Walt “Clyde” Frazier may have broken a bit of news on Tuesday night’s Knicks broadcast on MSG Network.
While the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame won’t announce the class of 2024 until Saturday, Frazier revealed on-air ahead of time that Knicks legend Dick Barnett will soon be enshrined in the hall.
“Dick Barnett, great news he’s been inducted to the basketball hall of fame,” Frazier said during a break in the action of what would become a 109-99 Knicks loss to the Heat.
“Is it official?” play-by-play man Mike Breen asked in response. “Oh, that’s fantastic Clyde.”
Breen quickly realized or was informed that the news wasn’t public yet and said that Frazier “must have some inside information.”
“Earl the Pearl called and told me,” Frazier said.
“That’s so wonderful,” Breen responded.
Barnett, who is one of two veteran committee finalists, is more than deserving of the honor, and the news surely sent smiles across the faces of Knicks fans everywhere.
The legendary Knicks shooting guard played eight seasons in New York and is one of just seven players to have their number hanging from the rafters of Madison Square Garden.
Barnett was a member of both Knicks championship runs in 1970 and 1973 and made it to the NBA All-Star Game as a Knick in 1968.
He remains the franchise’s ninth-leading scorer with 9,442 points.
Barnett’s on-court success extends beyond just his time with the Knicks, leading Tennessee A&I University to three straight NAIA national championships and making the school the first historically black college or university (HBCU) to win a men’s basketball title in 1957.
The team was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2019
The Hall of Fame announced the 14 finalists for the class of 2024 in February, and the official inductees will be named during the men’s Final Four taking place in Phoenix, Arizona.
Seimone Augustus, Chauncey Billups, and Vince Carter are among the other finalists for this year’s class.