Knicks legend, fashion icon and MSG color commentator Walt Frazier —the man known as “Clyde” — turned 80 years old Saturday. He takes a timeout for some birthday Q&A with Post columnist Steve Serby.
Q: Why is it so hard for you to believe that you’re 80?
A: I guess because my routines are still the same, I still try to work out three, four days a week and stay active, still traveling with the team. … People will be saying, “Oh man, you look great!” but I know it just takes me all day to get to this point, man (laugh).”
Q: They used to say life begins at 40. How about life begins at 80?
A: That’s where I am. I’m actually viewing life differently, it’s no longer about how long I live but also how I live. I’m in uncharted waters, not too many people can help me, like, “Tell me what’s going on here.” But I’m excited. I’m still doing it, I’m still relevant, still with the team. But I just want to give back more. I’m dedicated to giving back more of my time now, especially to kids, because the kids have always been there for me … the Garden of Dreams and my Walt Frazier Youth Foundation. I’m giving out my book [“Winning and Grinning”] at the games, so that’ll give me an entry into the schools — which I’ve been doing, talking with the kids about education, absent from drugs you can be what you want you to be. You can be better than Clyde, you can do it, guys.
Q: Sum up what life is like today for Walt “Clyde” Frazier.
A: My life is … sweet. I can always say, “Who has it better than Clyde?” I still thank God. Fifty years … I played in the greatest city in the world, I’ve played for one of the greatest teams in the greatest arena, the greatest fans. And I still have that adulation, wherever I go, people show me so much respect, and that’s why it’s so humbling for me, and wanting to help. And I’d be an ingrate not to want to give back and help other people. I’m standing on the shoulders of so many people that have helped me. I want it to be my legacy, that Clyde was always concerned. And I have been with the fans, we’ve had a love affair for a long time, and I’d just like for it to continue. … I don’t see retirement anytime soon. Obviously I’ve cut back on the road. But I still like to do the home games. Even after that, I’d like to be like [John] Starks, like [Patrick] Ewing, like L.J. [Larry Johnson], like Spree [Latrell Sprewell] — to be around, sort of an ambassador, talking to the fans, coming to the games. I still see that in my future.
Q: You are a New York institution.
A: I don’t take it lightly, and that’s why I feel galvanized to do more to give back. I see what Earl [Monroe] is doing with his school and the kids, I see Senator [Bill] Bradley still doing stuff. So these guys keep me energized, and the current players as well. The respect they show me: “OG, OG” when I’m around, and, “There’s the OG.” And the coaches … the Garden has been my Xanadu, man, for 50 years, the workers there, the way they show me love and affection wherever I go. I’m just like on a magic carpet ride when I’m thinking about being 80 years old, man! I can’t believe it. You get to 65 because your parents retire at 65, you get Social Security, so that’s usually about as far as you think, you know, 65. … But to be 80 years old, man, I’m like Wow!, it hits on me. Some days I have to say that to myself — “Hey man, you’re 80.” Like, “Take it easy.” Some days I don’t have energy to do something. Especially with my girlfriend Patricia where she starts harassing me — I go, “Hey man, I’m 80, what do you want from me?”
Q: Do you remember your 40th birthday?
A: Not really. I remember the 70th birthday. That seemed like it wasn’t too long ago when the Four Tops serenaded me at halftime. Time flies. Everybody says the older you get, the quicker time goes, and that’s true. I really never celebrate them. I just pay homage to God that I’ve made it this long and say my thanks. I never have had big parties celebrating any of my 40, 50, 60 anything like that. I still won’t have any big celebration, just some good friends, close friends. I’ll probably have dinner or something with, but no elaborate thing going on for my 80th.
Q: Has your diet changed over the years?
