PORTLAND, Ore. – The first time Clyde Drexler set foot in
Portland, he was a big-time college player who didn't quite know
what to make of this small town.
|  | | Clyde Drexler was the toast of Portland for 12 seasons, though he never won a title for the team that drafted him. |
It was spring 1983, and Drexler was 21 years old. Along with
Hakeem Olajuwon, he had just led Houston to the NCAA final, and he
was going through a pre-draft physical with the Trail Blazers.
"The meetings were over, and I was thinking, `It's time to go
to the club. It's time to go to the bar,' " Drexler said. "But it
was 10 o'clock, and everything was closed. There was nothing."
Eighteen years later, this little city still embraces Drexler
like no other NBA player who has worn the red and black uniform. On
Tuesday night, the Blazers paid homage to the future Hall of Famer
by retiring the No. 22 jersey he wore here for 11½ seasons.
"I'm overwhelmed," he told the crowd during a ceremony at
halftime of Portland's game against Vancouver. "There is so much
love in the building, and I will be eternally grateful."
A banner with Drexler's number was raised, and he was joined at
midcourt by former teammates Kevin Duckworth and Buck Williams, as
well as ex-Blazers greats Bill Walton and Maurice Lucas. Former
owner Larry Weinberg and general manager Harry Glickman, who
drafted Drexler with the No. 14 pick, also were there.
Drexler was presented with a painting of himself driving past
Michael Jordan, and owner Paul Allen said the team was renaming
Dribble Drive, a short street that runs behind the Rose Garden,
"Drexler Drive."
Nicknamed "The Glide," Drexler used his speed, ball-handling
ability and graceful moves to the basket to become one of the NBA's
50 greatest players. He averaged 20.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.9
assists with the Blazers. He remains the franchise's career leader
in points (18,040), rebounds (5,339), steals (1,795) and
triple-doubles (18).
Despite his love of the city – he has a home in the suburbs and
spends many summers here with his family – he wanted out when the
team started to rebuild in the mid-1990s. The Blazers granted his
wish and traded him to the Houston Rockets on Valentine's Day 1995.
Reunited with Olajuwon, Drexler finally got his championship, as
the Rockets won the second of their consecutive titles.
"I wish that he could have won a championship here for the fans
in Portland, but he was able to go to Houston and do it where he
had such a great college career," said Blazers forward Scottie
Pippen, who played against Drexler in the 1992 Finals. "He'll go
down as one of the greatest forwards to ever play the game."
After he retired in 1998, Drexler became coach at his alma
mater, but he quit after the Cougars had seasons of 10-17 and 9-22.
Drexler criticized Bob Whitsitt and the rest of Blazers
management after the trade, saying the win-or-else attitude that
Allen used to great success in the software business didn't work
with the Blazers. Coach Rick Adelman was fired following the
1993-94 season, and GM Geoff Petrie quit soon afterward.
"Some really good people got hurt," Drexler said then.
Drexler doesn't take back what he said at the time, but Tuesday
he was all smiles. He got a big ovation as he walked to his
courtside seat before the game, trading high-fives with fans.
Watching with his family, the big screen counted down Drexler's top
five highlights. Former teammates Cliff Robinson, Terry Porter and
Jerome Kersey, as well as Adelman, gave videotaped greetings.
Allen said he and Drexler had been through the "basketball
wars" together in 1990 and '92, when the Blazers lost to the
Pistons and Bulls in the Finals, and their shared triumphs and
disappointments built a bond between them.
"He could shoot, he passed the ball unselfishly, he could
rebound ... he did whatever it took to win," Allen said.
Allen said one of his fond memories was of playing H-O-R-S-E
against Drexler at Allen's house, at night and in the rain, with
Allen winning.
"Must have been homecourt advantage," Allen said.
Drexler said he often regrets not being able to win his
championship in Portland.
"We were almost there," he said, holding his fingers half an
inch apart. "For years, we fought Showtime and L.A. – Magic and
Kareem. Well, Kareem finally retired, and now we had a chance. We
made some good runs at it, but just could never get over the hump.
But I think every individual on those teams gave it 200 percent,
because they really believed in what we were trying to get
accomplished."
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AUDIO VIDEO
 During the ceremony, Clyde Drexler tells the crowd he feels truly blessed.
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