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Clyde Drexler

Drexler at the University of Houston

Personal information

Born

June 22, 1962 (age 63)
New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.

High school

Sterling (Houston, Texas)

Listed height

6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)

Listed weight

222 lb (101 kg)

Career information

College

Houston (1980–1983)

NBA Draft

1983 / Round: 1 / Pick: 14th overall

Selected by the Portland Trail Blazers

Pro career

1983–1998

Coaching career

1998–2002

Career history

As player:

1983–1995

Portland Trail Blazers

1995–1998

Houston Rockets

As coach:

1998–2000

Houston

2001–2002

Denver Nuggets (assistant)

Career highlights and awards

NBA champion (1995)
10× NBA All-Star (1986, 1988–1994, 1996, 1997)
All-NBA First Team (1992)
2× All-NBA Second Team (1988, 1991)
2× All-NBA Third Team (1990, 1995)
NBA anniversary team (50th, 75th)
No. 22 retired by Portland Trail Blazers
No. 22 retired by Houston Rockets
Consensus second-team All-American (1983)
SWC co-Player of the Year (1983)
First-team All-SWC (1983)
2× Second-team All-SWC (1981, 1982)
No. 22 retired by Houston Cougars

Career NBA statistics

Points

22,195 (20.4 ppg)

Rebounds

6,677 (6.1 rpg)

Assists

6,125 (5.6 apg)

Medals

Men's basketball

Representing the United States
Olympic Games
Gold	1992 Barcelona	Team competition
FIBA Americas Championship
Gold	1992 Portland	Men's basketball

Clyde Austin Drexler (born June 22, 1962) is a famous American former professional basketball player. He is known as "Clyde the Glide" because of how smoothly he moved on the court. He played for 15 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Most of his career was with the Portland Trail Blazers, and he finished with the Houston Rockets.

Clyde Drexler was chosen for the NBA All-Star team ten times. He was also named one of the NBA's 50th and 75th anniversary teams. He won an NBA championship with the Houston Rockets in 1995. He also won a gold medal at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona with the "Dream Team," a very famous U.S. Olympic basketball team. Drexler was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame twice. First, in 2004 for his amazing individual career. Then, in 2010 as a member of the "Dream Team." Many people think he is one of the greatest basketball players and shooting guards of all time.

Clyde Drexler's Early Life
College Basketball Career
Clyde Drexler's NBA Career
- Playing for the Portland Trail Blazers (1983–1995)
- Winning a Championship with the Houston Rockets (1995–1998)
Clyde Drexler's NBA Stats
- Regular season
- Playoffs
Awards and Honors
Clyde Drexler's Player Profile
College Coaching Career
- Head coaching record
Honors and Legacy
Personal Life
TV Appearances
Images for kids
See also

Clyde Drexler's Early Life

Clyde Drexler was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He grew up in Houston, Texas. He went to Ross Sterling High School in Houston. When he was a sophomore, he made the varsity baseball team. He tried out for the basketball team but didn't make it that year. By his senior year, Drexler was 6 feet 7 inches tall and played as a center. College coaches started to notice him after he scored 34 points and grabbed 27 rebounds in a game in 1979.

After high school in 1980, he was recruited by several universities. His childhood friend, Michael Young, told a coach at the University of Houston that Drexler was the best player he had ever played against. Drexler chose Houston because he wanted to stay close to home and play with his friend Michael. He studied finance in college.

College Basketball Career

Drexler slam dunks as a member of the Houston Cougars men's basketball team

At the University of Houston, Drexler, Michael Young, Larry Micheaux, and Hakeem Olajuwon formed a famous basketball group. They were known as "Phi Slama Jama" because of their exciting, high-flying dunks. New players had to stand under the basket while Drexler dunked over them as a "welcome" to the team.

Houston made it to the Final Four in 1982. They lost to North Carolina, who went on to win the championship. Drexler averaged 15.2 points and 10.5 rebounds per game that season.

In the 1982–83 season, Houston was ranked No. 1 and returned to the Final Four. They played against Louisville in the semifinals. Houston won 94–81 in a game full of amazing dunks. Drexler had 21 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. In the championship game against North Carolina State, Drexler got into foul trouble early. He only scored four points, and North Carolina State won in an upset.

Drexler decided to enter the NBA draft after his junior year. He finished his college career with averages of 14.4 points, 3.3 assists, and 9.9 rebounds. He is the only player in Houston's history with over 1,000 points, 900 rebounds, and 300 assists. He is also the school's all-time leader in steals.

Clyde Drexler's NBA Career

Playing for the Portland Trail Blazers (1983–1995)

The Portland Trail Blazers picked Clyde Drexler as the 14th player in the 1983 NBA draft. In his first season, he averaged 7.7 points per game. His stats improved a lot in his second year, with 17.2 points, 6 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 2.2 steals per game. In his third season, Drexler was chosen for his first All-Star team. He averaged 18.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2.6 steals. On January 6, 1989, Drexler scored a career-high 50 points in a game against the Sacramento Kings.