A: Yeah, but for the better. My philosophy when I was playing was what is a meal without dessert (laugh)? So I used to always have pie a la modes and all of that. So what happened when I’m around 20 to 29, if I had an ice cream it started sticking. So I gave up the ice cream, I still ate the pies and cakes. I used to watch [Dick] Barnett, so these guys used to always take vitamins, that’s how I started taking vitamins and dealing with that. So now I just eat fish, chicken, turkey, a lot of fruits and vegetables, no dessert, I don’t eat ice cream anymore, no cakes. So my desserts are dates (laugh), dried pineapples, honey, yogurt. It’s easier for me to maintain my weight now than when I played. When I played I was 205 as a rookie. Now I weigh like 190. I eat everything I want and everything I like. I still workout maybe three, four days a week, I have a stationery bike, I have a universal machine, I use a bench and I have free weights. So one room in my apartment I have like a place where I exercise. I do my own cooking, I have my Foreman grill — poor George, I was hating to see George pass away — but I’ve been using that grill for a long time. I rarely eat out now. When I had the restaurant, I really miss the restaurant, that was a big ego trip for me, the people coming in, 10-year-old kids coming in: “Where is Clyde? Where is Clyde? I want to see Clyde.”
Q: If your life was a movie, what scenes must be in that movie?
A: Getting drafted by the Knicks. The day of the draft I’m in my agent’s office, and the Seattle SuperSonics call and say they’re going to draft me, and we worked out a three-year deal. So I go to class, and I come back, and my agent had this baffled look on his face, he goes: “You’ve been drafted by the Knicks.” And I go, “The Knicks? (laugh).” I had another year of eligibility because I was ineligible one year, I could have gone back to school. The Knicks never talked to me. They never called me to ask if I would come out or anything. And they had Cazzie Russell, they had [Bradley] coming from a Rhodes Scholar, they had Barnett, they had [Howard] Komives, Emmette Bryant, Freddie Crawford, so they had all these guys so I never thought the Knicks would draft me. I played in the NIT my first time in New York I was thinking how great it would be to play in New York, every game in the NIT was sold out, 18,500 people.
As a rookie I wasn’t playing good, and [coach Red] Holzman said, “Hey Clyde, I want to talk to you on the way back to New York.” We used to take the bus to Philly. So he goes, “What’s wrong with you?” He said, “I saw you play in college, I know you’re much better.” I told him I was nervous, I didn’t have confidence. He goes, “Man, I believe in you. I’m going to keep playing you so just go out there and do your thing, man, I know you can do it.” So just from that little talk it gave me so much confidence that my game started to change.
The other thing would have to be how fortunate it was for me to play with Willis Reed. The Captain was my role model, I copied his handwriting, the way he signed his name, his tenacity on the court, the way he dealt with the fans. Bradley, we all admired his sagacity. We all wanted to be like Bradley. And then I had Dick Barnett. His locker was adjacent to my locker, so I used to admire the way he dressed, and when I’m 22 years old he’s like 29, and I saw how he didn’t smoke, he didn’t drink, he was always dedicated to the game. And Holtzman was sort of a surrogate father to me. When I buy a Rolls Royce he goes, “Clyde, you saving any money? (laugh). You got to save for a rainy day, you know?” He and [trainer] Danny Whelan were great for me.
I guess after that it would be just being in New York and the fans, and going out. New Yorkers think you should be No. 1. You got to step up for that pressure, every day there’s the constant pressure to succeed. … Winning that first championship … I was 25 years old, the greatest city in the world, the fans and all of that, and how I stayed focused. Coming to New York, in my life growing up I was quiet and shy. I wasn’t flamboyant in college [Southern Illinois], that all happened after I came to New York. But always able to keep one foot on the ground. I always kept focus that way.
My background would have to be mentioned. Being the oldest of nine kids. I was a role model before I ever knew what the word meant. … I used to have to take my sisters to school, bring them back. … My style, like dressing, when I’m a kid, my parents and I go downtown, they’d tell me, “Put on your best clothes, your best manners. You’re not only representing the Frazier family, but black people as well.” My teachers are telling me, “Education. Walt, whatever you get in your head, nobody can take from you.” So the “village” was a big part of me — my parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, the coaches, teachers. Then when I came to the Knicks, the same with Red, and the fans and the friends that I had, so it just perpetuated everything that I knew, and kept going.
