WNBA star Angel Reese was not in attendance for a Sunday NBA matchup between the New York Knicks and Orlando Magic, but she was on the mind of longtime Knicks color announcer Walt “Clyde” Frazier.
During the first quarter, Knicks forward OG Anunoby fouled Reese’s boyfriend, Orlando Magic center Wendell Carter Jr., on a hard collision.
NBA officials had to step in between the players to keep a brief scuffle from breaking out, and Anunoby was assessed with a Flagrant 1 foul following a video review.
In the aftermath of the flagrant foul, Frazier made a comment about Carter Jr.’s relationship with Reese.
“I like his taste, though, Mike,” Frazier said to Knicks play-by-play man Mike Breen as Carter Jr. prepared to shoot his free throws for the foul. “He’s dating Angel Reese. Not too bad.”
Frazier’s reaction went viral online, with many chiming in on the Knicks legend’s apparent affinity for Reese:
“Clyde is wild,” X user @sportyspicce wrote.
“Mike Breen just speechless,” X user @QuickkSZN2 added.
“Clyde treating a heated on-court moment as an opportunity to casually review someone’s dating life is the kind of priorities we need more of,” X user @noa_thia joked.
The 81-year-old Frazier won two championships as the Knicks starting point guard in 1970 and 1973. The Hall of Famer has been broadcasting games for the Knicks on MSG Networks since 1987, and his pairing on TV with Breen began in 1999.
Carter Jr. and Reese went public with their relationship last year. Both are former first-round picks that began their professional careers in Chicago, with Carter Jr. playing for the Bulls until a trade to the Magic in 2021.
“We’re both competitors,” Carter said about his relationship with Reese in April, per Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson. “Before games, after games, we tell each other what we should do night in and night out and not to pay too much attention to the outside noise. We call it the white noise.”
The Chicago Sky traded Reese to the Atlanta Dream this past offseason, which set in motion Atlanta’s eventual run to the WNBA Finals this month.
The Dream and Golden State Valkyries were tied in the WNBA Finals at two games apiece entering a pivotal Game 5 in the Bay Area on Monday, Oct. 26. The series will return to Atlanta for Game 6 on Thursday, while a potential Game 7 would be played back at the Valkyries’ home arena on Halloween if necessary.
Carter Jr. finished with nine points, 10 rebounds, and two assists against the Knicks on Sunday to help the Magic improve to 1-2 this season. The reigning NBA champion Knicks are still searching for their first win of the season, as the 111-102 loss dropped them to 0-3.
