Cleveland, LeBron James Still Stick With Channing Frye After Retirement

After 14 seasons in the league, big man Channing Frye has been retired now for three years, but in that time, he has very much remained a part of the NBA landscape, as a part of the popular Road Trippin’ podcast, in regular appearances on NBA TV and with an outspoken and often amusing Twitter account. That’s no surprise—Frye was always popular among teammates during his playing career and, having been with five franchises, he has had plenty of teammates over that span.

In fact, Frye, recognizing that the most important connections he’s made have been on the court, has made revamping courts one of his post-career goals. During the just-passed NBA All-Star weekend in Cleveland, Frye teamed up with Mobile 1’s Tune Up program to unveil a renovated new court at the history Merrick House community center in the city, in tandem with Project Backboard.

“Now that I’m retired, I have an opportunity to try to make impacts in different areas that affected me when I was playing and try to be as authentic with these relationships or partnerships as possible,” Frye said. “And just hearing about Project Backboard with Mobile 1 and Tune Up and being at All-Star in Cleveland, especially being a basketball court—I think about how much I was on a basketball court. Right? That was just to go talk to my friends and shoot around and play 21. … I know that a court is endless, has endless possibilities, that is only limited by imagination. You know, a court has been somewhere where, you know, I discovered who I am to push past myself. I’ve had some of the toughest conversations with myself on a court, and some of my happiest moments on a court.”

Frye Was Key To Cavaliers’ 2016 Championship

Frye said it was especially rewarding to be able to give back to Cleveland, where he had played for parts of three seasons and was instrumental in helping to bring together the 2015-16 team that won the Cavaliers’ only championship. Frye, acquired at the trade deadline in 2016, was not a star on that team, but he provided big-man depth and more important, helped bind the locker room with his presence. But he also connected with the city.

“When I went to Cleveland, I was like, what does the Clevelander do? Who are they? Right?” Frye said. “And I and I always say that was tough for me to find in Orlando. I’m a dive bar, watch football watchman sports kind of guy. And that is what Cleveland is. And they built themselves from the inside. Right? They take so much pride and whether that’s Ohio State they go crazy. Whether that is the Indians, the Browns, the Cavs, the Monsters, they want themselves, they want their people to succeed.”

Of course, during his time with the Cavs, Frye had a notable teammate—LeBron James. And as an NBA analyst, he says he can’t be surprised by what James and his current team, the Lakers, are enduring in L.A., which has gone just 27-31 despite a much-hyped season. The amazing thing is that, after 19 seasons in the NBA, James has almost never had this kind of downswing.

“For me, I felt like there was just, there’s just pieces missing, whether that’s skill guys, whether that’s culture guys, whether that’s they’re too old or too, you know, coaching style, or they haven’t figured out who the Lakers are,” Frye said. “And it happens, it happens to 99.999% of all players. And at one time happens to LeBron, and it’s a media all the time. Yeah, the dude, dude is 52 years old, averaging 29 points, almost. And it’s just like, well, his team’s not elite. Guys, he’s doing everything he can.”

Indeed, as Frye can attest, things do change. Even, arguably, for the best athlete in Cleveland history. But he’s not counting out his ex-teammate yet.

“I still think they have a shooter’s chance,” Frye said. “But it’s gonna take a lot of communication and they got to figure it out very quickly.”