Just being in this city, playing Oscar Robertson … like people thought when I went to L.A. I partied. I didn’t. I stayed in my room, man. I was like Jerry West, man, “I got to try to control this guy.” We’re playing Detroit, Dave Bing, I never went out, gotta try to guard Dave Bing, Pete Maravich, all these different players, because I didn’t want to embarrass my fans and everybody letting these guys score a lot of points on me. That would be a movie about perseverance and timing — I’ve always had this serendipity of seemingly being in the right place at the right time and things happening for me, and it continues. Turning 80 years of age, I still have my health, thank God, and I still have my motivation to learn over the years, I still have my friends catapulting me.
Like when I got into broadcasting, Marty Glickman was the catalyst for me. After each game Marty used to critique me: “Clyde, you can do it, but you got to do this, you got to do that, you got to just have the confidence.” And that was the same thing I heard from Red that time, and from my parents. That’s why the tenacious work ethic that I had in sports I brought to the broadcast booth. And then my luck was working with Mike Breen. When I first started, I was working with Jim Karvallas, Jim didn’t give me a chance to say anything so that’s how I had to start rhyming. But then when Mike came because he idolized me, he’d go, “Hey Clyde, the fans want to hear what you have to say, man, just say it.” So he gave me a lot more time to articulate, and that gave me confidence. Unequivocally that’s why we’re in the Hall of Fame.
Q: What is a scene that would sum up the racism that you encountered?
A: A good scene would be when I was with the Knicks. Some of the players, the white guys were talking negatively, and then Bill Bradley stepped in and said, “Hey man, we don’t do that here. We don’t see color, we just see the players” and everything. … So Bradley was always there, and Phil Jackson. But even before that, I know that Jerry West and Hondo Havlicek and Bob Cousy — the sacrifice those guys made for the league before I came in ’65 and ’64 when the black players went down South and they had to stay in separate quarters. And those guys would hear none of it … Tommy Heinsohn … they all spoke up and they protested and they stood with the black players. We’ve always had that in basketball in not seeing color. Look at the Knicks, man, we captivated the city because of hit-the-open-man, move the ball. Every Tuesday and Saturday, New York stopped to watch the Knicks. They never saw color, they just saw five guys in harmony trying to win. And elevated the Knicks from being the doormats for a long time to a winning team. We had Bradley, we had [Dave] DeBusschere, we had guys, but Frazier and Reed, black guys, we were the most popular on the team. So they never saw color, we never talked about race, and Holzman would hear none of it. Holzman was color-blind. You played hard in practice, you’d get in the game. There was only one set of rules for Frazier, for Reed, to the last guy the team. And that’s why the guys always gave 110 percent for him.
Q: What were some magical, memorable moments at the Garden?
A: My first foray into broadcasting, magic moment, was I saw Marv Albert studying (laugh). I go, “Marv studies!” That had such an impact on me that this guy was the best at what he did, and the time he put in studying. He used to read all these different papers and different stuff. That gave me a good work ethic. … I mention Willis Reed as far as playing the game of basketball. The Captain was always 110 percent, man. He always brought that effort, kept us up. Never rest on our laurels.
I guess the first thing I remember was the importance of the playoffs. During the regular season you come to the game, guys are hounding tickets and everybody’s talking about what they did last night, where they’re going tonight. And then my first game in the playoffs, I come in the locker room, I didn’t know where I was. There was no music playing, nobody looking for tickets, everybody sitting in front of their stalls. … It was a whole different atmosphere. It was so serious. That was when I found out this is a different level of basketball once you get to the playoffs.
Q: Which playoff games stand out to you?
A: Actually the ones we lost in ’67, ’68. We lost to the Celtics, but at that point we felt we were on a par with them. So coming into [1969] training camp we were talking championship. We’re like, “Man, this is our year. We’re going to do it.” Obviously we went on to win the championship that year.
’73 I remember because the Celtics had never lost in a seven-game series at Boston. So it was Game 6 in New York and we lost. And everyone said that was it. The Knicks are done, we’re not going to win. So going up to Boston, nobody was giving us a chance. But we knew we had to look in the mirror. That was a big turning point for us, winning that game.
Q: Any particular game as a broadcaster?
A: The broadcast games I remember, the [Michael] Jordan games. Mike [Breen] and I were on radio at the time. I couldn’t believe my good fortune, man. I’m getting paid to sit here in the best seat and watch these games! It was so invigorating watching those guys, and Ewing and Michael go at it. Hakeem [Olajuwon], those series with those guys as well. I was on radio them and that was my first foray into it. It was so exciting because it was reminiscent to when I played with the Knicks when they were winning, and the city was all energized and optimistic, everybody thought that the Knicks are going to get back to another championship.
