Clyde Drexler
Encyclopedia
Clyde Austin "Clyde The Glide" Drexler (born June 22, 1962) is a former National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...

 shooting guard
Shooting guard
The shooting guard , also known as the two or off guard, is one of five traditional positions on a basketball team. Players of the position are often shorter, leaner, and quicker than forwards. A shooting guard's main objective is to score points for his team...

 and small forward. A ten-time All-Star and member of the Basketball Hall of Fame
Basketball Hall of Fame
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States, honors exceptional basketball players, coaches, referees, executives, and other major contributors to the game of basketball worldwide...

, the NBA named him one of basketball's fifty greatest players as of 1996. Drexler won an Olympic gold medal in 1992
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...

 and an NBA championship
Championship
Championship is a term used in sport to refer to various forms of competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.- Title match system :...

 in 1995 with the Houston Rockets
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...

. He is currently the color commentator
Color commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...

 for Rockets home games.

Early years

Drexler lived in the South Park community in Houston. Drexler attended Ross Sterling High School
Sterling High School (Houston)
Ross Shaw Sterling High School is a secondary school located in Houston, Texas.Sterling, which serves grades 9 through 12, is a part of the Houston Independent School District....

 in Houston, Texas, where he was a classmate of tennis player Zina Garrison
Zina Garrison
Zina Lynna Garrison is a former professional tennis player from the United States. During her career, she was a women's singles runner-up at Wimbledon in 1990, a three-time Grand Slam mixed doubles champion, and a women's doubles gold medalist at the 1988 Olympic Games.-Career:An African-American...

. As a sophomore, he made the varsity baseball team as a first baseman, but soon quit in order to focus on basketball. He didn't try out for the basketball team until his junior year, and was promptly cut during tryouts due to lack of conditioning. Drexler played as a 6'6" center as a senior, and started receiving attention from college coaches following a 34-point, 27-rebound performance against Sharpstown High School
Sharpstown High School
Sharpstown High School is a secondary school located at 7504 Bissonnet Street in Greater Sharpstown, Houston, Texas, United States with a zip code of 77074. It serves grades 9 through 12 and is a part of the Houston Independent School District...

 during a 1979 Christmas tournament.

After graduating in 1980, he was recruited by New Mexico State, Texas Tech
Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University, often referred to as Texas Tech or TTU, is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and originally known as Texas Technological College, it is the leading institution of the Texas Tech University System and has the...

, and the University of Houston
University of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...

, the latter after childhood friend Michael Young
Michael Young (basketball)
Michael Wayne Young is a retired American basketball player. After a 15-year playing career spent in the NBA and overseas, he is currently the director of basketball operations and performance enhancement at the University of Houston, his alma mater.- College :Young, a native Houstonian, played...

 told an assistant to head coach Guy V. Lewis that Drexler was the best player he had faced in high school; Houston was able to recruit them both due to Drexler's friendship with Young and his desire to stay home. In addition to basketball, he majored in finance
Finance
"Finance" is often defined simply as the management of money or “funds” management Modern finance, however, is a family of business activity that includes the origination, marketing, and management of cash and money surrogates through a variety of capital accounts, instruments, and markets created...

 and worked at a bank during the summer. Lewis recalled in 2003 that he initially received hate mail from Houston supporters and alumni for recruiting Drexler, as they felt that he wasn't good enough to play for the school.

Phi Slama Jama

Drexler and Young, along with Larry Micheaux
Larry Micheaux
Larry Wayne Micheaux is a retired American professional basketball player.-College:An all-state basketball player as a senior at E. E...

 and new recruit Hakeem Olajuwon
Hakeem Olajuwon
Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon is a retired Nigerian-American professional basketball player. From 1984 to 2002, he played the center position in the National Basketball Association for the Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors. He led the Rockets to back-to-back NBA championships in 1994 and 1995. In 2008,...

, comprised the "Phi Slama Jama" basketball fraternity that gained national attention for its acrobatic, above-the-rim play. New players were "initiated" into the fraternity by having to stand underneath the basket as Drexler drove in from halfcourt and threw down a tomahawk slam over them. Houston made the first of Drexler's two straight Final Four appearances in 1982, where they lost to eventual champions North Carolina
University of North Carolina
Chartered in 1789, the University of North Carolina was one of the first public universities in the United States and the only one to graduate students in the eighteenth century...

