Walt Frazier Defends Old Jordan Clip

One of the trending takeaways from The Last Dance was Knicks great Walt Frazier saying Michael Jordan wasn’t going to win in the league. After Jordan was drafted by the Bulls in 1984, Frazier said that the former UNC standout was “not seven foot, so he’s not going to carry a team in the NBA.”

Frazier heard that his words were in the documentary and defended his view this week.

“Early on, I wasn’t that familiar with him in college,’’ Frazier told Marc Berman of The New York Post. “Anyone who plays for Dean Smith, he holds them back. Vince Carter, (James) Worthy. You never know the versatility of these guys when they play for North Carolina. He keeps them in a team system. No one knew he was going to do what he did.”

“He broke his foot (his second season), I was like, ‘I don’t know,'” Frazier recalled. “And he was having trouble and complaining because he couldn’t beat the Pistons (in the late ’80s). He was crying he thought the general manager didn’t know what he was doing. That was when I still wasn’t sure if he’d be able to carry a team and make the next step. Then all of a sudden it happened.”

Frazier helped the Knicks win their first title in 1970. Years later, during the Bulls’ championship runs, Jordan knocked out New York on several occasions while Frazier was broadcasting for his former squad. He admits that he hasn’t watched the first two episodes of The Last Dance.

“I’m in enough pain with the coronavirus — I didn’t want to watch Jordan,’’ Frazier said. The Hall of Fame point guard then detailed his thoughts on who he thinks is the best player ever.

“There were only two players they ever changed the rules for in pro basketball – George Mikan, and Wilt Chamberlain — widening the lane for them,” Frazier said. “The two guys they had to neutralize by changing some aspect of the game. If not for Chamberlain, nobody would’ve heard of any of us. I don’t know if there would’ve been an NBA. If not for Wilt and Bill Russell. I don’t know if the NBA would’ve made it.

“I would find it hard to say Mike. Mike is right there with those guys, but if I had to pick, it would be Chamberlain.”

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