Drexlers advocates would point to playoffs success as the ultimate benchmark. [23], Drexler played his last three full seasons with the Rockets. He reached the Western Conference Finals 3 times and the NBA Finals twice, but never won an NBA Championship with the Blazers. [8], After graduating in 1980, he was recruited by New Mexico State University, Texas Tech University, and the University of Houston, the latter after childhood friend Michael Young told an assistant to head coach Guy Lewis that Drexler was the best player he had faced in high school. His post-season record in Portland was 45-49, a 47.9% winning rate. Ive always thought that. Dont look now, but the NBA is full of great players. WebTNT Bio page TNT Joined Dec 19, 2001 Last login Apr 29, 2023 Total posts 213,239 (10,379 FO) Drexler led the Blazers with 21 points in Game 1, but they lost 105-99. 22 jersey has been retired by the Cougars (pictured), Rockets, and Trail Blazers. In Game 5, Portland won in overtime to set up a Game 6 in Utah. Lillards edge is reflected in the all-important True Shooting Percentage, which adjusts for three-pointers and free throws. WebClyde Austin "The Glide" Drexler (born June 22, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player and the commissioner of the Big3 3on3 basketball league. Drexler led the team in a variety of categories in the series such as rebounds (twice), points (twice), and assists (once), but the Sonics eliminated the Rockets in four games. He was fourth three times. Trail Blazers 2022-23 Season Review: Trendon Watford. The following year, the Rockets, having traded for Charles Barkley before the year started, went 21-2 to begin the year, but injuries would pile on the team, with Drexler having a hamstring injury; he was named to the All-Star Game, but he did not play in what ended up as his final selection. Only twice in his careerin 1988-89 and in 1991-92did Drexler average more points in a single post-season run than Lillard averages overall. I wanted to compete, Im a competitor, I want to win, I dont want to sit back and teach the young guys how to play, Drexler said. Hes the best point-producer the franchise has ever known. Birth Place: 1. Only five other players besides Lillard and Jordan have reached those heights: Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, Allen Iverson, Donovan Mitchell, and Rick Barry. Both were the hubs of their respective offenses and both shared the ball. [22] Theyre bringing it all back! A dream that all NBA players have when they start their adventure in the league: to someday become a champion. Porter and Drexler each scored 18 points in the pivotal Game 6 that the Blazers won 105-97 to clinch their second conference championship in three years. Call (800) 327-5050 or visit gamblinghelpline.ma.org (MA), Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (CO/IL/IN/LA/MD/MI/NJ/OH/PA/TN/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (KS/NH), 888-789-7777/visit ccpg.org (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), visit OPGR.org (OR), or 1-888-532-3500(VA). Clyde was a threat. The Blazers (ranked 3rd in the Western Conference) made it to the Conference Finals against the Phoenix Suns. And itll be what itll be. Olajuwon and the Rockets stayed in playoff contention for several years but never made it back to the Finals. As the story goes, Michael Jordan resented Clyde Drexler for the players being compared. He played in every game for the first time in four seasons and averaged 21.5 points per game while having 6.7 rebounds and six assists on average. Plus 6 2021 Cards. He was inducted as a player into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on September 10, 2004, in his first year of eligibility. He has his name officially listed in the list of top 50 basketball players of all time. That wasn't enough for me. Drexlers one clear deficit to Damescoringcan be attributed in part to fewer shots and fewer threes, products of team and era as much as talent. Theres the 3-point shootout, theres the dunk contest, and of course theres the 75th anniversary where theyre celebrating the top 75 players in the history of the game (which Drexler is among). Drexler and Tracey Murray were traded to Houston on February 14th, 1995 for Otis Thorpe and Marcelo Nicola and a first-round pick. For a Sunday discussion question, we wonder if a fluky NBA Playoffs has Portland fans looking back to February with regret. Drexler made a guest appearance on Married with Children, a cameo appearance in an episode of Arliss, and was also a guest star in an episode of The Sentinel. You had James Harden and Russell Westbrook, its hard to replace those guys. However, his family Unidad Editorial Informacin Deportiva, S.L.U. Clye Drexler and Michael Jordan during Game 1 of the 1992 NBA Finals. In 2014 Drexler married his second wife, Tonya, whom he had met through fellow NBA star Dominique Wilkins. Out of those three appearances, Clyde was never able to hoist the championship trophy. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Ive never use props because of that. He also called Astros games and events involving more than a dozen sports along more than 50 analysts during his years with HSE, Prime Sports and Fox. When teams give up great players like that you kind of wonder what they are thinking, Drexler said. Shanghai is perfect for Jimmer. Its the best move I ever made.. And those guys were accepting of me. Clyde Drexler NBA career started in Portland playing for the Trail Blazers. He was drafted in the 1983 NBA draft by Portland after a stellar college career at the University of Houston. As a rookie, Drexler got off to a slow start. But that quickly changed in year two. NBA Trade Grades: Blazers offload CJ McCollum to New Orleans Pelicans. Forced to choose between Drexler and Lillard as the greatest playoffs performer in franchise history, the nod still goes to Clyde. WebGet the latest news, stats, videos, highlights and more about guard Clyde Drexler on ESPN. Back in the city where he made his name, Olajuwon is once again involved in the game of basketball. He played in 70 games and averaged 18.4 points a game with 4.9 rebounds (his lowest since his rookie year) and 5.5 assists. In the 19901991 season, Drexler led Portland to a franchise-best 6319 record. WebClyde was an all time great but he got mauled by his competition in the finals and reps Houston over Portland. Rudy is getting his just due, and its about time. Hes one of the richest NBA players to play the game. It was the only win in the series for the Blazers, who