. He averaged 15.2 points and 10.5 rebounds (second in the Southwest Conference) per game as a small forward as Houston finished 25-8.

The 1982-83 campaign saw Houston return to the Final Four
Final four
Final Four isa sports term that is commonly applied to the last four teams remaining in a playoff tournament, most notably NCAA Division I college basketball tournaments. The term usually refers to the four teams who compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final round...

 ranked #1. They were matched up against #2 Louisville
University of Louisville
The University of Louisville is a public university in Louisville, Kentucky. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of the first universities chartered west of the Allegheny Mountains. The university is mandated by the Kentucky General...

 and the "Doctors of Dunk" in the semifinals, which Houston won 94-81 following a brilliant dunking display by both sides, including a double-pump slam by Drexler that Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...

writer Curry Kirkpatrick called "your basic play of the century." He finished with 21 points, seven rebounds and six assists, but in the championship game
1983 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1983 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 52 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 2, 1983, and ended with the championship game on April 4 at The Pit, then officially known...

 against North Carolina State
North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public, coeducational, extensive research university located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Commonly known as NC State, the university is part of the University of North Carolina system and is a land, sea, and space grant institution...

, Drexler failed to make an impact after picking up four fouls before halftime, and scored only four points on one-of-five shooting and two free throws in NC State's upset victory.

Drexler declared for the NBA Draft
NBA Draft
The NBA Draft is an annual event in which the thirty teams from the National Basketball Association can draft players who are eligible and wish to join the league. These players are usually amateur U.S. college basketball players, but international players are also eligible to be drafted...

 as a junior, leaving Houston with career averages of 14.4 points, 3.3 assists and 9.9 rebounds in three seasons. In addition to being named the Southwestern Conference Player of the Year and a first-team All American his final season, he remains the only player in school history with combined totals of at least 1,000 career points, 900 rebounds and 300 assists, in addition to being Houston's all-time steals leader with 268.

NBA career

Drexler was selected in the 1st round, 14th overall pick in the 1983 NBA Draft
1983 NBA Draft
The 1983 NBA Draft took place on June 28, 1983 in New York City. A total of 226 players were selected over 10 rounds by the league's 23 teams. At least three players from the 1983 draft now serve as coaches...

 by the Portland Trail Blazers
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...

. He was passed over in the 1983 NBA Draft
1983 NBA Draft
The 1983 NBA Draft took place on June 28, 1983 in New York City. A total of 226 players were selected over 10 rounds by the league's 23 teams. At least three players from the 1983 draft now serve as coaches...

 by the Houston Rockets, who drafted Ralph Sampson
Ralph Sampson
Ralph Lee Sampson, Jr. is a retired American college and professional basketball player.A 7-foot-4 phenom, three-time College Player of the Year, and No...

 and Rodney McCray
Rodney McCray (basketball)
Rodney Earl McCray is a retired American basketball player. A 6'7" small forward, he spent ten seasons in the National Basketball Association, tallying 9,014 career points and 5,087 career rebounds.Rodney McCray attended the University of Louisville and was a key member of the Cardinals team...

, before Drexler was selected. Along with teammates Terry Porter
Terry Porter
Terry Porter is an American professional basketball coach and former player in the National Basketball Association . A native of Wisconsin, he played college basketball at the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point before being drafted 24th by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1985 NBA Draft...

, Jerome Kersey
Jerome Kersey
Jerome Kersey is a retired American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association for a number of teams, but most notably for the Portland Trail Blazers. He also has served in various coaching roles in the NBA. Kersey is currently a resident of Happy Valley, Oregon in...

, Buck Williams
Buck Williams
Charles Linwood Williams , better known as "Buck", is a retired American professional basketball player and current assistant coach for the Portland Trail Blazers. He was well known for his rebounding ability and trademark goggles.Williams, 6 ft 8 in , ranks 13th all-time in NBA career rebounds...

, Kevin Duckworth
Kevin Duckworth
Kevin Jerome Duckworth was an American professional basketball player at center in the National Basketball Association. A native of Illinois, he played college basketball at Eastern Illinois University before being drafted in 1986 in the second round by the San Antonio Spurs...

, and Clifford Robinson
Clifford R. Robinson
Clifford "Cliff" Ralph Robinson is a former American professional basketball player, formerly of the National Basketball Association.-Highlights:...

, Drexler helped lead Portland to the NBA Finals
NBA Finals
The NBA Finals is the championship series of the National Basketball Association . The series was named the NBA World Championship Series until 1986....

 in against the Detroit Pistons
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...

 and versus the Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...

