BIO: Michael Frazier was born in Tampa, Florida (USA).

NBL EXPERIENCE

Michael Frazier made his NBL debut with the Perth Wildcats at 27 years of age. He scored five points in his first game.

After finishing second with a 25-11 record and being swept by Melbourne in the Grand Final, Perth underwent major changes with five-time championship coach Trevor Gleeson (to Toronto) leaving for the NBA. John Mooney (to Chiba), Will Magnay (to Tasmania), Clint Steindl (to Tasmania), Jarrad Weeks (to Tasmania), Jarred Bairstow (to Tasmania) and Wani Swaka Lo Buluk (to Sydney) also departed.

Scott Morrison replaced Gleeson as coach, with Perth adding Vic Law (via Brisbane), Matthew Hodgson (via Brisbane), Jack Purchase (via Adelaide) and Michael Frazier II (via Delaware) as its third and final import. “I’m very excited, I’m excited for the new opportunity, I’m excited to help the team bring another championship back to the club, back to the city. I’ve heard nothing but great things about the club and about Perth from a lot of people, so I’m ready to get this show on the road,” he said.

The new import suffered a minor groin strain during the NBL Blitz and missed Perth’s remaining preseason games before leg soreness kept him out of the opening round. With Todd Blanchfield and Mitch Norton also sidelined, Perth started the season 2-1 while he missed the first three regular-season games.

After missing Perth’s first three games, Frazier (7.8 points and 4.6 rebounds across 19 games) returned to the lineup on December 17. Frazier (5 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists) made his NBL debut as Perth defeated Brisbane 83-70 at RAC Arena, with Cotton (29 points and 2 steals) and Wagstaff (19 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block) leading the Wildcats while Robert Franks (28 points and 9 rebounds) led Brisbane.

Perth played its first five games at home before Western Australia’s border restrictions forced the Wildcats into a league-record 14 consecutive games on the road. Frazier’s role fluctuated during the road trip and, despite producing several strong defensive and rebounding games, he struggled to find consistency offensively. He was available but did not play against Sydney on January 30, his only non-injury DNP of the season.

Frazier (14 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal) produced one of his strongest games against league-leading South East Melbourne on February 5, helping Perth recover from a 15-point deficit to win 101-79 at John Cain Arena. Travers (24 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 block) led the Wildcats while Xavier Munford (18 points) was South East Melbourne’s leading scorer.

His production fell away over the following games and Morrison moved him to the bench, explaining the change was designed to “give Mike a new look” and “get him energised and get him going a little bit.” After Frazier went scoreless against Tasmania on February 28, general manager Danny Mills publicly backed the import despite calls for Perth to make a change. “I think it’s just a phase. I think he’s going to work his way out of it and into form. We have complete confidence in Mike and so does the whole staff and the playing group,” Mills said.

After Perth returned to Western Australia, Frazier strained his hamstring at training and was ruled out of the March 20 game against New Zealand. The injury eventually kept him sidelined for five consecutive games from March 20 through April 7.

During his absence, Perth attempted to replace Frazier with John Brown III, beginning the process of registering the defensive specialist before the NBL’s player registration deadline. Brown arrived in Perth and trained with the Wildcats, but delays obtaining a FIBA Letter of Clearance from his former Russian club prevented him from being registered before Perth had completed 75 per cent of its regular-season games. The NBL rejected Perth’s request for an exemption, Brown returned to the United States and Frazier remained on the Wildcats roster.

Earlier today, @PerthWildcats head coach Scott Morrison addressed the awkward nature of how things have played out with Michael Frazier II and John Brown III.#NBL22 pic.twitter.com/scxWbnKfDQ— NBL (@NBL) April 6, 2022

Cotton (22.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.5 steals across 28 games) and Law (20.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks across 26 games) led Perth as the Wildcats averaged a league-high 89.1 points per game, with both selected to the All-NBL First Team. Blanchfield (10.4 points and 4.4 rebounds across 23 games) and Norton (9.6 points and 3.8 assists across 18 games) both missed significant time through injury, while Travers (7.8 points and 5.4 rebounds across 27 games), Hodgson (6.9 points and 4.7 rebounds across 18 games), Wagstaff (6.2 points across 28 games) and Majok (5.3 points and 5.2 rebounds across 28 games) provided further support.

