Glide to the layup
Clyde Drexler
Height: 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in)
Weight: 95 kg (210 lb)
Born June 22, 1962 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, he is a former American professional basketball player who plays as a point guard/small forward, nicknamed "the glide".
In the 1983 NBA Draft, Drexler was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers with the 14th pick in the first round, and played for the Blazers and houston Rockets for 15 years of his career.
At the end of the 1997–98 season, due to injuries, Drexler announced his retirement.
Career Statistics:
Score: 22,195 points
Rebounds: 6677
Assists: 6,125
Appearances: 1086
Career average: 20.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 2.0 steals, 47.2% shooting
Major awards and honors
10-time NBA All-Star Team (1985–86; 1988–94; 1995–96; 1996–97)
1st NBA All-Roms First Team (1991–92)
2nd NBA All-NBA Second Team (1987–88; 1990–91)
2-time NBA All-3 (1989–90; 1994–95)
1994–95 Overall Champion (Houston Rockets)
Men's basketball champion at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics
2004 Nye Smith Basketball Hall of Fame
Rocket period
The 1994–95 Rockets won the championship
Drexler was born in New Orleans, but grew up in Houston and attended Sterling High School in Houston. In his sophomore year of high school, he joined the school baseball team. He also played for the basketball team, but unfortunately did not qualify. At this time, Drexler was 1.98 meters tall and played as a striker. On Christmas Day 1979, in Sterling High School's game against Pinnacle High School, Drexler slashed wildly for 34 points and 27 rebounds. It was because of his excellent performance in this game that he received the attention of the university coach.
After graduating in 1980, Drexler received invitations from New Mexico State University, Texas Tech University, and the University of Houston, respectively. In the end, he chose the University of Houston, which is also close to home.
Drexler joined the varsity basketball team and met fellow teammate Hakim Olajuwon. In the 1981–82 season, the two led the University of Houston to the NCAA Final Four, losing to North Carolina. Drexler, who plays primarily as a small forward, averaged 15.2 points and 10.5 rebounds per game (second in the Southwest Conference).
In the 1982–83 season, the University of Houston returned to the Final Four, ranking first. He had 21 points, seven rebounds and six assists in the semifinals, and in the final he again faced The Defending North Carolina. Lady Luck did not land in Houston, and before half-time, Drexler was back to four fouls and was out of shape. It eventually lost to North Carolina.
Drexler averaged 14.4 points, 3.3 assists and 9.9 rebounds throughout his college career. In his junior season, he was named Southwest Conference Player of the Year and was named to the All-Team. He was the only player in Houston history to have at least 1,000 points, 900 rebounds and 300 steals.
In the 1983 draft, he was eager to play for the Houston Rockets, but was not selected by the Blazers until the 14th pick in the first round.
In the 1983-84 season, as a rookie, Drexler basically played as a substitute. Averaging 17 minutes per game, he scored a pitiful 7.7 points. But in the second season, Drexler suddenly broke out, averaging 17.2 points per game, and the statistics increased significantly.
Since then, it has remained at the top of the league's scoring list.
In the 1991–92 season, Drexler averaged 25.0 points per game, ranking fourth on the scoring list and was named to the NBA's First Team of the Year. Ranked second in the MVP polls, the first was Michael Jordan. He also led the Trail Blazers all the way to the Finals against jordan's Chicago Bulls. There was a chance to equalize the aggregate and enter the seventh game of the decider. However, after leading the sixth game into the fourth quarter, the offense was dudded, and the Bulls overtook the score, regrettably out. Although he did not win the championship, at the Barcelona Olympic Games in the summer of the same year, Drexler was successfully selected for the Dream Team, and finally helped the team win the Olympic Championship.
In the middle of the 1994–95 season, Drexler left the Blazers for 11 and a half seasons, but wrote his name to the top of many records in team history.
Drexler, who came to the Houston Rockets, continued the leading edge with his college teammate "Big Dream" Olajuwon. The pair of interior and exterior duos did not disappoint fans, who led the team to the playoffs as the sixth place in the West, all the way to the Finals. The opponents in the finals were O'Neal's Magic Team of the "Big Sharks", and as a result, the duo was stronger, falling four straight sets, sweeping the Magic and winning the championship. It was also the only championship trophy Drexler had won in his career. Drexler averaged 21.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 6.8 assists in four games, making him the most consistent second-placed scorer besides Big Dream.
In the following seasons, injuries clearly affected the number of appearances and mentality. Just after the 1997–98 season, Drexler announced his retirement.
Comments: Why is it called "glider"? On the one hand, because the name Drexler is pronounced similarly to the glider (the glide), on the other hand, it bounces well, stays in the air for a long time, and often completes the layup or dunk with a pleasing long-distance glide. He has participated in the dunk contest 5 times, but unfortunately failed to win the championship. He is another "flying man" besides Jordan. In 15 seasons of his career, Drexler scored 22,195 points, 6,677 rebounds and 6,125 assists. That put him at one of only five players in NBA history who scored 20,000+, assisted 6,000+, and rebounded 6,000+. The remaining four are Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Oscar Robertson and John Havlicek. If you count the 2207 steals, he becomes the only player in NBA history to achieve this feat.