In the 1989–1990 season, Drexler led the Portland Trail Blazers to the 1990 NBA Finals. He averaged 23.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.9 assists that season. The Blazers won the Western Conference Championship. In the Finals, they played against the Detroit Pistons. Drexler scored 33 points in Game 2, helping the Blazers win their only game in the series. The Pistons won the championship in five games.

During the 1990–1991 season, Drexler helped Portland achieve their best record ever, 63 wins and 19 losses. He played in every game and averaged 21.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 6 assists. Even though they were expected to win the West, the Blazers lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.

In the 1991–92 season, Drexler was named to the All-NBA First Team. He finished second in the MVP voting to Michael Jordan. He averaged 25 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 6.7 assists per game. The Blazers had the best record in the Western Conference. They reached the 1992 NBA Finals where they faced Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. Drexler led the Blazers in scoring in every game of the series. Despite their efforts, the Bulls won the series in six games. Later that year, Drexler was part of the famous "Dream Team" that won the gold medal at the Barcelona Olympics.

Drexler left the Blazers as their all-time leading scorer with 18,040 points. This record stood until 2022.

Winning a Championship with the Houston Rockets (1995–1998)

On February 14, 1995, Drexler asked to be traded to a team that could win a championship. The Blazers traded him to the Houston Rockets. This sent Drexler back home to Houston. He joined his long-time friend Hakeem Olajuwon. Even though the Rockets finished the regular season with a 47–35 record, Drexler and Olajuwon helped them win their second straight championship in 1995.

In the playoffs, the Rockets were down 2-1 against the Utah Jazz in the first round. Drexler scored 41 points and Olajuwon scored 40 points in a key Game 4 win. Houston went on to win that series and every other elimination game. In the Finals, the Rockets swept the Orlando Magic. In his third and final NBA Finals appearance, Drexler averaged 21.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game.

Drexler played three more full seasons with the Rockets. The 1995–96 season was affected by knee and ankle injuries for him. The Rockets were eliminated by the Seattle SuperSonics in the second round of the playoffs. The next year, the Rockets traded for Charles Barkley. Drexler also had a hamstring injury that season. He was named to the All-Star Game but couldn't play. The Rockets made it to the Western Conference Finals but lost to the Jazz.

The 1997–98 season was Drexler's last in the NBA. He played 70 games and averaged 18.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 5.5 assists. The Rockets lost to the Jazz in the first round of the playoffs. Drexler retired at age 35. He wanted to leave the game while he was still playing well. When he retired, Drexler was one of only three players in history with 20,000 points, 6,000 assists, and 6,000 rebounds. He never missed the playoffs in his fifteen seasons.

Clyde Drexler's NBA Stats

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1983–84	Portland	82	3	17.2	.451	.250	.728	2.9	1.9	1.3	.4	7.7
1984–85	Portland	80	43	31.9	.494	.216	.759	6.0	5.5	2.2	.9	17.2
1985–86	Portland	75	58	34.3	.475	.200	.769	5.6	8.0	2.6	.6	18.5
1986–87	Portland	82	82	38.0	.502	.234	.760	6.3	6.9	2.5	.9	21.7
1987–88	Portland	81	80	37.8	.506	.212	.811	6.6	5.8	2.5	.6	27.0
1988–89	Portland	78	78	39.3	.496	.260	.799	7.9	5.8	2.7	.7	27.2
1989–90	Portland	73	73	36.8	.494	.283	.774	6.9	5.9	2.0	.7	23.3
1990–91	Portland	82	82	34.8	.482	.319	.794	6.7	6.0	1.8	.7	21.5
1991–92	Portland	76	76	36.2	.470	.337	.794	6.6	6.7	1.8	.9	25.0
1992–93	Portland	49	49	34.1	.429	.233	.839	6.3	5.7	1.9	.8	19.9
1993–94	Portland	68	68	34.3	.428	.324	.777	6.5	4.9	1.4	.5	19.2
1994–95	Portland	41	41	34.8	.428	.363	.835	5.7	5.1	1.8	.5	22.0
1994–95†	Houston	35	34	37.1	.506	.357	.809	7.0	4.4	1.8	.7	21.4
1995–96	Houston	52	51	38.4	.433	.332	.784	7.2	5.8	2.0	.5	19.3
1996–97	Houston	62	62	36.6	.442	.355	.750	6.0	5.7	1.9	.6	18.0
1997–98	Houston	70	70	35.3	.427	.317	.801	4.9	5.5	1.8	.6	18.4
Career		1,086	950	34.6	.472	.318	.788	6.1	5.6	2.0	.7	20.4
All-Star		9	4	18.4	.506	.286	1.000	4.9	2.6	1.3	.7	10.7