After several weeks sidelined, Frazier (3 points and 1 rebound) returned against Adelaide on April 14, but Law (20 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks) and Hodgson (16 points and 6 rebounds) were unable to prevent an 82-70 loss, with Sunday Dech (23 points and 9 rebounds), Dusty Hannahs (23 points) and Daniel Johnson (23 points and 6 rebounds) leading the 36ers.

Two nights later, Frazier (19 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal) came off the bench and made seven of 10 shots as Perth defeated Cairns 106-87 at RAC Arena. Cotton (22 points, 10 assists, and 2 steals) and Law (17 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block) provided support, while Keanu Pinder (24 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block) led Cairns. Law suffered a right ankle syndesmosis injury during the game and was ruled out for the remainder of the season.

Frazier (11 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal) remained in the starting lineup against Illawarra on April 22, but Perth fell 82-77 despite Cotton (25 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists) and Majok (16 points, 10 rebounds, and 1 steal), while Tyler Harvey (22 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals) and Duop Reath (19 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 blocks) led the Hawks. The loss meant Perth entered its final game needing to defeat South East Melbourne to reach the finals after Tasmania defeated Melbourne.

Frazier’s best game came in Perth’s final regular-season game against South East Melbourne on April 24, where Frazier (22 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block) made five three-pointers and helped Perth build an eight-point lead before the Phoenix forced overtime. Cotton (28 points, 4 rebounds, and 8 assists) and Hodgson (12 points, 10 rebounds, and 1 block) provided support, while Munford (24 points, 6 rebounds, 10 assists, and 3 steals), Brandon Ashley (17 points and 6 rebounds) and Mitch Creek (15 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals) led South East Melbourne. Frazier scored to put Perth ahead 100-97 with two minutes remaining in overtime before the Phoenix scored the final five points and won 102-100, leaving Perth fifth with a 16-12 record and ending its run of 35 consecutive finals appearances.

ILLAWARRA HAWKS
2022/23
After reaching the semifinals in consecutive seasons, Illawarra entered the 2022/23 campaign without Brian Goorjian, who departed to coach the Bay Area Dragons in the East Asia Super League. Long-time assistant Jacob Jackomas was promoted to head coach, but Duop Reath (to Lebanon), Justinian Jessup (to Spain), Antonius Cleveland (to Adelaide), Xavier Rathan-Mayes (to Melbourne), Harry Froling (to Brisbane) and Emmett Naar (to the Netherlands) departed, while AJ Ogilvy retired, leaving Tyler Harvey and Sam Froling as the only players retained from the previous season’s main rotation. Deng Deng (via Brisbane), Wani Swaka Lo Buluk (via Sydney), Mangok Mathiang (via Casey) and imports Justin Robinson and George King joined the rebuilt roster.

Robinson (10 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block across one game) suffered a meniscus tear during the season opener and was replaced by Peyton Siva (via New Zealand). King (10.7 points and 4.1 rebounds across 9 games) was placed on injury reserve after an ongoing ankle and lower-leg injury affected his ability to train and play, leading Illawarra to sign Michael Frazier II (via Perth) on November 21 as King’s injury replacement for the remainder of the season. “He is a willing defender with great size and strength, and be it at the 3-point line or getting downhill and attacking the basket, we feel like he will make an immediate impact on the group,” Jackomas said.

Frazier (17.3 points and 3.9 rebounds across 8 games) started seven of his eight appearances and became an important secondary scorer and ball-handler alongside Harvey (18.9 points and 1.5 steals across 27 games), Froling (14 points and 8 rebounds across 28 games), Siva (9.3 points, 6.3 assists, and 1.6 steals across 11 games), Deng (8.6 points and 6.5 rebounds across 28 games) and Mathiang (7.7 points and 5.1 rebounds across 25 games). The Hawks had already played ten games before he joined, accounting for half of the 20 games he missed during the season.

