Walt Frazier Bio [2024 Update]: Net Worth - Players Bio (2024)

Every single day, every single year, thousands of athletes debut on the field. However, only a few notable ones are successful when leaving a mark, although we see every player’s sweat and tears.

Today, as we plunge into NBA, I will take around the life of a former legend, Walt Frazier, often compared to Michael Jordan.

Walt Frazier is an exceptional clutch player who slays both on and off-field with playing style and fashion style.

To illustrate, Frazier is a former point guard in theNational Basketball Association (NBA), featured for New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers.

Additionally, he is best known for his leading games in New York Knicks, where he led the team to their only two championships (1970 and 1973).

Apart from his NBA, Frazier is a color commentator for telecasts on the MSG Network.

“The star player must slay his ego and learn teamwork and communication skills before he can achieve the ultimate in sports.”
-Walt Frazier

Quick Facts

Body Measurements

Walt Frazier is a maintained player who seems to get better every day, even physically. Frazier stands at 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) while weighing 200 lb (91 kg).

As for his appearance, Frazier is tan-skinned with black hair and beard. Additionally, he has eyes the same hair color and has a bit hint of wrinkles due to age.

He has a great fashion sense despite those age barriers and pulls his dynamic look and physical features.

Workout and Food Schedules

As we plunge into his daily life, Frazier wakes up at 8:00 in the morning, doing small exercises in bed. Following it, Frazier does a few sets of crunches, oblique, yoga, and bicycle workouts.

He commences his day with water, protein powder, honey, herbal tea, and soy milk. After that, he hits his gym, which he has in his own house, followed by a quick shower.

Later, he has salmon steak or chicken,broccoli and carrots or brussels sprouts, yogurt with pecans, and honey for dinner.

Then, he dresses up to stop by his restaurant, closes the day with a late workout, and decides on another day’s next suit.

Walt Frazier | Early Life

On March 29, 1945, Frazier was born under Aries’ sun sign to his parents, Walt Frazier, Sr., and Eula Frazier. He grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, alongside his eight younger siblings.

Back then, Walt’s father used to make boxes in the assembly line for the Atlanta Paper Co., while his mother was a homemaker.

Thus, his father did not use to be at home most of the time, making Walt his father’s replacement for the responsibility.

During that tenure, Frazier lived in a modest duplex in segregated Atlanta (the Fourth Ward at 539 East Ave), where he shared a room with his four sisters.

In that single room, Frazier used to sleep on the top of a bunk bed, while two sisters slept below him while the other two slept on the other side of the room’s bunk bed.

All in all, they were all sleeping in one room while others were sleeping in the living room. Their duplex had a playground where he used to play with other kids in the neighborhood.

Frazier was a simple kid. In an interview with the New York Post, he said, “I never did drugs, I never smoked. I was a sophom*ore in college before I drank a beer…I used to have these terrible headaches…that’s it, no more drinking.”

Education

Walt Frazier spent all his childhood in Atlanta as he finished his schooling there. They lived near his school as it was only two blocks away from the grade school while it was ten blocks away from the high school.

Moreover, Walt attended David Tobias Howard High School. During those years, deep down, he always wanted to ride the school bus although, he could walk to school.

Equally important, Frazier was on the high school’s football team, where he was the quarterback and even the catcher on the baseball team.

He learned it all by himself initially, as his school did not have official basketball to talk about his basketball. In the 1950s, where blacks and whites were segregated, and his school was all black.

After graduation, Frazier was well-known for his school’s football; however, he was denied all his college scholarships.

In addition to that, Frazier opted to study at Southern Illinois University as he said, “there were no black quarterbacks, so I played basketball.”

College Career

As Frazier enrolled in Southern Illinois University as he became part of the collegiate basketball team.

During his rookie year, Frazier was named to the Division II All-American in 1964 and again named in his sophom*ore.

Walt led his team to the NCAA Division II Tournament; however, they lost to Jerry Sloan. The very moment Frazier’s academics started to drop; thus, he considered forgoing college.

Later, his poor academics made him ineligible to play basketball; hence, he started working in his classes alongside his practice with the Salukis.

With Salukis, Walt learned defense and got to resume his basketball from the 1966–1967 season.

Then, Walt moved from Division II to Division I, where he helped SIU win the National Invitation Tournament against Marquette University.

Altogether, Frazier closed the chapter with the Most Valuable Player of the 1967 tournament at the old Madison Square Garden in New York.