Q: How would you have done guarding Jordan?
A: You got to try to force guys to their weakness, which I always tried to do. Usually guys that are right-handed I’d try to force them to their left. Michael’s such a good leaper, so it would have been difficult, just like trying to guard West and Robertson. We would have been looking to double like we did with Earl, we would have a scheme where we’d try to force him certain places where we could get help. But it would have been a formidable challenge.
Q: Who was the toughest guy you had to guard?
A: Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, Earl The Pearl. Oscar because he was so big he was going to pound you. West, he was so smart, he’s going to stop and pop. But Earl didn’t know what he was going to do, how could I know, you know?
Q: Who would play you in the movie?
A: A lot of guys mention Denzel [Washington] … actually Denzel idolized me. One time I went on “The Queen Latifah Show” and surprised him because they were talking to him about, “Who would like to meet?” or something and he said, “Walt Frazier, I used to idolize the guy.” He’d be a good guy to play me.
Q: I heard you say that you consider the Knicks the third-best team in the conference.
A: The Celtics are the team, man. Cleveland is going to be a formidable team. The matchups with the Celtics just aren’t good to me for the Knicks. I think we’ll matchup better against Cleveland. Plus two years ago we dominated them. I think in the back of their minds, that still might be a thing there when we play them if we play them in the playoffs. The Celtics, they like to isolate our best players, [Karl-Anthony] Towns and [Jalen] Brunson, they like to run a pick-and-roll with them. Then K.P. [Kristaps Porzingis], if he’s healthy, he’s another tough matchup.
Q: If a Knicks fan would ask you if a championship is possible this year, what would you tell them?
A: They could do it because once you get in the playoffs in New York, anything can happen with the fans. I can attest to that, my 36 and 19 [1970 Game 7 versus Lakers]. So I know the level that the fans can get the players to. The fans can catapult them. If they’re healthy and they get in the playoffs and they perform, it could happen.
Q: In 25 words or less, Karl-Anthony Towns.
A: Phenomenal shooter for a 7-footer. Terrific passer, and just an indomitable spirit. I like his spirit, I like the way he plays the game.
Q: Jalen Brunson.
A: He’s making me look bad. He’s doing in two or three years what it took me 10 years to do. He’s really elevated his game and captured the city. He’s the quintessential point guard. He reminds me of the Captain in always sharing, caring, man. He’s such a student of the game.
Q: OG Anunoby.
A: I think he’s stepping up now, his hustle and muscle, he has confidence in his game. A dynamic two-way player that continues to get better and better.
Q: Josh Hart.
A: He’s Walt Frazier, without scoring (laugh). He can bound and astound, he plays the defense, and he’s definitely the heart of the team.
Q: Mikal Bridges.
A: The iron man, the quintessential guy. He’s like OG, the defensive prowess, but he’s starting to move and groove without the ball. He and Towns are developing a tremendous chemistry, so I see the productivity increasing as well.
Q: Tom Thibodeaux.
A: When I see Thibs I see Red Holzman: no-nonsense guy, doesn’t spare the rod, defensive-oriented. You don’t play as a team, you won’t get in the game. So I love the way Thibs orchestrates the game.
Q: You were at the first Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier bout in 1971, the “Fight of the Century.”
A: The Knicks gave us tickets to that. The Garden was like I’ve never seen it, man. Outside there were cars that were quadruple parked, all limousines all the way around the Garden. The celebrities, from every aspect and walk of life, man. I’ll never forget after the fight, nobody left. Everybody, we just stood up and couldn’t believe what we just witnessed.
Q: What is the key to becoming cool?
A: Cool is just a persona people think. I was not a very emotional guy, so when things happened, I had a poker face, so people go, “Man, he’s cool. Clyde is cool.” But inside I’m percolating like everybody else. So I guess it’s just a demeanor that you develop, and people see it as being cool because they would react differently in that situation.
Q: Who’s the coolest person you know?
