“It’s the highest compliment” – Clyde Drexler admitted he was flattered when compared to Michael Jordan originally appeared on Basketball Network.
Clyde Drexler was regularly compared to Michael Jordan in his prime, and the former Houston Cougars product was flattered and thankful. Before his matchup against Jordan and the Bulls in the 1992 NBA Finals, the media highlighted the similarities between the two superstar shooting guards. Still, Clyde tried to brush that off, focusing on the task at hand, which was beating his rival.
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The Glide wanted to create his legacy in the NBA, and that started by proving he could lead the Portland Trail Blazers to a championship. Drexler came close to fulfilling that in the 1991-92 season, leading the Trail Blazers to the NBA Finals. Ironically, that could only be achieved if he succeeded in leading Portland over Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.
“When I hear people compare me to Michael Jordan,” Drexler said in a report by the New York Times. “It’s the highest compliment. I’m always honored. But I don’t compete against Michael. I do what I can do for Portland. That’s what matters.”
Drexler’s dilemma
On the cusp of reaching his objective of helping the Trail Blazers win their second NBA championship, Drexler knew he couldn’t do it alone. Looking at the Blazers roster, Clyde did have a reliable cast backing him up.
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Terry Porter, Kevin Duckworth, Jerome Kersey, and Clifford Robinson were among his teammates then. The same cast also made it to the 1990 NBA Finals against the Detroit Pistons, but lost the series in five games.
Hence, the 1992 NBA Finals were a great opportunity for the Trail Blazers to redeem themselves. But against the defending champions, Drexler needed to be on par with Jordan’s performance and hoped his teammates would also level up their game in the 1992 Finals.
MJ outplayed Drexler in the 1992 NBA Finals
The tone of the series was dictated as early as Game 1. Jordan went berserk in the Finals opener, unloading a game-high 39 points. He made 16 of his 27 field goal attempts and converted 6 of his 10 three-point attempts. Michael was just unconscious the entire game, and Portland got burned in that game, 122-89.
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Drexler and the Trail Blazers were surprised at Jordan’s good three-point shooting. It was unusual for Michael to get his points from beyond the arc, known more as a player who took it strong to the hoop. Regardless, it meant the Trail Blazers needed to do a better job covering the then-two-time MVP.
“You don’t want to give him that shot,” Drexler said, “But at the same time, you know Michael is not going to beat you with it very often.”
Jordan’s three-point shooting faded as the series progressed, but that hardly mattered. Michael still knew how to get his points, which weighed heavily on the Trail Blazers’ title chances.
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The Bulls went on to win that series in six games with Jordan averaging 35.8 points per contest. His shooting was also phenomenal in that series, owning a 52.6% clip from the field and 42.9% from the three-point region.
Drexler was far from keeping up with Jordan offensively. He averaged 24.8 points in that series and needed help from his teammates. Porter, Kersey, and Robinson did their share, chipping in double-digit averages. But in the end, the Bulls shot it better and cut down on their turnovers better than the Blazers. Chicago played better as a team, successfully winning back-to-back titles.
Drexler eventually won the championship with the Rockets
Talented as he may have been, Drexler was certainly no MJ. He never fulfilled that goal of delivering a championship to Portland, eventually leaving the team in 1995 for the Houston Rockets.
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It was in Houston that Drexler won his first and only NBA championship. But in that run, he played second fiddle to Hakeem Olajuwon, the Rockets’ top star. That hardly bothered Drexler since winning games and a championship was all that mattered at that point in his illustrious NBA career.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 10, 2025, where it first appeared.