Frazier (17 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal) made his Illawarra debut against South East Melbourne at John Cain Arena on November 27, joining Harvey (17 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals) as the Hawks’ leading scorer, while Siva (10 points and 3 assists) returned to the lineup. Mitchell Creek (27 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal), Trey Kell III (24 points and 1 steal) and Alan Williams (21 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 steals) led the Phoenix to a 112-78 win, extending Illawarra’s losing streak to nine games.

Illawarra ended the losing streak against Melbourne at the WIN Entertainment Centre on December 5, where Frazier (16 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal) produced his most complete performance in a victory. Froling (29 points, 9 rebounds, and 1 block), Harvey (15 points) and Deng (11 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals) provided support, while Rayjon Tucker (27 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal) led United as the Hawks won 93-79 and collected their first victory since October 6.

Frazier’s best game came at the Cairns Convention Centre on December 10, where he made six three-pointers and finished with 26 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. Froling (22 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block), Harvey (21 points, 3 assists, and 4 steals), Siva (13 points, 3 rebounds, 8 assists, and 1 steal) and Deng (11 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block) helped Illawarra build a 16-point lead, while Tahjere McCall (23 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block), DJ Hogg (23 points) and Keanu Pinder (18 points, 14 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals) led Cairns. Harvey made a three-pointer during the final seconds of regulation to force overtime, but the Taipans escaped with a 102-101 double-overtime win.

Frazier’s highest-scoring game came against Melbourne at John Cain Arena on December 18, where he finished with 27 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists and made all seven of his free throws. Froling (18 points and 6 rebounds) was Illawarra’s other major scorer, while Chris Goulding (25 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists) and Mason Peatling (19 points, 11 rebounds, and 1 block) led United to an 88-77 win.

Illness ruled Frazier out of Illawarra’s December 22 road game against Tasmania, while hamstring tightness caused him to fail a fitness test and miss the January 2 game against Cairns. These were the only two games he missed between his debut and final appearance.

Frazier (11 points, 1 rebound, and 1 assist) scored all 11 points in 8:39 against Adelaide at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre on January 6 before colliding with two 36ers players late in the opening quarter and leaving the game with a left-arm injury. Harvey (22 points and 2 steals), Deng (19 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks) and Froling (14 points and 10 rebounds) helped Illawarra lead during the final quarter, while Daniel Johnson (18 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists), Anthony Drmic (16 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal) and Ian Clark (16 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 block) led Adelaide to a 103-95 win. Scans revealed a fractured left forearm and a four-to-six-week recovery period, ruling him out of Illawarra’s final eight games. “Michael has been nothing short of outstanding from the minute he walked into the Snakepit. His work ethic, commitment to his craft, and willingness to do whatever his coaches and teammates asked of him is a credit to his character, and the professional Michael is,” general manager Mat Campbell said.

Frazier became the fourth Illawarra import to have his season ended by injury after Robinson, King and Siva. Swaka Lo Buluk (4.9 points across 28 games) received the club’s Defensive Player of the Year award, Daniel Grida (5.1 points and 3.9 rebounds across 14 games) received the Community Award and Akoldah Gak (1 point across 13 games) was named Players’ Player, while Froling received the club MVP award and Harvey collected the Members’ Choice Award. Illawarra suffered 14 losses by ten points or fewer.

The Hawks closed the season against Tasmania at the WIN Entertainment Centre on February 4, where Harvey (13 points) and Froling (12 points, 7 rebounds, and 1 steal) led Illawarra, while Milton Doyle (20 points, 8 rebounds, 10 assists, and 1 steal) and Jack McVeigh (14 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals) guided the JackJumpers to an 87-63 win, leaving the Hawks in 10th place with a franchise-worst 3-25 record.

Michael Frazier played two seasons in the NBL, playing for both the Illawarra Hawks and the Perth Wildcats. He averaged 10.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 27 NBL games.