Retiring Cleveland Cavaliers veteran Channing Frye played the final road game of his 13-year NBA career on Friday night against the Golden State Warriors.
That allowed him to pay tribute on social media to Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, who aided Frye’s career and shares his collegiate alma mater, the University of Arizona.
Frye’s Instagram post also included a pregame video of him interacting with Kerr as the two watched a tongue-in-cheek “tribute” video prepared for Frye by the Warriors:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bv5xV4Zg_Ht/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=16tx2jotp4hwh
Kerr was serving as general manager of the Phoenix Suns in July 2009 when he made the decision to sign Frye as a free agent. Upon signing him, Kerr surprised Suns fans by stating that Frye would become a three-point shooter. That was considered an amusing notion since Frye had made a total of 20 3-pointers in his first four years in the league.
Yet Kerr’s words proved to be prophetic as Frye knocked down 594 shots from beyond the arc over his next four campaigns, including 172 in that first season.
Kerr left the Suns after that 2009-10 season, but helped create Frye’s newfound success from long-range. That ability helped broaden the veteran’s game and has allowed him to drill a total of 1,046 3-pointers with two games left in his career.
Even though Frye and Kerr were on opposite sides of the once-bitter Cavaliers-Warriors rivalry, it’s clear that the two’s friendship will remain long after Frye takes off his jersey for the final time on Tuesday night.
