Walt Frazier facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids
Walt Frazier
Personal information
Frazier in March 2020
Born	(1945-03-29) March 29, 1945 (age 80) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
High school	David T. Howard (Atlanta, Georgia)
Listed height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight	200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
College	Southern Illinois (1963–1967)
NBA Draft	1967 / Round: 1 / Pick: 5th overall
Selected by the New York Knicks
Pro career	1967–1979
Career history
1967–1977	New York Knicks
1977–1979	Cleveland Cavaliers

Career highlights and awards
2× NBA champion (1970, 1973) 7× NBA All-Star (1970–1976) NBA All-Star Game MVP (1975) 4× All-NBA First Team (1970, 1972, 1974, 1975) 2× All-NBA Second Team (1971, 1973) 7× NBA All-Defensive First Team (1969–1975) NBA All-Rookie First Team (1968) NBA anniversary team (50th, 75th) No. 10 retired by New York Knicks NIT champion (1967) NIT MVP (1967) No. 52 retired by Southern Illinois Salukis

Career statistics
Points	15,581 (18.9 ppg)
Rebounds	4,830 (5.9 rpg)
Assists	5,040 (6.1 apg)

Walter "Clyde" Frazier Jr. (born March 29, 1945) is a famous American former professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Frazier was a key player for the New York Knicks. He led them to their only two championships in 1970 and 1973.

Frazier was so good that he was added to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987. After he stopped playing, he became a color commentator for Knicks games. You can still hear him on the MSG Network. He is also recognized as one of the greatest players ever. He was named to the NBA 50th and 75th Anniversary Teams.

Early Life and School Sports
College Basketball Career
Professional Basketball Journey
- Playing for the New York Knicks (1967–1977)
- Playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers (1977–1979)
Career Achievements and Honors
NBA Career Statistics
- Regular Season Stats
- Playoff Stats
Fashion and Commentary Style
Personal Life
See also

Early Life and School Sports

Walter "Clyde" Frazier Jr. was born on March 29, 1945, in Atlanta, Georgia. He was the oldest of nine children. Frazier went to David T. Howard High School in Atlanta.

He was a talented athlete in many sports. He played quarterback for the football team. He also played catcher on the baseball team. Frazier learned basketball on a rough dirt playground. This was the only place available at his all-black school during the 1950s. At that time, schools were separated by race in the South.

College Basketball Career

Frazier received offers to play football in college. However, he chose a basketball scholarship from Southern Illinois University. He explained his choice by saying there were "no black quarterbacks" in professional football then.

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

Frazier quickly became one of the best college basketball players. He was named an Division II All-American in 1964 and 1965. In 1965, he led Southern Illinois University (SIU) to the NCAA Division II Tournament finals. They lost in overtime to Jerry Sloan and the Evansville Purple Aces. Frazier could not play basketball in 1966 due to academic reasons.

In 1967, SIU moved up to Division I. Frazier and SIU won the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). They beat Marquette University 71–56 in the final game. This game was played at the old Madison Square Garden in New York. Frazier was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the 1967 tournament.

Professional Basketball Journey

Playing for the New York Knicks (1967–1977)

The New York Knicks picked Frazier as the fifth overall player in the NBA draft. He also got drafted by the Denver Rockets in the new American Basketball Association. In his first year, the 1967–68 season, he averaged 9.0 points per game. He was also named to the NBA All-Rookie Team.

During his first year with the Knicks, he got the nickname "Clyde." This was because he wore a fedora hat. It was like the one worn by Warren Beatty in the 1967 movie Bonnie and Clyde.

In his second year, Frazier's game improved a lot. He averaged 17.5 points, 7.9 assists, and 6.2 rebounds per game. This 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 had an amazing game. He scored 43 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, and made 5 assists. This helped the Knicks win 123–110 against the Houston Rockets. Frazier was chosen as an NBA All-Star for the 1969–70 season. This was the first of seven times he was an All-Star with the Knicks.

The Knicks reached the 1970 NBA Finals because Frazier and star teammate Willis Reed played so well. In game five, Reed hurt his leg badly. It seemed unlikely the Knicks could win the championship without him. But Reed bravely returned for game seven. He played the first two minutes and scored the Knicks' first four points before leaving the game.

With Reed out, Frazier stepped up in a huge way. He had one of the best performances in NBA playoff history. He scored 36 points, had seven rebounds, made 19 assists, and got six steals. He led New York to victory in what many call one of the best game sevens ever.

The Knicks could not win the championship again in 1971. They lost to the Baltimore Bullets in the playoffs. Even though Frazier averaged 20.4 points per game in that series, they couldn't advance.

After the 1970–71 season, the Knicks traded for Earl Monroe. Monroe was a tough player for Frazier to guard. Many people thought Frazier and Monroe's playing styles would not work together. But they soon became one of the best backcourts in the league. They even earned the nickname the "Rolls-Royce" backcourt.

Frazier in 1977.

The Knicks returned to the NBA Finals in 1972. However, they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers had a record-setting season and won the championship.