A: I like Thibs, Thibs is cool. You could never look at him and know whether the team is winning or losing. And that was the kind of demeanor that I had, you could never tell, because there’s always that poker face, always contemplating the next move.
Q: Is Mike Breen cool?
A: Yeah, yeah, he’s very cool till he goes bang! He comes out with the bang and a double bang at times. But normally, he’s very laid back and cool.
Q: How many suits do you have?
A: That’s a question I’m often asked. At least 100 or so. Because I haven’t gained weight, I still have some of my old suits that are still relevant. I used to make at least 12 suits a year. But since COVID, I haven’t really done anything with the suits. So I have a hundred, and they want to know what my closet is like. I don’t have one closet, I have like six or seven different closets where I hang clothes. But what I do, I have two racks in there, so I have one rack 36 inches, another one up top 36. So I can double the amount of suits that I hang in there. And then the shoes, I’ve got 60, 70, 80 pairs of shoes, shirts. But when I’m getting dressed, I can miss a tie, man. I can go, “Damn, where’s that tie?” With all the ties that I have, all of the shirts, I can miss stuff, man. I’m the one who selected all this stuff, so I know where it is. And this guy puts pressure on me with Clyde’s So Fly [Instagram account]. If I repeat my suit, he’ll deduct from my grade, and he’ll say, “Clyde wore this shirt four games ago,” and so and so. So he helps me in my creativity because I got to think, “Well, when was the last time I wore this suit? When was the last time I wore that tie?” So it’s kind of a fun thing for me getting dressed now when I get ready for the games.
Q: As a kid growing up, could you possibly have imagined living this kind of life?
A: When I was growing up, all I wanted to do was play sports — football, basketball and baseball. Primarily because of my mom and my situation with the nine kids. All my mom ever talked about growing up was a house with a big kitchen. As a kid, I used to pray every night, “God please let me be a football player or basketball so I can buy my mom this house with a big kitchen.” But l never saw Hall of Fame, any other success I’ve had. And I remember when I was in college, we had a player that was drafted in the eighth round of the NBA draft. I was going, “Man, I wish one day I can get drafted in the eighth round or something.” So even when I’m at Southern Illinois, we were considered a small college, I’m not reading about myself. Even when I came to the NIT, I’m not reading about me, I’m reading about guys from Duke and Marquette … St. Pete’s and Rutgers, because we were the first small college to ever be invited to the NIT. So nobody’s talking about me even being a pro player. So only when I was voted the MVP of the NIT did I think that I had a chance of being drafted ‘cause I saw where scouts were saying, “This guy Frazier might be a first-round draft choice.” Only at that time I thought my dream might come true that I might be drafted into the NBA. I never had any wild dreams about my successes, being a Hall of Famer and doing all the things that I’ve been able to do.
Q: What would the city look like if the Knicks won a championship?
A: It’s going to erupt, man. Basketball is a city game. They’ve been waiting a long time, and they can’t wait. Because you still have guys 40-, 50-, 60-years-old still trying to play basketball. It’s a game where you can talk trash, you can do your thing, you can be unorthodox. Whatever way you throw the ball up it doesn’t matter as long as it goes in. So people always have had that passion with basketball, so they can’t wait, man, I can’t wait. I’m asking what I would feel … I will feel for the fans, they deserve it. The greatest fans, the most loyal fans. I’m really rooting for the team to get back to that championship level.
Q: What are you most proud of about the life you’ve lived?
A: I really haven’t changed, I’m the same guy. I’m still quiet and shy in some ways. I pray a lot for my blessings. I know it’s a blessing of what I’ve accomplished and what I’m still doing. But I think not changing. I’ll never forget, in 1970, we won the championship, I was 25 years old, I couldn’t wait to get back to Atlanta, Georgia, man. I bought the Rolls Royce, I couldn’t wait to get back to style and profile. So I get home, my mother would come nowhere near that car, man. She was like, “Who is this guy Clyde?” She knew me quiet and shy, now who is this guy Clyde always dressing up, going out? But after I’m home for like three or four days, she came up to me and said, “You know? You’re still the same.” And that was so rewarding that she saw with all this material stuff, and my life had changed, but really it hadn’t, because I was still the same guy.