Walt Frazier |Professional Career

New York Knicks

New York Knicks drafted Walt Frazier in 1967 as the fifth overall, and he first began in the NBA All-Rookie Team during the 1967–68 season. During his rookie season, Frazier maintained 9 points as an average in each game.

Likewise, Walt’s sophom*ore year holds an average record of 17.5 points, 7.9 assists, and 6.2 rebounds per game.

Thus, Frazier was titled one of the most improved players in the league. Later, they chose Frazier as an NBA All-Star during the 1969–70 season.

Herewith, Frazier led the Knicks to the 1970 NBA Finals; however, his star teammate Willis Reed came across a leg injury in Game 5. Overall, Reed made it out in-game seven, but to no avail.

Therefore, Frazier contributed 36 points, seven rebounds, 19 assists, and six steals, which led the Knicks to their victory.

ESPN named it the best game ever seen by the end of the game, while Frazier’s performance was the greatest in NBA playoff history.

Breakthrough

They had a victory in the 1970 NBA Finals; they couldn’t gain the same victory in 1971, losing against Baltimore Bullets. For the 1971 NBA Finals, Walt had an average of 20.4 points per game in the second series.

Following it, Frazier was titled MVP of an exhibition game played between NBA and ABA All-Stars in Houston’s Astrodome as he had 26 points.

Before returning to the 1972 NBA Final, Knicks thought to trade Monroe as he wasn’t a good guard with Frazier.

By the end, the duo (Frazier and Monroe) proved them wrong with their chemistry while earning the nickname “Rolls Royce.”

Coming back to NBA Championship this year, too, the Knicks were defeated by the Los Angeles Lakers, who had now set a record for it.

Equally important, the Knicks returned to the 1973 NBA Championship, where they toppled the champions, the Lakers. Then, jumping right to 1976, Frazier was selected for NBA All-Star Game, which came as his final NBA game.

Overall, Frazier parted his way with the Knicks in 1977, where he had set Knicks’ franchise records for most games.

During his tenure there, Frazier had featured in a total of 759 games as he had played for 28,995 minutes in the games. Not to mention, Walt had 11,669 field goal attempts, among which he had 5,736 made goals.

Similarly, his attempts for free throws were 4,017, among which he could make 3,145. Altogether, Frazier had 4,791 assists with 14,617 points.

Cleveland Cavaliers

The Knicks traded Frazier to Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Jim Cleamons, which aroused many furies. The news back then came as the Knicks traded the greatest player in the NBA.

All in all, Frazier’s journey with the Cavaliers was short, as he appeared in a total of 66 games.

By the end, he retired in the mid-way of the 1979–80 season, where he has his career-lowest record of 3.3 points and 2.7 assists in 3 games for a season.

After seven years of his NBA career, Frazier was finally inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Walt Frazier | Highlights and Career Stats

• 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 50th Anniversary All-Time Team
• NIT champion(1967)
• NIT MVP (1967)
• Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987

In the bargain, Frazier had a successful career. When he left the New York Knicks, his jersey number 10 also retired on December 15, 1979.

Thus, in September 2012, a double-decker bus ride was arranged around New York City as an honor to Frazier with Ride of Fame.

“When a player keeps a calm demeanor on the court, it’s easier for his ability to shine. The best response to an opposing player’s physical or psychological tactics is to keep cool and come right back at him with the force of your game, not your fists. Revenge is always sweeter if your team wins the game.”
-Walt Frazier

Walt Frazier Quotes

• The attitude of wanting to win-doing everything in your power except cheating to win.
• The star player must slay his ego and learn teamwork and communication skills before achieving the ultimate in sport.
• The difference between shooters and scorers is that shooters usually need plays to be run for them or screens to get their shot.
• There are different eras and generations, but basketball is still the same. In old school or new school, the fundamentals of the game- passing, dribbling, and shooting- never change. The styles and forms may change, but from 1946 to 2006, there’s been a right way and a wrong way to practice and perform these skills, which remains the same.
• Winning squads emphasize fundamentals-pick and rolls, teamwork, and defense. They play with passion, and they play hard. They move the ball, and when their players don’t have it, they move well without the ball. Furthermore, they play with sagacity by exploiting mismatches. They gauge their opponents’ weaknesses and then attack them relentlessly.

Walt Frazier | Broadcasting Career

Frazier retired from his professional games, took a break, and returned to the field from a different dimension.