Frazier led the Knicks to their second NBA championship in 1973. They beat the Lakers again in a five-game series. Frazier's strong defense against Jerry West was a big reason they won.

In 1976, Frazier was chosen for his seventh and final NBA All-Star Game. Frazier held many Knicks team records for a long time. These included most games played, minutes played, and assists. Patrick Ewing later broke most of those records. However, Frazier's record for most assists still stands today.

Playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers (1977–1979)

Frazier was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers after the 1976–77 season. He was traded for a younger player named Jim Cleamons. Frazier was shocked by the trade. He later said it felt like being sent to "Siberia."

Frazier had many foot injuries while playing for the Cavaliers. Because of these injuries, he only played 66 games over three seasons. He retired during the 1979–80 season. He played only 3 games that season before he stopped playing professionally.

Career Achievements and Honors

Walt Frazier received many awards and honors during and after his career:

He won 2 NBA championships (1970, 1973) with the New York Knicks.
He was named to the NBA All-NBA First Team 4 times (1970, 1972, 1974, 1975).
He was named to the NBA All-NBA Second Team 2 times (1971, 1973).
He was an NBA All-Star 7 times (1970–1976).
He was the NBA All-Star Game MVP in 1975.
The New York Knicks retired his number 10 jersey on December 15, 1979. This means no other Knicks player will wear that number.
His number 52 jersey was retired by the Southern Illinois Salukis.
He was added to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987.
He was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996.
In September 2012, a double-decker tour bus in New York City was dedicated to him.
He was chosen for the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021.
In September 2022, Frazier won the Curt Gowdy Award. This award honors great sports 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

Regular Season Stats

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1967–68	New York	74	—	21.5	.451	—	.655	4.2	4.1	—	—	9.0
1968–69	New York	80	—	36.9	.505	—	.746	6.2	7.9	—	—	17.5
1969–70†	New York	77	—	39.5	.518	—	.748	6.0	8.2	—	—	20.9
1970–71	New York	80	—	43.2	.494	—	.779	6.8	6.7	—	—	21.7
1971–72	New York	77	—	40.6	.512	—	.808	6.7	5.8	—	—	23.2
1972–73†	New York	78	—	40.8	.490	—	.817	7.3	5.9	—	—	21.1
1973–74	New York	80	—	41.7	.472	—	.838	6.7	6.9	2.0	.2	20.5
1974–75	New York	78	—	41.1	.483	—	.828	6.0	6.1	2.4	.2	21.5
1975–76	New York	59	—	41.1	.485	—	.823	6.8	5.9	1.8	.2	19.1
1976–77	New York	76	—	35.4	.489	—	.771	3.9	5.3	1.7	.1	17.4
1977–78	Cleveland	51	—	32.6	.471	—	.850	4.1	4.1	1.5	.3	16.2
1978–79	Cleveland	12	—	23.3	.443	—	.778	1.7	2.7	1.1	.2	10.8
1979–80	Cleveland	3	—	9.0	.364	.000	1.000	1.0	2.7	.7	.3	3.3
Career		825	—	37.5	.490	.000	.786	5.9	6.1	1.9	.2	18.9
All-Star		7	7	26.1	.449	—	.857	3.9	3.7	1.3	.0	12.6

Playoff Stats

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1968	New York	4	—	29.8	.364	—	.778	5.5	6.3	—	—	9.5
1969	New York	10	—	41.5	.503	—	.596	7.4	9.1	—	—	21.2
1970†	New York	19	—	43.9	.478	—	.764	7.8	8.2	—	—	16.0
1971	New York	12	—	41.8	.529	—	.733	5.8	4.5	—	—	22.6
1972	New York	16	—	44.0	.536	—	.736	7.0	6.1	—	—	24.3
1973†	New York	17	—	45.0	.514	—	.777	7.3	6.2	—	—	21.9
1974	New York	12	—	40.9	.502	—	.898	7.9	4.0	1.8	.3	22.5
1975	New York	3	—	41.3	.630	—	.813	6.7	7.0	3.7	.0	23.7
Career		93	—	42.5	.511	—	.751	7.2	6.4	2.1	.3	20.7

Fashion and Commentary Style

Since the late 1960s, Frazier has been known for his amazing fashion sense. He was one of the first professional athletes to be famous for his style. A website called Clyde So Fly even tracks and rates every suit he wears when he broadcasts Knicks games.

Frazier also has his own line of Puma sneakers. The first Puma Clyde shoes came out in 1973. Before that, the Converse Chuck Taylor was the only basketball shoe named after a player. This means Frazier was the first modern NBA star to have his own signature shoe line. The shoes are known for their "colorful style," just like Frazier's outfits.

Frazier's fun, rhyming way of talking during broadcasts is also famous. For example, his phrase "posting and toasting" describes a player scoring close to the basket. This phrase inspired the name of a popular Knicks blog. His phrase for playing tough defense, "tenacious D," even gave the name to actor Jack Black's funny music group.

Personal Life

Walt Frazier lives in Harlem with his long-term girlfriend, Patricia James. They also have a home in St. Croix. He has a son named Walt III. Frazier is a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.