Clyde Drexler (USA)

In a time when there were stars in the NBA who went by the names of Jordan, “Magic” and Byrd, Clyde Drexler was there beside them by his own right. Just a look at his statistics should be enough; a 10 times All-Star; one championship with the Houston Rockets in 1995; an Olympic gold medal; and a spot amongst the best 50 players in the history of the NBA. One just has to wonder if these stats were on his mind when he was playing alongside Hakeem Olajuwon in the University of Houston.

Born on June 1962 in New Orleans, LO, this shooting guard will always be remember for his dazzling abilities and his game above the rim, even though he could not win an NCAA championship after losing in the 1983 finals to North Carolina State.

In that same year, he was selected in the NBA Draft as the 14th pick by the Portland Trail Blazers; the team which he leaded to the NBA Finals in 1990 and 1992, with teammates with offensive skills as those of Terry Porter, Clifford Robinson, Buck Williams and Jerome Kersey.

In 1992, he was selected to play for the first “Dream Team”, which made its debut in the Pre-Olympic in Portland, and that went undefeated on its way to winning that year’s Olympic Games in Barcelona.

In 1995, he asked to be traded to the Rockets because he wanted to play in a team with chances of winning another Championship; succeeding in his wish that same year, alongside his long-time fellow, Olajuwon.

He stepped out of the game after the 1997-98 season to coach his Alma Mater, University of Houston. His number (22) was retired by both teams, Portland and Houston; and in September 10, 2004, he was inducted to the United States Basketball Hall of Fame.

He was well-known for his quickness and gracefulness inside the court, as well as his unusual tolerant and quiet demeanor. His extraordinary vertical ability gave him the opportunity to make effective and awe-inspiring dunks.
He distinguished himself not only as an offensive player; his total of blocked shots for a player of his height was another facet of the game in which he excelled, ranking third all-time between small forwards. As a result, he is one of three players in the NBA with at least 20,000 points, 6,000 rebounds and 6,000 assists. The other two players: Oscar Robertson and John Havlicek.

FIBA Americas