This photo was taken in 1970 as the Knicks were becoming a big topic of discussion in the NBA. Kalinsky notes that before Walt Frazier became “Clyde,” the pair often spoke about potential alter-egos for Frazier. On this day, Frazier simply walked into Kalinsky’s office dressed in green from head-to-toe, complete with green alligator shoes. […]
“This was the first outrageous outfit I’ve ever seen him wear. And everybody was looking at him – they found him to be very unusual because in those days you didn’t see [many] pictures of athletes and what they looked like off the field. This was sort of the beginning. I was shooting shots of […]
In 1967, Clyde Frazier was drafted by the Knicks along with Phil Jackson, the current president of the franchise. Before Jackson had extreme success as head coach of the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers (11 rings!), he was also part of the Knicks’ two championship teams. In this shot, Kalinsky snapped a photo of […]
This picture documents the day when Kalinsky first met Clyde. Clyde was the star of the Southern Illinois Salukis, while Kalinsky was recently employed by The Garden as its photographer. In 1967, the Salukis played in the NIT (National Invitation Tournament) at The Garden. The night ended with Southern Illinois winning the championship and Clyde […]
George Kalinsky has been the official photographer of the Madison Square Garden since 1966. He has photographed people from all walks of life: The pope, rock stars, politicians, and of course, athletes. In Kalinsky’s early years at The Garden, he had the privilege of shooting the 1970 NBA Finals – a series in which New […]
