Walt Frazier

Walt 'Clyde' Frazier was the coolest player in NBA history — a two-way guard whose defensive brilliance and smooth offensive game led the New York Knicks to their only two championships in 1970 and 1973. His Game 7 performance in the 1970 Finals — 36 points, 19 assists, 7 rebounds — is often overshadowed by Willis Reed's iconic entrance but was the actual reason the Knicks won the title.

Frazier's defense was suffocating. He made seven All-Defensive First Team selections, and his quick hands produced steals at a rate that predated the official tracking of the statistic. He could shut down the opposing team's best guard while simultaneously orchestrating the Knicks' motion offense, a two-way combination that made him one of the most valuable players of the early 1970s.

Beyond basketball, Frazier was a cultural icon. His Rolls-Royce, his fur coats, his wide-brimmed hats, and his effortless cool made him the embodiment of 1970s New York style. His second career as the Knicks' television analyst — with his rhyming vocabulary and signature phrases — has kept him relevant for a new generation. Two rings, elite defense, and the smoothest game in basketball history.