NAISMITH MEMORIAL BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME MEMBER

#22 Clyde Drexler - G

Clyde Drexler Career NBA Stats 1983-1998
G
FGA
FGM
FG%
PTS
PPG
3PTA
3PTM
3PT%
FTA
FTM
FT% AST
APG
REB
RPG
BLK
STL
1,086
17,673
8,335
47.2
22,195
20.4
2,603
827
31.8
5,962
4,698
78.8
6,125
5.6
6,677
6.1
719
2,207
 

 

Clyde Austin Drexler was born on June 22, 1962 in New Orleans, LA. He is the son of Eunice Drexler Scott and James Drexler. Drexler grew up in Houston, TX during his childhood years.

 

 

Drexler attended Ross Sterling High School. He was a multi-sport star in baseball in basketball. It wasn’t until Drexler’s senior year when he starred on the basketball court. His play earned him a scholarship to the University of Houston.

 

Clyde Drexler College Career Stats and Notes

At the University of Houston, Drexler along with future Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon (then known as Akeem Olajuwon), were instrumental in the Cougars’ success. One of the nation’s best dunkers, Drexler was the headline in Houston’s famed ‘Phi Slama Jama’. Drexler and his teammates would put on an array of spectacular dunks during games. It was during this time the nickname 'The Glide' was born. The Cougars would advance to two straight NCAA Final Fours in 1882 and 1983. However they lost in the semifinals in 1982 and in 1983 was upset in the title game by NC State. Drexler entered the NBA Draft after the 1983 season.

 

Awards and Achievements
MVP
All-NBA

1st Team: 1992

2nd Team: 1988, 1991

3rd Team: 1990, 1995

All-Star Selections
1986, 1988, 1989 1990, 1991, 1992 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997
Scoring Titles
NBA Finals MVP
Achievements

NBA Champion

1994-95

Member of NBA 50th Anniversary All Time Team

Member of NBA 75th Anniversary All Time Team

 

 

Clyde Drexler NBA Career Stats and Notes

Drexler was drafted 14th overall in the 1983 NBA Draft. He played his first 12 season in the league with the Portland Trail Blazers, leading them to two Western Conference titles. However his team came up short both times in the NBA Finals. In 1995, Drexler was traded to the Houston Rockets. He played in Houston until retiring after the 1997-98 season. Drexler was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2004.

 

Clyde Drexler Finally a NBA Champion

After being defeated by the Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls in the NBA Finals in the early 1990s, Drexler’s window of winning an NBA title closed in Portland. When he was in the process of being traded during the 1994-95 season, he wanted to go to a team that had a chance at winning a title. The Houston Rockets was the perfect fit for Drexler. The defending champs at the time were led by his former Houston Cougars’ teammate Hakeem Olajuwon. The trade happened in the middle of the 1995 season. Although the Rockets had the championship pedigree, they weren’t clicking on all cylinders. They entered the 1995 NBA playoffs as the six seed.

However, Drexler and Olajuwon turned things around. They beat the top three seeds in the West, including dismissing 1995 NBA MVP David Robinson and the best team in the league San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals 4-2. They matched up against the young Orlando Magic, led by Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal. Although the Magic had the better record, the Rockets were on a roll, and it continued in the Finals. They breezed through the Magic, won their second straight title with a 4-0 sweep. Drexler, who averaged 20 points and 7 rebounds during the playoffs, finally was a NBA champion.

 

 

List of Basketball Hall of Fame Members