Walt Frazier commenced his broadcasting career in 1981 through TBS Network, where he first worked through radio and then advanced to television.

First, Frazier broadcasted Hawks games in his hometown of Atlanta and later joined MSG Network in 1987.

Frazier covered his former team, New York Knicks, and even earned himself some New York Emmy Award nominations during his tenure.

Subsequently, as he got deeper into broadcasting, he introduced a new approach to level up the game.

Even today, you can see him using numerous rhymes and phrases. Let me highlight some of his rhyme phrases below.

• “He is the Knick with the Knack right now.”
• “Baker the shot-maker.”
• “Giveth, then he taketh.”
• “Rose with the shake and bake.”

Consequently, we can say that Frazier has always been that evergreen tree. He is a color commentator for telecasts of Knicks games, where he is accompanied by nationally recognized play-by-play announcer Mike Breen.

Walt Frazier | Net Worth And Salary

According to the sources, Walt Frazier is reported to have a net worth of $8.8 million as he has a salary of $300K salary.

Additionally, Walt’s foremost brand endorsem*nt came through PUMA, a German shoe brand waiting to make a mark in the American market. All in all, Frazier was given $5,000 and free shoes.

Later, he stood as the epitome of style with fedoras, mink coats, custom suits, and a Rolls-Royce. Talking more about Frazier’s style can be considered one of the most stylish players in the NBA.

To know more about his unique style, you can go through the Clyde So Fly website.

There you will be provided with catalogs of every suit he wears while broadcasting New York Knicks games. As for his PUMA shoes, it is an array of Frazier’s “signature colorful style.”

Clyde Frazier’s Wine and Dine

Walt Frazier has a restaurant in NYC, Manhattan, which can be done for casual evening dining.

The restaurant is adorned with “The Coolest Athletes Of All Time” by GQ Magazine throughout the walls and ceilings.

As for the food, they serve Walt’s special menus with co*cktails and desserts. Additionally, each guest will be provided with a “Rockin’ Steady: A Guide to Basketball and Cool,” a book signed by Walt himself.

House and Charity

Walt Frazier bought a house in St Croix in 2010, which he has been living in ever since. Furthermore, Frazier has spent years designing and rebuilding the house he now calls the “Garden Home.”

“I love the fresh air, the laid-back atmosphere, the beauty of the island. Whether you go to the north shore, the east side, all over the place — I’ve been on a lot of islands — but I find few islands that are more diversified and beautiful than St Croix.”
-Walt Frazier

After making up his own life, Frazier is up to helping the community.

He has been involved in charitable works as he has helped organizations like the American Heart Association, American Stroke Association, COPE Foundation, and Garden of Dreams Foundation.

Net Worth of Walt Frazier in Different Currencies

Here is the net worth of Walt Frazier in different currencies, including the Euro and Pound.

Walt Frazier | Private Life and Social Media

Today, Walt Frazier is in a happy relationship with his longtime girlfriend, Patricia James. The duo shares a house in Harlem, St. Croix, as his girlfriends help Walt with his property and rental business.

Before Patricia, Frazier was married to his junior college sweetheart, Marsha Clark, as they married in 1965.

Furthermore, they even share a son, Walt III Frazier; however, their relationship was short-lived. The duo got separated after graduation in just two years of marriage.

Both moved on happily with their lives, and that was when Frazier met James and got inseparable. Now, they have a beautiful daughter named Angel Frazier.

Walt Frazier | FAQs

Why is Walt Frazier called Clyde?

In 1976, Walt Frazier had worn a fedora similar to Warren Beatty, who played Clyde Barrow in the 1967 film Bonnie and Clyde. Thus, from then on, he was nicknamed Clyde.

What is Walt Frazier’s Best Moment as a Player?

As per Walt Frazier, his best moment as a player is the 1969-70 season, when Reed was injured and out of the court. That’s because he could make 36 points and 19 assists.

What is Walt Frazier’s Best Moment as a Broadcaster?

According to Walt Frazier, his best moment as a broadcaster is the Bulls-Knicks series’. That’s because he could witness the game up close while being around Michael Jordan.

Can Walt Frazier Dunk?

Although Walt Frazier doesn’t dunk or do any fancy passes, he does his job smoothly, whether in offense or defense.

Does Walt Frazier Have a Ring?

Yes, he has won 2 NBA championships(1970, 1973) with the New York Knicks.

Are Walt Frazier and Lebron Friends?

No, they are not best friends.