lost narrowly in Game 4 by three and lost the final game after Detroit went on a 9-0 run. He has won many awards their too, and he was later named in the all-time top 50 NBA player. Most of the college guys As a promotional event at the NBAs 2022 All-Star Weekend, beer brand Michelob ULTRA is partnering with NBA JAM and some of the leagues most legendary players from the 1990s to bring the joy of the iconic video game to life virtually and on the ground in Cleveland. He has earned most of his wealth by playing basketball. They would say Boy, you know, youre that guy who was really incredible in my game. Young kids, 7, 8, 9, or 10 years old, would say Did you ever think about playing in the NBA, for real? They love the game so much, they thought it was just the game! He has been named in the NBA All-Star ten times which is simply exceptional. Free shipping for many products! Scroll on for a lightly edited transcript, and the complete interview can be listened to below. Clyde also obliterates Dame in rebounding, but thats to be expected given their relative size and roles on the team. Q: One of the interesting things about Jalen doing the dunk contest is that while hes not a star yet, hes certainly a big name, as the No. But why do you think over the last 10 to 20 years that the dunk contest has, unfortunately, evolved to where the big names dont do it anymore? All rights reserved. Except that Houston actually made a smart move trading Olajuwon to the Toronto Raptors after Hakeem refused a $13 million extension in 2001. But the edge isnt as big as youd think, especially since Lillard is getting more attemptsand triple the number of threesthan Drexler managed. How long has Eric Musselman been married? He currently ranks first overall in points per game, second in total points scored and total minutes played to Blazers legend Clyde Drexler. It is harder to win in a team concept. We were good. Were not going to answer definitively, but well leave it to you in the comments. Three-pointers factor in heavily for Lillard. Clyde Drexler Net Worth: Clyde Drexler is an American (retired) professional basketball swingman who has a net worth of $25 million. This Clyde Drexler Quote During The 92 Finals Perfectly Captures Michael Jordans Dominance. Drexler, a Basketball Hall of Famer and 10-time All-Star during his 14 season NBA career, may have missed seeing some updated smack talk in ESPNs You can check out the full interview with Clyde Drexler on The Platform Basketball Podcast here. Bills fair to everyone. He has also won the NBA championship with the Houston Rockets. Q: I want to ask you about the rest of All-Star Weekend, and specifically stuff related to the Rockets. WebMaybe it even comes down to role - Drexler is better as #1 guy - he's better offensively, and led his team to the finals twice as #1 option, Pippen is probably better as #2, because he brings better defense, and good enough offense. Despite forcing a tie series twice, the Bulls pulled a comeback in the fourth quarter to turn a 15-point deficit into a win that clinched the series. He is likely out for the rest of this year still recovering from abdominal surgery. Conference regular season champion Since 1935, the organization has been a division of the Texas Department of Public Safety (TxDPS); it fulfills the role of Texas state bureau of investigation. Wins over Milwaukee without Giannis Antetokounmpo, Lakers, Knicks plus an impressive win over Memphis. Clyde Drexler is teaming with Michelob ULTRA and their fire partnership with NBA JAM encouraging fans to Enjoy it Like Its 1993 by bringing the joy of the mischievous wrote: This poll is a blowout. Everybodys going to be there, and because its a throwback because we were all a part of the original NBA JAM thats going to be really special, because you get to see guys from back in the day. Dame plays in a pace-and-space, ball-movement era. And oh, what a game Damian Lillard had. Division regular season and conference tournament champion He pumps up all the home guys when they come to town, talks about their families. The Rockets finished 57-25 and made it all the way to the Conference Finals against the Jazz. You are only as good as your weakest link, you hear that a lot, but it is true. They played for the school team and also other teams outside. F ormer Portland Trail Blazers star Clyde Drexler has a cautionary tale for Damian Lillard, he basically advised him to leave his current team. Nick Name/Celebrated Name: In addition to being named the Southwestern Conference Player of the Year and a first-team All American his final season,[12] he remains the only player in school history with combined totals of at least 1,000 career points, 900 rebounds and 300 assists; he is also Houston's all-time steals leader with 268. He has also spent some time as a coach of the Houston Rockets. After 12 years in the team, he felt the urge to go to a different team that could offer him the guarantees he needed. Heavily favored to win the West, the Los Angeles Lakers upset the Trail Blazers by winning the Western Conference Finals. If Lillard remains with the Blazers for the balance of his career, or even a couple more years, hes a sure bet to own all Portlands scoring and endurance records. (laughs). This shrug is just like Jordans. Here, we take a look back at his 2022-23 season. We hate to see him go, but we all think it was time. His skills during the 1991-92 basketball season earned him All-NBA First Team honors and a position on the United States Olympic basketball team. He has mentioned this in his autobiography. alias => "northwest\/\/portland-trail-blazers\/clyde-drexler-felt-trail-blazers-rebuild-his-trade-was-premature", title => "Clyde Drexler felt Trail Blazers rebuild before his trade was premature ", article_body => "
Clyde Drexler gave the City of Portland some fantastic years of basketball.<\/p>\n
Drexler played for the Portland Trail Blazers for 11-plus (1983\u20131995) seasons where he was an eight-time all-star and brought the Blazers to three NBA Finals appearances. <\/p>\n
Out of those three appearances, Clyde was never able to hoist the championship trophy.<\/p>\n
Marred by injuries to his knee, calf and hamstring, <\/p>\n
In 1995, as the Blazers were no longer heading into contention for a title, Drexler knew his time was up and was traded to Houston. <\/p>\n
In a recent sit-down interview on \u201cThe Platform Basketball Podcast,\u201d Drexler spoke about his tenure with the Blazers and the moment he knew it was time to ask for a trade to his hometown.<\/p>\n