NBA: 1990s All-Decade third team
Third Team: G – Clyde Drexler:
1990s Resume: Nine seasons, one NBA title, three NBA Finals appearances, one-time All-NBA First Team, one-time All-NBA Second Team, two-time All-NBA Third Team, 20.7 PPG, 6.4 RPG and 5.7 APG, 21.0 average PER
At the other guard spot on our All-Decade Third Team is Clyde “The Glide” Drexler. Like Dominique Wilkins, Drexler’s reputation came from being an entertaining dunker and one of the league’s best shooting guards behind Michael Jordan. However, also like Wilkins, Drexler was so much more than that, and while Wilkins was more of an emphatic dunker, the one word to describe Clyde’s game – and dunking ability – would be “smooth.”
Drexler was unstoppable on the fast break, earning his nickname for the way he just glided through the air to the rim. In midair, he basically looked like the Air Jordan logo only if the legs were bent at the knee and tucked in. Drexler was also a very good defender and though Jordan put the “MJ or Glide?” conversation to bed in the 1992 NBA Finals, Drexler eventually earned an NBA ring with the Houston Rockets in 1995. Drexler’s better days were behind him at that point, but averaging nearly 21-6-6 in nine seasons during the 90s is still pretty damn impressive.
Who knows how many rings Drexler might have won if not for Jordan’s Bulls and the Bad Boys Detroit Pistons that bested him in the 1990 NBA Finals? Still, Drexler’s incredible dunking ability, his oh-so-smooth finger roll and his ability to lead teams in the playoffs earns him a spot on the Third Team and a place in the hearts of Portland Trail Blazers fans everywhere.