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1984	Portland	5	—	17.0	.429	.000	.857	3.4	1.6	1.0	.2	7.2
1985	Portland	9	9	37.7	.410	.286	.844	6.1	9.2	2.6	1.0	16.7
1986	Portland	4	4	36.3	.456	.400	.783	6.3	6.5	1.5	.8	18.0
1987	Portland	4	4	38.3	.456	.250	.793	7.5	3.8	1.8	.8	24.0
1988	Portland	4	4	42.5	.386	.500	.724	7.0	5.3	3.0	.5	22.0
1989	Portland	3	3	42.7	.493	.000	.765	6.7	8.3	2.0	.7	27.7
1990	Portland	21	21	40.6	.441	.220	.774	7.2	7.1	2.5	.9	21.4
1991	Portland	16	16	39.6	.476	.268	.776	8.1	8.1	2.1	1.0	21.7
1992	Portland	21	21	40.3	.466	.235	.807	7.4	7.0	1.5	1.0	26.3
1993	Portland	3	3	38.7	.419	.417	.800	6.3	4.7	1.7	1.0	19.0
1994	Portland	4	4	39.3	.425	.231	.826	10.3	5.5	2.0	.5	21.0
1995†	Houston	22	22	38.6	.481	.303	.786	7.0	5.0	1.5	.7	20.5
1996	Houston	8	8	36.5	.415	.265	.765	7.8	5.0	2.6	.5	16.6
1997	Houston	16	16	38.9	.436	.373	.778	5.6	4.8	1.6	.4	18.1
1998	Houston	5	5	36.4	.309	.192	.757	5.4	4.6	1.6	.6	15.0
Career		145	140	38.4	.447	.288	.787	6.9	6.1	1.9	.7	20.4

Awards and Honors

Clyde Drexler received many awards during his basketball career:

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)
Two-time Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee
Oregon Sports Hall of Fame Inducted (2001)
Named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team (2021)

Clyde Drexler's Player Profile

Clyde "The Glide" Drexler was known for his speed and athleticism on the basketball court. Off the court, he was quiet and easygoing. In college, he was famous for his amazing dunks. He wasn't known as a great shooter back then.

As a professional player, Drexler improved his game a lot. He became a good player in the post (near the basket) and a more consistent outside shooter. His incredible jumping ability allowed him to perform acrobatic dunks. He took part in many NBA All-Star dunk contests in the late 1980s.

Drexler was a very versatile player. He was always among the top players in points, rebounds, assists, and steals. He also had a lot of blocked shots for a player his size. He ranks third in career blocked shots among guards.

In 1989, Drexler set a Trail Blazers record by dunking on a rim that was 11 feet 1 inch high! As of 2008, he led all guards in career offensive rebounds per game. In 2021, The Athletic ranked Drexler as the 43rd greatest player in NBA history.

College Coaching Career

After retiring from the NBA in 1998, Drexler became the head men's basketball coach at his old college, the University of Houston. He coached the Cougars for two seasons, 1998–99 and 1999–2000. He had a record of 19 wins and 39 losses. Drexler decided to resign after two seasons to spend more time with his family.

Head coaching record

Season	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing
Houston Cougars (Conference USA) (1998–2000)
1998–99	Houston	10–17	5–11	6th (National)
1999–00	Houston	9–22	2–14	6th (National)
Houston:		19–39 (.327)	7–25 (.219)
Total:		19–39 (.327)
National champion Conference regular season champion Conference tournament champion Conference regular season and conference tournament champion Conference division champion

Honors and Legacy

One of only five numbers retired by the University of Houston men's basketball team, Drexler's No. 22 hangs in the Fertitta Center.

Clyde Drexler's jersey number 22 has been retired by three teams: the Houston Cougars, the Houston Rockets, and the Portland Trail Blazers. This means no other player on those teams can wear that number. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on September 10, 2004. He was eligible for the Hall of Fame in his first year. He was also named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996. In 2021, he was named to the NBA's 75th anniversary team.

In 2004, Drexler wrote his biography, Clyde the Glide. He also wrote the introduction for a children's book called Shrews Can't Hoop.

Personal Life

Clyde Drexler married Gaynell on December 30, 1988. They later divorced in 2011. He has four children: Erica, Austin, Elise, and Adam. In 2014, Drexler married his second wife, Tonya. He met her through fellow NBA star Dominique Wilkins. Drexler has owned homes in Houston and Portland.

His brother James and his two sisters, Denise and Virginia, run the family barbecue restaurants in Houston. They are called Drexler's World Famous BBQ & Grill. His mother, Eunice Scott, also works at the downtown restaurant. Drexler also started investing in real estate when he was a rookie in the NBA. He now manages his company, Drexler Holdings LLC.

TV Appearances

Drexler has appeared on several TV shows. He was a guest on Married... with Children and had a cameo in an episode of Arliss. He was also a guest star on The Sentinel. In 2006, he made a cameo in the basketball movie Like Mike 2: Streetball.

That same year, Drexler was on the Spike TV show Pros vs. Joes. This show features amateur contestants competing against professional athletes. In 2007, Drexler participated in the fourth season of Dancing with the Stars. He was the fourth celebrity to be voted off the show. On April 11, 2010, Drexler appeared as a guest on NBC's Celebrity Apprentice. He helped the men's team create video advertisements.

Images for kids

Drexler poses during NBA Global Games in the Philippines in 2013