The big mystery is which flamboyantly colored suit Walt Frazier will wear Friday night during his induction speech in Springfield, Mass.
For the second time, Frazier, known for his loud costumes and extensive vocabulary, is enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Already enshrined as a player, the Knicks legend now steps into a broadcaster as this year’s Curt Gowdy Award winner.
The 77-year-old former Knicks guard never lost touch with headphones, starting in 1987 on the radio. The Friday Hall festivities begin at 8 p.m. on NBA TV.
“I loved his creativity and his style of dress,” Frazier’s former Knicks broadcast partner Gus Johnson told The Post. “I couldn’t wear a nice suit because everyone’s looking at Clyde and nobody would see me.”
Johnson, who did the Knicks on radio and television in the late 1990s and from 2004 to 2010, said he borrowed phrases from Frazier.
“What made Walt so special was that he was so creative on the field, and his shows were the same,” said Johnson, now with Fox Sports and TNT. “He became a smith of words. I still use some of his phrases – “sigh and water” and “inauspicious start”. He had fun through all the defeats. Because it could be a chore.”
Current partner Mike Breen will be on hand Friday along with sideline reporter Rebecca Haarlow and members of the MSG Network production team, led by producer/director Howie Singer and Spencer Julien. It’s unclear whether Knicks president Leon Rose or senior vice president William Wesley will pull it off.
Breen and Frazier worked side by side for nearly 25 years, first in radio.
“When Walt was a gamer, he was a Hall of Famer because of his hard work,” said Breen, the 2021 inductee. “It’s the same as a broadcaster. It doesn’t just fly away. And I think he’s better now than he ever was. It’s more than his vocabulary.
“He doesn’t just want to teach basketball. He also wants to entertain them. And I don’t know of anyone else who can do what he does with rhyme. Nobody.”
Former Knicks superstar guard Earl Monroe shared the backcourt with Frazier 50 years ago when the franchise won its last championship in 1972-73. “Earl The Pearl” never saw a future broadcaster in the locker room, saying Frazier was “pretty quiet.”
“I didn’t think of Clyde as a Hall of Fame broadcaster,” Monroe said. “He understood the game, knew it well. It was a different time – the players weren’t there like they are today. But he took off doing things his own way. The reason he’s a Hall of Fame broadcaster is probably because he did it his way. He mesmerized people what he called the game.
Monroe laughed, knowing he had just used a word that is one of Frazier’s favorites: “hypnotized.”
“See how it spreads,” Monroe said with a laugh.
A year ago, Monroe opened the Earl Monroe Renaissance School in the Bronx with special classes designed for kids interested in the basketball industry. Dissemination is part of the curriculum. Frazier recently donated money to the school.
Jeff Van Gundy, the former Knicks coach who became an elite broadcaster, didn’t chat much with Frazier during their time together. Frazier recently told the Post that he deliberately tried not to befriend coaches or players despite traveling with them so he could be objective enough to criticize when necessary.
“I had very little interaction when I was coaching,” Van Gundy said. “But now that I’m just a fan, I really appreciate his opinions on all things Knicks and the league. There’s no better team in NBA broadcasting than Breen and Walt. ”
Mike Crispino, a longtime Knicks broadcaster who often filled the television, said Frazier was a joy to work with.
“One of the three best partners I’ve ever worked with – Bob Cousy, John Andariese and Walt,” Crispino said. “All showed class, dignity, respect and fairness on the show. Clyde was my favorite Knick because of his composure under pressure as a player, and that translated into his understanding of the game and communicating its nuances to listeners and viewers. ”
Marv Albert, Frazier’s first TV partner, recently told the Post that “Clyde” became a star because he “became more opinionated in recent years.”
“He’s really come a long way,” Albert said. “Again, he is not afraid to give his opinion. Not that he shoots, but if he thinks a player made a mistake defensively, he points it out because he was such a good defender.
In an exclusive interview with The Post after the announcement, Frazier estimated he would likely go through three more seasons – which would take him to the age of 80. But it will reduce car trips due to back pain.
Frazier was keeping a low profile this week, saving his gems for the talk. But the Knicks still have three more years of “Clyde” — the best thing the organization has going for it.
