Latest news with #ClydeDrexler
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
"I never bought into that. We are all competitors" - When Clyde Drexler pushed back on the Michael Jordan GOAT narrative
"I never bought into that. We are all competitors" - When Clyde Drexler pushed back on the Michael Jordan GOAT narrative originally appeared on Basketball Network. There once was a time when it was taboo not to claim Michael Jordan was the greatest player of all time. It was an expectation; a certain fear was associated with anyone who dared venture off that path and offer up another name for discussion. Advertisement Thankfully, those times have changed for the sake of NBA discourse and critical thinking. With the explosion of social media and various other platforms available for former players and basketball personalities to give their views, the GOAT debate has rightfully become more nuanced over time. While we put a certain amount of stock into what modern NBA players think, players who competed directly against MJ during his prime are respected differently. One of his most famous competitors was Portland Trailblazers guard Clyde Drexler, who is often referred to as Jordan's greatest positional rival. Given their history, perhaps no one is better placed to determine if MJ was, in fact, the greatest ever. Yet, according to Drexler, he wasn't. Clyde weighs in Much like anyone, Drexler has his opinion on the GOAT debate. It's become fashionable for Hall of Famers to be generationally biased towards their own era. Still, to Clyde's credit, he doesn't advocate the 1990s boasted the greatest talent we've ever seen. Advertisement This may be why he doesn't see Jordan as the greatest ever. When asked about it, Drexler queried why MJ should be considered greater than the ones who came before him. "Michael is phenomenal, and he is one of the best players I ever played against, but who is ever better than Kareem, Chamberlain or Julius Erving, Bird or Magic. I never bought into that. We are all competitors," he said. They're telling words from Drexler, and one that has been echoed previously by other legends who believe it's unjust to put one all-timer over another for the sake of ranking players. Many see Clyde's approach as admirable, but there will always be a cohort of fans who see his words as a deflection in an attempt to protect his own image. As mentioned, Drexler was always compared to Jordan, given that they were the two leading shooting guards in the Association during their primes. Mike left nothing to the imagination about who the better players were when they did match up against one another. Advertisement This isn't to say that Drexler isn't being genuine, but there is a chance he also doesn't want to give Jordan the nod out of pride for what occurred during their battles. Ultimately, any 10-time All-Star had to be supremely confident in their ability, and Clyde felt like no one was better than him when he was at his best. "I always felt there was nobody better if I played the way I should have played," he added to clarify his stance. "If I come out and compete, there will be only a few guys that are better, and if they are, you shake their hand and say congrats. I can compete with anyone, and it's all about performance." Related: "He doesn't deserve to be in the game" - Charles Barkley wanted Vince Carter to give up his starting spot in the 2003 All-Star Game for Michael Jordan Mutual respect That said, it's also important to acknowledge that Clyde has been nothing short of a gentleman when giving his opinions following his career. When he has made media appearances or sat down for interviews, he's always been candid in discussing his past, from the success of winning a championship in 1995 with the Houston Rockets to the pain of defeat at the hands of the Chicago Bulls in 1992. Advertisement Yes, he and Michael were fierce competitors. Still, he also went on the record saying that there was nothing but mutual respect for one another. "I loved playing against Michael, he was the nicest guy, but he is a great competitor. He never said anything to me. He asked me how I was doing, how my family was. A lot of mutual respect," Drexler said. It's nice to see two legends openly broadcast their mutual respect for each other. It's even more refreshing considering that every other week, a former superstar is making a podcast appearance and throwing dirt on their former peers for no apparent reason or continuing a beef that happened 20 years ago in an attempt to protect their own legacy. We need more of what Jordan and Drexler have in common — acknowledgement of an all-time rivalry that fuelled a long-lasting mutual respect well after both players walked away from the game. Advertisement Related: "I wanted people to know the difference between me and Clyde" - Michael Jordan took Clyde Drexler comparisons in the 1992 Finals as extra motivation This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 30, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
"Show some love and some respect for the people you played with and against" - Clyde Drexler says 'The Last Dance' was a true reflection of Michael Jordan's negative character
