On March 29, 1945, Frazier was born to his parents, Walt Frazier, Sr., and Eula Frazier. He grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, with his eight younger siblings.
At that time, Walt’s father used to make boxes on the assembly line for Atlanta Paper Co., while his mother was a housewife. Thus, his father was not used to being at home most of the time, making Walt his father’s surrogate for the responsibility. Walt lived in a modest apartment in segregated Atlanta during that tenure, where he shared a room with his four sisters. In this single room, Frazier used to sleep on top of a bunk bed, while two sisters slept under it, while the other two slept on the other side of the bunk bed in the room.
Everyone was sleeping in one bedroom, while others slept in the living room. Their neighborhood had a playground where he used to play with other kids. Frazier was a simple boy. In an interview after his career, he confirmed that he never used drugs or smoked. He was a sophomore in college before trying his first beer. And he used to have these terrible headaches from drinking it, that was it, he never drank it again.
Walt Frazier – Education
Walt Frazier spent his entire childhood in Atlanta while finishing his studies there. They lived very close to their school as it was just two blocks from the elementary school and ten blocks from the high school.
Furthermore, Walt attended David Tobias Howard High School. He had a big desire to ride the school bus during those years, although he could walk to school. Just as important, Frazier was on the school’s football team, where he was a quarterback and even a catcher on the baseball team.
He initially learned everything on his own as his school had no official basketball team where he could practice on a regular basis. In the 1950s, when blacks and whites were segregated, their school was all black. After graduation, Frazier was known for his school’s football; however, he was denied all the scholarships from several colleges. With that, Frazier chose to study at Southern Illinois University. At that time, there were only white quarterbacks playing at the highest level, so he played basketball.
Walt Frazier – University career
Frazier enrolled at Southern Illinois University upon becoming part of the college basketball team. During his rookie year, Frazier was named a Division II All-American in 1964, and he repeated that next season as a sophomore. Frazier led his team to the NCAA Division II Tournament. Unfortunately, Jerry Sloan’s team beat them. At the very moment when Frazier’s academics began to fall; thus, he considered dropping out of his college.
Later, his bad academics made him ineligible to play sports; therefore, he began to work on his classes in parallel with his practice with the Salukis. With Salukis, Walt learned how to play defense because his coach didn’t allow him to shoot while he had terrible academic results. He resumed his basketball career in the 1966-1967 season. His University then moved from D 2 II to First Division, where he managed to win the National Invitation Tournament against arch-rival from Marquette. All together, Frazier that era with the title of Most Valuable Player of the 1967 tournament at the former Madison Square Garden in New York, his next home.
Walt Frazier – New York Knicks
The New York Knicks picked Walt Frazier in 1967 fifth overall, where he started on the NBA All-Rookie Team for the 1967–68 season. During his first season, Walt averaged 9 points per game.
Furthermore, Walt’s sophomore year holds a record of 17.5 points, 7.9 assists, and 6.2 rebounds per game. Frazier was mentioned as one of the best talents in the US. His skills were noted, and Walt was nominated for NBA All-Star during the following season. He led the Knicks to the 1970 NBA Finals; however, his best teammate Willis Reed got injured in the fifth game. Reed finished the season, and Frazier had to play at the highest possible level without an important teammate. He led the team with 35 points, seven rebounds, 19 assists, and 6 steals. New York won that game easier than expected.
ESPN deemed it the best game ever seen, while Frazier’s performance was the greatest in NBA playoff history. After a historic win in the 1970 NBA Finals, they couldn’t get the same result in 1971, losing to the Baltimore Bullets. For the 1971 NBA Finals, Walt averaged 20.4 points per game in the series.
That June, Walt was named the most valuable player of a spectacle match between NBA and ABA All-Stars in Houston, Texas, with 26 points and 12 rebounds.
Before returning to the 1972 NBA Finals, the Knicks considered trading Monroe because he was not a good match with Frazier. In the end, the duo (Frazier and Monroe) proved them wrong with their chemistry on and off the court. Returning to the NBA championship this year, the Knicks were defeated by the Los Angeles Lakers.
Just as important, the Knicks returned to the 1973 NBA championship, where they overthrew the championship from the Lakers. Jumping straight to 1976, Frazier was selected for the NBA All-Star Game one more time. That was his last NBA game.
