Clyde Drexler American basketball player Date of Birth: 22.06.1962 Country: USA

1. Clyde Drexler - American Basketball Player
2. Biography

Clyde Drexler - American Basketball Player

Clyde Drexler is a famous American basketball player, known for his skills as a shooting guard and small forward. He was a member of the Houston Rockets team that won the NBA championship in 1995 and was also a part of the USA national team that won the Olympic gold medal in 1992. Drexler earned the nickname "The Glide" due to his smooth and effortless style of play, gliding past defenders and soaring towards the opponent's basket. Throughout his NBA career, he recorded 25 triple-doubles, ranking him 10th in NBA history. Drexler came close to achieving a quadruple-double on two occasions, a feat only accomplished by four players in NBA history. On January 10, 1986, he scored 26 points, made 11 assists, 10 steals, and 9 rebounds in a game against the Milwaukee Bucks. More than 10 years later, on November 1, 1996, Drexler scored 25 points, had 10 rebounds, 10 steals, and 9 assists in a game against the Sacramento Kings. No other NBA player has come as close to achieving a quadruple-double since then.

Biography

Clyde Drexler is one of three players in NBA history to accumulate 20,000 points, 6,000 assists, and 6,000 rebounds throughout his career. The other two players are Oscar Robertson and John Havlicek. With 2,207 steals, he ranks 6th in NBA regular-season history in this category. Additionally, at the start of the 2009-10 season, Drexler ranked 22nd in all-time NBA scoring and 26th in all-time assists. After spending 12 years with the Portland Trail Blazers (1983-1995), Drexler transferred to the Houston Rockets and won an NBA championship in his first season with the team. This achievement had eluded him throughout his time with the Trail Blazers. Playing alongside center Hakeem Olajuwon, Drexler helped the Rockets secure their second consecutive championship.

In 1996, Drexler was selected as one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history. Interestingly, he attended the ceremony in his Houston Rockets jersey, even though he had only played for the team for a year, rather than representing the Portland Trail Blazers, the team he had dedicated 12 years of his career to. In 2004, Drexler was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. The number 22, which he wore during his playing career, was retired by the Trail Blazers, the Rockets, and the University of Houston, where Drexler played college basketball. From 1998 to 2000, he coached the University of Houston basketball team but did not achieve significant success. Currently, Drexler works as a commentator for Houston Rockets home games.

Drexler has four children, three of whom are with his current wife, Gainell, whom he has been together with since 1988. He has a brother and two sisters who own a chain of grill restaurants in Houston, including the "22 Bar," named after Clyde's jersey number. Drexler has made guest appearances in the popular sitcom "Married... with Children" and has also appeared in episodes of several American and Canadian TV shows. In 2007, Clyde participated in the American version of the TV show "Dancing with the Stars," where he was paired with former Muscovite Elena Grinenko, finishing in 8th place out of 11 couples.

Drexler admitted that he only completed college in December 2001 while already working as a coach at the University of Houston. He graduated with a degree in financial management.