"Show some love and some respect for the people you played with and against" - Clyde Drexler says 'The Last Dance' was a true reflection of Michael Jordan's negative character originally appeared on Basketball Network. There was nothing warm about 'The Last Dance.' Advertisement According to many past players, it didn't give an even-handed documentary feel. What the world got instead was Michael Jordan's razor-edged version of history, dressed up in ESPN gloss. And while the world applauded, not everyone was sold. Clyde Drexler, perhaps least of all. A Hall of Famer in his own right and one of Jordan's fiercest contemporaries during the 1990s, Drexler was noticeably absent from the chorus of legends praising the Emmy-winning docuseries. And now, in the aftermath of the 1o-part docuseries, the former Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets swingman is not mincing words. Drexler's thoughts Drexler revisited the documentary and offered a pointed take that added yet another layer to The Last Dance's complicated legacy. He saw neither nostalgia nor reverence. Advertisement It was something else entirely. 'In that era, there were nothing but men, real men who played,' Drexler said. 'A lot of times guys didn't like each other from other teams, but as you get older, you've got to get beyond all of that and show some love and some respect for the people you played with and against. I hope Michael was able to do that in his documentary.' When The Last Dance premiered in 2020, it became more than a sports documentary. On average, it pulled in over 5.6 million viewers per episode, setting ESPN records and dominated the sports conversation during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. But with its vivid scenes of locker room tirades, personal jabs and repeated shots at former teammates and rivals, it was less a walk down memory lane and more of a slow-burning indictment. Advertisement Drexler was featured only briefly in the series, largely in the context of the 1992 NBA Finals when Jordan's Bulls faced Drexler's Blazers. That series, one Chicago won in six games, was cast by Jordan as yet another 'prove them wrong' moment, with Drexler's elite reputation serving as fuel for Jordan's competitive fire. But for Drexler, the comparison wasn't needed. He'd already built a Hall of Fame resume, with 10 NB All-Star appearances, an Olympic gold medal, and eventually, an NBA championship in 1995 with the Rockets. Jordan's story For Drexler, the criticism is about balance. There was, after all, no denying Jordan's greatness on the court. He won six championships, five MVP awards, and had an unrelenting will that shaped the 1990s NBA. But the greatness of that decade wasn't carried by No. 23 alone. Advertisement Still, The Last Dance left the impression that Jordan's journey was the only one that mattered, that every Finals was a coronation, not a contest, and that anyone who stood in his way was either a prop or a cautionary tale. To many who knew the era intimately, Drexler included, Jordan's version of events seemed overly personal, less about elevating the game and more about reasserting dominance. 'That's Michael's documentary of course it's going to be from his perspective,' Drexler added. 'It was a golden era and everybody is entitled to their own opinion.' Throughout The Last Dance, former teammates like Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant were framed through Jordan's lens of trust and betrayal. Gary Payton, a defensive stalwart and nine-time All-Defensive First Team selection, was openly mocked by Jordan for thinking he could slow him down. Even legends like Isiah Thomas were subtly sidelined, despite being central to that era's competitive fire. Advertisement Related: "I never bought into that. We are all competitors" - When Clyde Drexler pushed back on the Michael Jordan GOAT narrative This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 5, 2025, where it first appeared.
CBS News
11-06-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Detroit gets a home city as BIG3 basketball league begins 2025 season
New Detroit 3-on-3 basketball team debuts, Tigers take on Orioles, more sports news New Detroit 3-on-3 basketball team debuts, Tigers take on Orioles, more sports news New Detroit 3-on-3 basketball team debuts, Tigers take on Orioles, more sports news Detroit's first 3-on-3 basketball franchise team, the Detroit Amplifiers, are wrapping up training camp and had their formal introductions Tuesday. Local officials and other VIPs were among those meeting the Detroit Amps, who will be led by head coach George Gervin. Jeremy Pargo is team captain. The co-captains are Joe Johnson and Darnell Jackson. The Detroit Amps are one of eight new city-based franchises in the BIG3, which operated under a touring model in previous years. Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler is the commissioner. "The BIG3 is a league with no garbage minutes, where trash talk is allowed, defense is emphasized, fast-paced action, and where every point – whether it's a 4-point or 3-point shot – counts," the league's press release said. The league debut is June 14, and the home opener is July 20 at Little Caesars Arena.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
"That drove Michael crazy' - Charles Barkley on why Michael Jordan made it personal with Clyde Drexler in Dream Team practices
The 1992 Dream Team had some unfinished rivalries buried beneath gold medals and photo ops. The real battles were layered with resentment, competition, and unspoken scores. And it happened behind closed doors. Advertisement One of those simmering storylines was Michael Jordan and Clyde Drexler. Both guards entered the Olympic circuit as All-Stars, Hall of Fame-bound, and former NBA Finals foes, but the air between them was never light. Jordan going to Drexler According to Charles Barkley, who had a front-row seat to the intensity, Drexler's belief in his own stature struck a nerve with Jordan, who felt he was the ultimate alpha of alphas. 'Clyde wanted two things,' Barkley said. 