fans, Frazier has been a steady voice through various eras and the peaks and valleys that have come with them. Through it all, Clyde has always been a unique, mesmerizing, and calming presence for so many of us.

When you ask a Knicks fan who is the greatest Knicks player of all time, there are usually three names mentioned: Patrick Ewing, Willis Reed, and Clyde Frazier. Frazier’s performance in Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals against the Lakers is often considered the greatest performance in Knicks history.

In the game that featured a courageous Willis Reed walking onto the court after being injured in Game 5, Frazier took control of the team and delivered a championship. He finished that game with 36 points, 7 rebounds, and 19 assists while hitting all 12 of his free throws. It was the sort of big game performance that Knicks fans of that era came to expect from Frazier, and his career accolades reflect that.

In his prime, Frazier received MVP votes in six out of seven seasons, was named to an All-NBA team six times, and was selected to the All-Defensive team seven times. His name is plastered all over the Knicks record books where he ranks second in points, 10^th in rebounds, and 1^st in assists. He also happens to rank 10^th in steals, but that number should likely be higher, as the league didn’t track steals for the first six years of his career.

Beyond the numbers, Clyde had a game that would translate in any era. He could run the floor like no other and frequently made the right decision with the basketball. His high release point on his jump shots was also ahead of its time, as was his ability to create space on post-ups. Defensively, he played passing lanes incredibly well and was able to create havoc for opposing guards.

His #10 jersey was retired in 1979, two years after he played his last game as a Knick. It is important to recount just how important and skilled he was to those Knicks teams. Clyde played in what I often feel is a lost era of NBA basketball. The games were on tape delay, there was no preeminent dynasty, and many viewed the NBA as a league in decline. Because of this, his greatness is often cast aside when some people list the greatest point guards to play the game. The way that we as Knicks fans have been able to still appreciate his contributions is a result of his presence as a broadcaster for MSG Networks.

Clyde was traded from the Knicks to Cleveland in 1977, and a decade later he was back in the Knicks fold as a broadcaster and analyst. He started calling games on the radio but since 1999, he has been a staple on MSG TV broadcasts.

There are a lot of former players that do color commentary on TV. In fact, most regional broadcasts feature former players offering insights, such as Brian Scalabrine (Boston), Stacey King (Chicago), and Dominique Wilkins (Atlanta) to name a few. The difference between Clyde and his former player contemporaries is his objectivity. Clyde has never been afraid to criticize Knicks players, while it can be argued that many other color commentators display blatant homerism when calling games.

This is something that I have always appreciated about the combination of Clyde and Mike Breen, they have always treated their local broadcast like it was a national game (you could argue that in the age of League Pass, every game is a national game). Beneath all the flash that comes with Clyde with his rhyming catchphrases, quips, and flamboyant suits, there is a man that studies and works hard at his craft.

In 2022, Frazier was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame for a second time as a broadcaster, the first person to be in the Hall as both a player and a broadcaster. He joins his partner Breen, who was inducted in 2021. The duo has become a fixture for every Knicks fan, but as the years have progressed the day where Clyde steps away is nearing ever closer.

Clyde often takes time away during the regular season to travel to St. Croix, where he owns multiple rental properties, including a Bed and Breakfast. In his stead, he has been replaced by excellent talents in Monica McNutt and Jamal Crawford, among others. Clyde has also started to skip road trips with the team on the West Coast in recent years, which is understandable as he gets older.

The day is coming when he will retire and step away from the team and city that he has loved and helped to define for five decades. There is a magic in watching him as a broadcaster partnered with Breen, who idolized Clyde when he was growing up. The connective tissue to the present and the past is something special that us Knicks fans savor, a treat that most other fan bases cannot relate to.

More than anything, we have been so lucky to have Clyde as a voice of our fandom for as long as he has been. His appreciation for Knicks history, the embrace of the current team, and the style that is so uniquely Clyde is always fresh and a welcome element of watching this team through the good and bad years.

From all of us Knick fans, thank you Clyde. You have given us more than any of us could have ever expected, and we will cherish whatever you have left to give us.

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