Drexler is headed for the Hall as a Blazer
The nine-time All-Star, one of six named to the Hall of Fame's 2004 class, will be inducted in his first year of eligibility
04/06/04
GEOFFREY C. ARNOLD
There was hardly any doubt that Clyde Drexler would be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame after his retirement. The overriding question was whether he would wear a Portland or Houston jersey during the ceremony.
"I'm going to go in as a Blazer," Drexler said Monday. "That's the team that originally drafted me, and that's the jersey I will wear."
The Hall of Fame announced Monday that Drexler, 41, will be one of six inductees in its 2004 class. The Trail Blazers' star guard and the franchise's career leader in points, rebounds and steals will be inducted in his first year of eligibility.
"As you begin your career as an athlete, you never envision something as spectacular as the Hall of Fame," Drexler said. "You look at the guys who have made it -- the greats of the game -- and you never put yourself in that same particular group."
The Blazers used the 14th overall pick to select Drexler in the 1983 draft after he led the University of Houston Cougars to consecutive NCAA Final Four appearances. The team earned the nickname "Phi Slama Jama" for its power and airborne talents.
Drexler's 15-year NBA career was highlighted by nine All-Star Game appearances, 15 consecutive playoff appearances, three NBA Finals appearances (an NBA championship with Houston in 1995), a gold medal as a member of the 1992 U.S. Olympic "Dream Team" and selection as one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history.
Drexler spent 11-1/2 seasons in Portland, an era when the Blazers twice reached the NBA Finals, losing to Detroit in 1990 and to Chicago in 1992.
"He was a perennial All-Star; he did everything you could do in the pros -- from winning a title in Houston to taking us to two NBA Finals," said Sacramento coach Rick Adelman, Drexler's coach in Portland from 1989-94. "I don't think there's any way he shouldn't have been inducted."
In 1995, Drexler was traded to Houston, where he helped the Rockets win the NBA championship. Although his relationship with Blazers management soured leading up to the trade, Drexler said he loves Portland.
"They had the confidence to draft (me) on that particular draft day. They put their faith and their future in your hands," Drexler said. "I respect that, and I've always been in a position to be thankful for that. I always give the credit back to the people who had enough confidence to make that selection."
Joining Drexler as inductees for the Hall's September 10 ceremony in Springfield, Mass., are Jerry Colangelo, chairman of the Phoenix Suns; Bill Sharman, one of three members (John Wooden and Lenny Wilkens are the others) selected as a player and coach; Maurice Stokes, Lynette Woodard and Drazen Dalipagic.
Drexler said no specific moment stands out in his career, which ended after the 1997-98 season, other than accomplishing his goal of playing in the NBA.
"My favorite memory is becoming an NBA player, which was my lifelong dream," he said. "Just to have a chance to compete against the best players in the world, on a nightly basis. That was the ultimate, that was the pinnacle for me. It didn't get any better. That's the one thing I wanted and I absolutely had to do that. Everything else has been gravy."
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