Frazier, Breen joined by Knicks players to discuss championship season and defending their title
September 2026 – Drew University’s Drew Forum 2026-27 series started off with a Bang!, welcoming New York Knicks broadcasters Mike Breen and Walt “Clyde” Frazier to the stage.
The event was generously underwritten by the Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation.
In a conversation moderated by ESPN and MSG Networks NBA Analyst Alan Hahn, the broadcasting duo discussed the Knicks’ 2026 Championship run, revealing fun nuggets and historical perspectives, and took a look at the upcoming season.
Breen and Frazier began with their feelings immediately following the team’s victory over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
“It was hard to hold in the emotions on the air. I’m supposed to be an objective broadcaster and I hope I achieved that for the most part, but to finally see it happen was magical,” said Breen, who grew up rooting for the Knicks.
“I had a big smile on my face,” said Frazier. “Actually, I felt like a parent and I was watching my kids thrive and be successful. I was so proud of them.”
Along their championship run, the team won nine consecutive road games and clinched each series on the road, an achievement the tandem credited traveling Knicks fandom for impacting.
“If you don’t think the Knick fans in those buildings had an impact in those games…it was enormous,” said Breen. “For a player to be in that atmosphere, in what is normally a hostile environment, and here Knick chants…I’ve never seen anything like it and there’s no question it inspired them.”
Frazier likened the 2026 team to his Knick championship teams in 1970 and 1973, all known for their teamwork and chemistry. “My teams, we realized that when we win, everybody wins.”
He further broke down the keys to success, noting the importance in all aspects of life of giving full 100 percent effort. Frazier pointed to star Jalen Brunson for personifying what that effort can allow for a player to overcome and become. It is a defining characteristic of Frazier’s all-time Knicks players.
“(Brunson) was a second-round draft choice,” he said. “They’ve always looked down on him, that he couldn’t do this, he couldn’t do that. This is what I tell kids about the greatest Knicks of all-time. I say it’s Willis. Willis Reed was only a second-round draft choice when he came to the Knicks. Patrick Ewing. When Patrick came out of Jamaica he couldn’t walk and chew gum at the same time, he was just an awkward kid. And Walt Frazier, I’m there. I never thought I would be a pro player. The first pro game I ever saw was the one that I played in. So you have four of the greatest Knicks, with Brunson who wasn’t that dynamic, he’s got to be on Mount Rushmore, we’ve got to start chiseling his face up there.”
To close out the event, the voices of the Knicks were joined by Knicks guards Deuce McBride and Landry Shamet who offered their thoughts of the team’s championship run.
Hahn asked the guards what changed between games three and four of their first round series against Atlanta, down 2-1, that started a run of not losing for more than a month.
“There was just no panic, honestly,” said McBride. “I remember KAT, OG, JB, the leaders of the team, just had no panic to their faces. We had a sense of urgency, but I felt like nobody in the locker room was panicked. I think we all understood we had to turn it around now because we have such a special opportunity to do something great.”
The tandem touched on what McBride credited Shamet for labeling themselves—along with Jose Alvarado and Jordan Clarkson—as a “revolving door of x-factors” who personified the teams’ unselfish play and mindset.
“On a lot of other teams ego can come into play and could be butting heads or hoping Deuce doesn’t make a few shots so I can get some burn or vice versa,” said Shamet. “We all looked at each other on the plane home from San Antonio like, ‘That didn’t once happen,’ which is super rare. I think that’s pretty special.”
The guards looked ahead to the upcoming season and discussed their mindsets in defending their title.
“It starts today,” said McBride. “We just came from practice, from a two-a-day. It feels like only a little bit ago we were on the parade float and going around town, but it truly starts today and I feel like that’s what carried us last year, was our preparation going into the season”
“The first game, when the ball goes up, none of (last year) matters, and that’s the approach you have to take,” added Shamet. “That stuff’s not going to carry you. You need to redefine the things that are going to carry you. I think not being complacent and content in how euphoric we felt, and you all felt, that stuff’s not there to protect you anymore. I think redefining and reestablishing all those things is probably the biggest thing.”
The Drew Forum series will continue with three more events this fall and spring.
On November 2, Hollywood star Michael Douglas will join the Drew Forum as part of a book tour for his memoir, One Helluva Ride, in a conversation moderated by Turner Classic Movies host Ben Mankiewicz.
On March 15, the season’s third event will feature sports talk media icons Mike Francesa and Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo.
The season will wrap up on April 27 in an event featuring New York Times op-ed columnist Bret Stephens and New York Times journalist and bestselling author Frank Bruni in a conversation moderated by Drew University President Hilary L. Link, PhD.
Tickets for all events are available at the Mayo Performing Arts Center website and box office.