. His 1990-91 Trail Blazers
1990–91 Portland Trail Blazers season
The 1990–91 season was the 21st season of the Portland Trail Blazers in the National Basketball Association . The Blazers finished 63–19, setting a franchise-high win total that still stands as of 2011, and made their ninth consecutive trip to the NBA Playoffs...

 were the favorites heading into the playoffs, having finished the season with the best record in the NBA and besting the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls
1990–91 Chicago Bulls season
The Chicago Bulls finished in first place in the Central Division. The Bulls would go on to beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1991 NBA Finals.-NBA Draft:-Regular season:-Playoffs:-Game 1:Sunday, June 2, at the Chicago Stadium-Game 2:...

 in the two regular season games those teams played. The Blazers beat the LA Lakers
1990–91 Los Angeles Lakers season
The highlight of the Los Angeles Lakers was Magic Johnson leading the Lakers to the NBA Finals. It would be the last time that the Showtime Lakers would make it to the NBA Finals.-NBA Draft:-Roster:...

 three games to two in the regular season but fell in the Western Conference Championship
1991 NBA Playoffs
The 1991 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1990–91 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls winning their first NBA championship via a four-games-to-one victory over the Western Conference champion Los...

 4-2.

In 1992 he was selected to the U.S. Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...

 basketball team, nicknamed "The Dream Team", which won the gold medal in Barcelona
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...

. In the 1991-92 season he finished second to Michael Jordan in MVP voting. He met Jordan's Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...

 in the NBA Finals that same season only to fall short, as Jordan and the Bulls went on to win their second consecutive championship. In the six-game series against Chicago, Drexler averaged 24.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game.

On February 14, 1995, with the Blazers out of serious contention for a championship, Portland honored Drexler's request to be traded to a contender and sent the Blazer great to the Houston Rockets
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...

 in exchange for Otis Thorpe
Otis Thorpe
Otis Henry Thorpe is a retired American professional basketball player in the NBA.-Early years:...

 in mid-season, right before the trade deadline. Despite finishing the regular season with a record of 47–35, which placed the Rockets 6th out of 8 playoff teams in the Western Conference, Drexler and long-time friend Hakeem Olajuwon
Hakeem Olajuwon
Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon is a retired Nigerian-American professional basketball player. From 1984 to 2002, he played the center position in the National Basketball Association for the Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors. He led the Rockets to back-to-back NBA championships in 1994 and 1995. In 2008,...

 helped propel them to an improbable second consecutive championship in 1995
1995 NBA Finals
The 1995 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1994–95 NBA season. The series pitted the Orlando Magic against the Houston Rockets. The pre-series hype and build-up of the Finals was centered around the meeting of the two centers Shaquille O'Neal of the Magic and Hakeem Olajuwon of the Rockets...

, sweeping the Orlando Magic. In his third NBA Finals appearance, Drexler averaged 21.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game.

During the 1995 NBA Playoffs
1995 NBA Playoffs
The 1995 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1994-1995 season. The tournament concluded with the Western Conference champion Houston Rockets winning their second consecutive NBA championship by defeating the Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic...

, Drexler was the subject of a controversial ejection during a game between the Rockets and the Phoenix Suns
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...

 by referee Jake O'Donnell
Jake O'Donnell
James Michael "Jake" O'Donnell is a former sports official who worked as a National Basketball Association referee for 28 seasons from 1967 to 1995, and also as an umpire in Major League Baseball for four seasons from to...

, which allegedly stemmed from a personal feud between the two at the time. This would turn out to be the last NBA game O'Donnell would referee, as he was not assigned any further games in the playoffs that year, and eventually retired a few months later. In 1996, on ESPN's "NBA Today", O'Donnell commented, "I wouldn't give Clyde Drexler much leeway because of the way he reacted with me all the time. I thought at times he would give cheap shots to people, and I just would not allow it."

On February 13, 2009, Drexler participated in the NBA All-Star Weekend
NBA All-Star Weekend
The National Basketball Association holds an All-Star Weekend every February, the festival has a variety of basketball-related events, exhibitions, and performances culminating in the NBA All-Star Game held on Sunday night.-The All-Star Game:...

's Celebrity Game. Other celebrities participating include NBA Hall of Famer's Dominique Wilkins
Dominique Wilkins
Jacques Dominique Wilkins is a retired American professional basketball player who primarily played for the Atlanta Hawks of the NBA...

, Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...

 wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...

 Terrell Owens
Terrell Owens
Terrell Owens is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. A six-time Pro Bowl selection, Owens has been one of the dominant receivers of his era...

, actor Chris Tucker
Chris Tucker
Christopher "Chris" Tucker is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for playing the role of Detective James Carter in the Rush Hour film series.-Early life:...

 and four Harlem Globetrotters
Harlem Globetrotters
The Harlem Globetrotters are an exhibition basketball team that combines athleticism, theater and comedy. The executive offices for the team are currently in downtown Phoenix, Arizona; the team is owned by Shamrock Holdings, which oversees the various investments of the Roy E. Disney family.Over...

.

NBA statistics

Regular season | Playoffs
Year Team GP MPG SPG BPG RPG APG FG% PPG GP MPG SPG BPG RPG APG FG% PPG
1983-84 Portland 82 17.2 1.30 0.35 2.9 1.9 .451 7.7 5 17.0 1.00 0.20 3.4 1.6 .429 7.2
1984-85 Portland 80 31.9 2.21 0.85 6.0 5.5 .494 17.2 9 37.7 2.56 1.00 6.1 9.2 .410 16.7
1985-86 Portland 75 34.3 2.63 0.61 5.6 8.0 .475 18.5 4 36.3 1.50 0.75 6.3 6.5 .456 18.0
1986-87 Portland 82 38.0 2.49 0.87 6.3 6.9 .502 21.7 4 38.3 1.75 0.75 7.5 3.8 .456 24.0
1987-88 Portland 81 37.8 2.51 0.64 6.6 5.8 .506 27.0 4 42.5 3.00 0.50 7.0 5.3 .386 22.0
1988-89 Portland 78 39.3 2.73 0.69 7.9 5.8 .496 27.2 3 42.7 2.00 0.67 6.7 8.3 .493 27.7
1989-90 Portland 73 36.8 1.99 0.70 6.9 5.9 .494 23.3 21 40.6 2.52 0.86 7.2 7.1 .441 21.4
1990-91 Portland 82 34.8 1.76 0.73 6.7 6.0 .482 21.5 16 39.6 2.13 1.00 8.1 8.1 .476 21.7
1991-92 Portland 76 36.2 1.82 0.92 6.6 6.7 .470 25.0 21 40.3 1.48 0.95 7.4 7.0 .466 26.3
1992-93 Portland 49 34.1 1.94 0.76 6.3 5.7 .429 19.9 3 38.7 1.67 1.00 6.3 4.7 .419 19.0
1993-94 Portland 68 34.3 1.44 0.50 6.5 4.9 .428 19.2 4 39.3 2.00 0.50 10.3 5.5 .425 21.0
1994-95 Por - Hou 76 35.9 1.79 0.59 6.3 4.8 .461 21.8 22 38.6 1.50 0.68 7.0 5.0 .481 20.5
1995-96 Houston 52 38.4 2.02 0.46 7.2 5.8 .433 19.3 8 36.5 2.63 0.50 7.8 5.0 .415 16.6
1996-97 Houston 62 36.6 1.92 0.58 6.0 5.7 .442 18.0 16 38.9 1.63 0.44 5.6 4.8 .436 18.1
1997-98 Houston 70 35.3 1.80 0.60 4.9 5.5 .427 18.4 5 36.4 1.60 0.60 5.4 4.6 .309 15.0
Career 1,086 34.6 2.03 0.66 6.1 5.6 .472 20.4 145 38.4 1.92 0.74 6.9 6.1 .447 20.4

Awards

  • First-team NCAA All-American (1983)
  • Southwest Conference Player of the Year (1983)
  • 10-time NBA All-Star (1986, 1988–1994, 1996, 1997)
  • All-NBA First Team (1992)
  • All-NBA Second Team (1988, 1991)
  • All-NBA Third Team (1990, 1995)
  • Olympic Gold Medalist (1992)
  • NBA Championship (1995)
  • Named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996)
  • Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Player Inductee (2004)
  • Oregon Sports Hall of Fame
    Oregon Sports Hall of Fame
    The Oregon Sports Hall of Fame honors Oregon athletes, teams, coaches, and others who have made a significant contribution to sports in Oregon. The first class was inducted in 1980, with new inductees added in the fall...

    Inducted (2001)
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