Overall, Frazier parted ways with the Knicks in 1977, where he set the Knicks franchise records for most games.
During his tenure there, Frazier participated in a total of 759 games, as he played 28,995 minutes in games. Not to mention that Walt had 11,669 field goals, including 5,736 shots scored.
His free throws were good; he shot 4,017 of them and scored 3,145. All together, Frazier had 4,791 assists with 14,617 points.
Walt Frazier – Cleveland Cavaliers
The Knicks traded Frazier for the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Jim Cleamons, which aroused a lot of fury among fans. With the Cavaliers, Frazier had a lot of injuries and couldn’t play at the same level as in previous seasons.
Frazier’s journey with the Cavaliers was a short one, as he appeared in a total of 66 games. In the end, he retired midway through the 1979–80 season, where he had his lowest career numbers with 3.3 points and 2.7 assists in 3 games for a season.
After seventeen years of his NBA career, Frazier was finally inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Walt Frazier – Career highlights and statistics
- 2 × NBA champion (1970 and 1973)
- 7 times NBA All-Star (1970-1976)
- NBA All-Star player of the game (1975)
- 4 times All-NBA First Team (1970, 1972, 1974, 1975)
- 2 × All-NBA Second Team (1971 and 1973)
- 7 × First all defensive first team (1969–1975)
- NBA All-Rookie First Team (1968)
- NBA 50th Anniversary All-Time Team
- NIT Champion (1967)
- NIT MVP (1967)
- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame electee in 1987
Frazier had a fantastic career. When Frazier left the New York Knicks, his number 10 jersey was retired on December 15, 1979.
In September 2012, a double-decker bus trip was organized by New York City as a tribute to Frazier with Ride of Fame.
Walt Frazier – Broadcasting career
Walt retired from professional games, took a break, and returned to the field from a different dimension. Walt Frazier began his broadcasting career in 1981 through the TBS Network, where he worked first in radio and then advanced to television.
First, Frazier broadcast Hawks games in his hometown of Atlanta and later joined the MSG Network in 1987.
Frazier followed the New York Knicks games and even got some Big apple Emmy Award nominations during that time.
Walt Frazier – Net worth and salary
As per the sources, Walt Frazier would have a net worth of $8.8 million as he had a salary of $300K.
In addition, the primary endorsement of Walt’s brand came through PUMA, a German footwear brand hoping to make its mark on the American market. In all, Frazier received $5,000 and free shoes.
He later emerged as the epitome of style with hats, mink coats, custom suits, and a Rolls-Royce. Talking more about Frazier’s style, he is considered one of the most stylish players in NBA history.
Clyde Frazier’s Wine and Dine
Walt Frazier has his own restaurant in NYC, Manhattan, which can be served for casual evening dining. The restaurant is adorned with the most remarkable athletes of all time by GQ magazine on every wall and ceiling.
As far as meals, they serve Walt’s unique menus with special cocktails and tasty sweets. In addition, each guest will get a Rockin’ Steady: A Guide to Basketball and the Cool, a book signed by Frazier.
Walt Frazier – Private life
Walt Frazier is in a long relationship with his longtime girlfriend Patricia James. Patricia helps Walt with his property and rental business. The duo shares a house in Harlem.
Before Patricia, Frazier was married to his college sweetheart Marsha Clark in 1965. They even have a son, Walt Frazier jr; however, their relationship was short-lived. The couple broke up after graduation after just two years of marriage.
Walt Frazier – Net Worth
Walt Frazier is a former NBA player who is estimated to have a net worth of $4.5 million. He earned most of his wealth from a successful career as an NBA player, as well as from various endorsements and investments. Frazier also owns several restaurants in New York City and is an analyst for the New York Knicks.
How did Walt Frazier get the nickname Clyde?
“Clyde” was a nickname he picked up early on in his career with the Knicks. He earned it from wearing a fedora as Warren Beatty did in Bonnie and Clyde (1967).
What is Walt Frazier known for?
Although he could have played football for various powerhouse schools, Frazier opted to play basketball at the relatively unknown Southern Illinois University. His choice ended up paying off -Frazier went on to have a storied career in the NBA, becoming a 2-time champion and 7-time All-Star.
What happened to Walt Clyde Frazier?
Frazier retired from basketball and now serves as a color commentator for Knicks games on the MSG Network.
