Starting PG: Walt “Clyde” Frazier
- Stats from 1967 to 1977:
- 19.3 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 6.1 APG, 1.9 STL
Frazier, ever the fashion and style aficionado, made a name for himself playing and commentating for the Knicks, donning garish and highly outlandish outfits off the court, an element of his personality chronicled in the ESPN 30 for 30 Short “Disdain the Mundane,” the title of which underlines his use of vibrant vocabulary during MSG broadcasts opposite Mike Breen.
Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987 in light of his decorated service with the Knicks, Frazier “wheeled and dealed” and “razzled and dazzled” for the Knickerbockers in the 1970s, helping New York win two titles during his time there. Although his center mate Willis Reed is noted for heroically limping onto the court for Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals to provide a morale boost for a team who was not aware he would even play, Frazier was the true star in that contest, torching the Lakers, who boasted a Hall of Fame lineup of Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, and Elgin Baylor, for 36 points and 19 assists in a 113-99 win.
Named to the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1996, Frazier held many Knick records until they were eclipsed by Patrick Ewing, but still accumulated the most assists in Knick history, dishing out 4,791 dimes in total. As the engine of the “Rolls Royce Backcourt” alongside guard Earl Monroe, Frazier had his number 10 retired in 1979, odd considering he was still suiting up for the Cleveland Cavaliers, who acquired him in 1977.
In addition to his accolades as player and commentator, Frazier was a seven-time All-Star (1970-1976), four-time All-NBA First Team guard (1970, 1972, 1974-1975), a two-time All-NBA Second Team guard (1971, 1973), and a seven-time All-Defensive First Team star (1969-1975), all with the Knicks.
Of all the players on this list, Frazier is easily its most boisterous, a man of style, class, and debonair demeanor with which “Broadway” Joe Namath himself cannot even contend.