'Clyde was a hell of a player, but he wanted to think he was as good as Michael, and that drove Michael crazy. It really drove him crazy.' Few things pushed Jordan harder than the idea of someone believing they stood shoulder to shoulder with him — especially if he didn't see it that way. Barkley's recollection of the inner dynamics during the Dream Team practices reveals that Jordan never let go of what happened just a few weeks earlier in the 1992 NBA Finals. Advertisement Drexler's Portland Trail Blazers had gone toe-to-toe with Jordan's Chicago Bulls in a six-game series that saw Chicago secure its second straight championship. Before the Finals, media narratives swirled around Drexler's skills, with some suggesting he and Jordan belonged in the same sentence. Jordan, always hunting for a reason to dominate, locked in. In Game 1 of that series, the Bulls superstar torched the Blazers with 35 points in the first half, punctuated by six 3-pointers — and the now-iconic shrug toward the commentary table. The message was that the comparisons were pointless. But even after the series was over and the championship secured, Jordan wasn't done. That fire trailed into the summer. By the time the Dream Team assembled for Olympic training camp in La Jolla and later Monte Carlo, Jordan had turned practice into a proving ground. Legendary practice The practices, often more competitive than the Olympic matches themselves, became a theater of tension. Jordan and Drexler regularly squared off, and Barkley noted that it wasn't casual. It was sharp, physical, and charged with the residue of that Finals clash. Advertisement 'Him and Clyde went at it. It was so intense,' Barkley recalled. They weren't the only ones going at each other. Barkley and Karl Malone were battling to see who was the best power forward. David Robinson and Patrick Ewing were slugging it out for the best center. Jordan used those sessions to reestablish a hierarchy he felt had been momentarily questioned. Drexler, for his part, didn't back down. He was an elite scorer, a nine-time NBA All-Star, and one of only three players in NBA history at the time to record 20,000 points, 6,000 assists, and 6,000 rebounds. But Jordan was defending legacy. The Dream Team dominated international opponents in Spain — winning by an average of 44 points per game. The team cruised to gold, and Jordan had already done his real work. Advertisement That summer, Drexler averaged 10.5 points per game during the Olympics — solid by any measure — but Jordan's presence on the court always loomed larger. The scoring titles, MVP awards, rings — they all cast long shadows. Related: "Hopefully, by the end of the series, people understood the difference" - MJ made sure Drexler was never compared to him again
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Patrick Ewing said Michael Jordan targeted Larry Bird and Clyde Drexler during Dream Team practices: "All of us had to step back"
There was no mistaking the electricity inside that Monte Carlo gym. The so-called Dream Team — basketball royalty compressed into a single roster — had been assembled not just to dominate the 1992 Olympics but to redefine the very essence of the sport on a global stage. Advertisement Yet, for all the gold-medal expectations and diplomatic photo ops, the fiercest games didn't happen in front of packed stadiums or under the Olympic torch. They unfolded behind closed doors, where pride and pedigree clashed in the form of intrasquad scrimmages that remain the stuff of legends. Intense Scrimmage According to Patrick Ewing, those battles were intense and deeply personal, especially for Michael Jordan. "Everybody out there was just trying to show that they great enough and good enough to be there and deserved [to be there]," Ewing said. "We're all alphas; everyone on that team was an alpha. All of us had to step back and let Michael and the rest of those guys shine." By the summer of 1992, Jordan was fresh off leading the Chicago Bulls to their second straight championship. They had just dismantled Clyde Drexler and the Portland Trail Blazers in a six-game NBA Finals, during which Jordan hit six 3-pointers in the first half of Game 1. Advertisement But for Jordan, torching Drexler under the Finals spotlight wasn't enough. Monte Carlo gave him a new theater. It was no coincidence that Drexler, one of the newer additions to the roster and a fellow shooting guard, became a recurring target during those practice sessions. Jordan was making sure no one forgot who wore the crown. He would go after Drexler with unabated energy, talking trash, playing with fury and reinforcing a truth he believed was undeniable: he was better. And he wanted Drexler to know it. Related: "I was probably emotional and upset and directed a lot of that anger toward the team" - Hill admits he regrets how his career in Detroit ended Jordan's assertion Dream Team head coach Chuck Daly, the architect of the Detroit Pistons' Bad Boys, orchestrated these scrimmages to push egos to the edge. And the players responded. The matchups crackled with tension — Karl Malone and Charles Barkley throwing elbows under the rim, John Stockton navigating among giants and Jordan drawing a red circle around whoever he wanted to dominate next. Advertisement Amid the collisions and crossovers, status was on the line. Jordan had walked up to Larry Bird and Magic Johnson and said there was "a new sheriff in town." Ewing, who had gone to war against all three — Bird, Johnson and Jordan — understood what that gesture meant. "Michael wanted Larry and Magic to know it's his turn now," Ewing said. "Michael was playing all these mind games, talking trash to Clyde, going at Clyde… He just wanted Clyde to know that 'I'm better than you." By 1992, Bird's back was deteriorating and Johsnon had only recently returned to basketball after revealing his HIV diagnosis the year before. They were legends, but they weren't at their peaks. Jordan, on the other hand, was at the absolute height of his powers, averaging 30.1 points per game during the '91–'92 season and leading the Bulls to a 67-15 record. What made those scrimmages so compelling was the transition of eras, playing out in real-time. The Chicago icon didn't wait for the world to pass the torch. He grabbed it. Related: "As a Knicks fan, I'm sad" - Patrick Ewing on why the New York Knicks have failed to attract big stars over the years
