Clyde Drexler: Difference between revisions

Clyde Drexler

Clyde Drexler in 2005
Personal information
Born	(1962-06-22) June 22, 1962 New Orleans, Louisiana
Nationality	USA
Listed height	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight	222 lb (101 kg)
Career information
High school	Sterling High School
College	University of Houston
NBA draft	1983: 14th overall
Drafted by	Portland Trail Blazers
Playing career	1983–1998
Position	Shooting guard/Small forward
Career highlights
NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team (1996) Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame player inductee (2004)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference

Olympic medal record
Men's Basketball
	1992 Barcelona	United States

Clyde Austin Drexler (born June 22 1962 in New Orleans, Louisiana) is a former National Basketball Association shooting guard. A ten-time All-Star and member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, he was named one of basketball's fifty greatest players by the NBA. Drexler won an Olympic gold medal in 1992 and an NBA championship in 1995 with the Houston Rockets. He is the currently the color commentator for Rockets home games.

Career

Drexler graduated from Houston's Sterling High School in 1980 [1]. He then attended the University of Houston where, alongside Hakeem Olajuwon and Larry Micheaux, they constituted the "Phi Slama Jama" basketball fraternity renowned for its acrobatic, "above the rim" style of play. Drexler helped lead the Cougars to consecutive Final Four appearances in 1982 and 1983, losing the 1983 NCAA Final to underdog North Carolina State.

Drexler was selected 14th overall in the 1983 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. Along with teammates Terry Porter, Jerome Kersey, Buck Williams, Kevin Duckworth, and Clifford Robinson, Drexler helped lead the team to the NBA Finals in 1990 and 1992.

One of only four numbers retired by the University of Houston men's basketball team, Drexler's #22 hangs in Hofheinz Pavilion.

In 1992 he was selected to the U.S. Olympics basketball team, nicknamed "The Dream Team", which won the gold medal in Barcelona. He finished second to Michael Jordan in Most Valuable Player voting in 1991-92. He would meet Jordan's Chicago Bulls in the NBA Finals that same season only to fall short, as Jordan and the Bulls went on to win their second consecutive championship.

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. The fortunes of the Rockets, who were struggling to regain the championship form they had a year earlier, quickly improved after the acquisition of Drexler. Delighted at being reunited with long-time friend Hakeem Olajuwon and playing in his home town, Drexler helped the Rockets win the NBA title in 1995. He stayed with the Rockets for three more seasons before retiring from the NBA after the 1997-98 season in order to become head men's basketball coach at his alma mater, the University of Houston. Drexler's #22 jersey has been retired by the Cougars (pictured), Rockets, and Trail Blazers. He was inducted as a player into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on September 10 2004, in his first year of eligibility.

Playing style

Drexler was famed for his speed and finesse on the court, and his easy-going and quiet demeanor off the court. At UH, Drexler became well-known for his exceptional abilities as a finisher, but generally was not considered a great shooter. During his pro career Drexler developed a much more well-rounded game, even becoming an effective post player. His extraordinary leaping abilities allowed him to be an acrobatic dunker. This earned Drexler the nickname "Clyde the Glide."

Drexler was regarded as a versatile player, and he was consistently among the leaders at his position in points, rebounds, assists, and steals. He also posted a considerable number of blocked shots for a player his size, ranking third for his career totals among guards.

He is one of only three players in NBA history to have posted career totals of at least 20,000 points, 6,000 rebounds and 6,000 assists (the two others being Oscar Robertson and John Havlicek). As of 2005, Drexler leads all guards with his career average of offensive rebounds per game (2.4).

Honors

• 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 Second Team (1988, 1991)
• All-NBA First Team (1992)
• Olympic gold medalist (1992)
• 1 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 Inducted (2001)

Dancing With the Stars

On February 21, 2007, it was announced that Drexler would participate in the fourth season of the American version of Dancing with The Stars with partner Elena Grinenko. [2] Drexler was the fourth celebrity to be voted off in round five on April 17, 2007.

Trivia

• Set a Trail Blazer record in 1989 by dunking on an 11' 1" rim.
• His family owns and operates a barbecue restaurant in Houston called "Drexler's BBQ."
• Was recruited by UH only after Phi Slama Jama brother Michael Young told an assistant to head coach Guy Lewis that Drexler was the best player he had faced in high school.
• Was passed over in the 1983 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets, who drafted Ralph Sampson and Rodney McCray before Drexler was selected.
• Chose to wear a Houston Rockets team jacket when announced as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, with whom he'd played for only three years, rather than the jacket of the Portland Trailblazers, with whom he'd played the preceding 12 years.

External links

• NBA History: Clyde Drexler
• Basketball Hall of Fame profile
• BasketballReference.com: Clyde Drexler