When you think of stylish basketball greats, you don’t need to look much further than Walt “Clyde” Frazier. A Hall of Fame floor general and contemporary wordsmith, Frazier led the Knicks to the franchise's only two NBA Championships (in 1970 and 1973) and presently he continues to support the team as a color commentator on the MSG Network. When talking about his signature style—his vibrant suits and hats—Frazier remarks how all ball players used to wear suits and how he had always considered it his duty for his appearance and articulation to represent not only his family but other African Americans. This Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Puma and Frazier teamed up to make a sneaker in the colorway of Frazier’s alma mater, the David T. Howard High School, a currently closed Atlanta high school that once taught the Frazier, NFL great Tommie Smith, former Atlanta mayor Maynard Jackson, and Martin Luther King Jr.
A portion of the sale of these special-edition sneakers will go towards the school's Alumni Association and to the Atlanta Partners for Education Fund, both of whom aim to renovate and reopen the historic school in 2018. On the anniversary of the awe inspiring civil rights leader’s birth, Frazier praises his importance, thanking him for giving Frazier and those like him “an opportunity.” Watch the video above to learn more about Frazier, David T. Howard High School, and the enduring legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.
