I met Walt ‘Clyde’ Frazier seven years ago when I started working with MSG Networks and the Knicks.
Over the course of my tenure with the Network, Clyde became one of my best buds and I am honored to be able to work alongside him.
Since he stepped foot in New York, the Knicks legend has personified everything cool. So in honor of his 70th birthday, I thought I would share some interesting facts I learned throughout the course of our friendship that you likely don’t know.
March 29th is a special day. I am proud to call Clyde a colleague. But most of all, I am grateful to call him my friend.
10 THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT CLYDE:
1. Clyde has 125 suits in his closet. When he is done wearing one, he stores it in his basement. How long does it take to make one of his masterpieces? Three to four months. He also has 100 unique pairs of shoes.
2. When Clyde walks into The Garden, he walks through the Delta Suite, stops at the sushi bar, fills up a plastic cup with sushi and ginger, and eats it during halftime.
3. Clyde doesn’t really like sweets – Snickers is his only vice (you’ll see him eat two-to-three in the second half if you watch him during a game).
4. He doesn’t wear a watch – it feels constricting. When he needs the time, he calls me!
5. No matter how cold it is outside, he NEVER wears a coat. He doesn’t like to carry anything extra.
6. Clyde works out five days a week; an hour-and-a-half per session. He’ll either spin, do yoga or lift weights.
7. Number of people who call him Walt: One – Phil Jackson.
8. How does he come up with his rhymes? He reads tons of books. It could be a dictionary, a thesaurus or a novel. He gets ideas in different places.
9. Best birthday gift he received as a kid? A bicycle.
10. When he travels with the team, he does not bring a suitcase. He brings one suit in a garment bag and carries his “man bag.” All his toiletries fit in that. He prefers to travel lightly.
I asked him what his birthday wish is. He said, “I want to live to be 100. I want to be on the Today Show, on a Smuckers jar and have Willard Scott wish me a Happy Birthday!”
Happy Birthday Clyde. You are a legend in every way.
Love,
Jill