“They Kind of Gave Up a Little Too Soon”: NBA Legend Clyde Drexler Reveals Reasons Behind His Exit From Portland Trailblazers

Clyde Drexler is an all-time NBA great. He’s an NBA Champion and a 10-time NBA All-Star. Drexler’s talent won him a role in the 1992 ‘Dream Team’ that won a gold medal at the Barcelona Olympics. Drexler even came close to winning an MVP title, only to be surpassed by the great Michael Jordan.

Drexler went to the Portland Trail Blazers in 1983 as the 14th pick of the NBA Draft. In Portland, Drexler slowly became one of the fastest rising players in the league. Within three years, Drexler earned his first All-Star selection, at the age of just 24. The Houston native led the Blazers to the Western Conference Finals three consecutive seasons from 1990 to 1992. He made his first trip to the NBA Finals in 1990, where he and the Blazers were usurped by the legendary ‘Bad Boy’ Detroit Pistons. However, the following year, the Blazers couldn’t defeat the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.

In 1992, Drexler could’ve won the Blazers a championship. The only thing that stopped him was an immovable Chicago Bulls led by Michael Jordan. After three consecutive disappointments in the playoffs, it seemed as though Drexler would never win a championship.

Clyde Drexler departs for home

In 1994, a 32-year-old Drexler was traded to his hometown team, the Houston Rockets. The move was a part of a rebuilding plan for the Blazers, and they felt Drexler could not contribute. In his first season with the Rockets, Drexler along with Hakeem Olajuwon led the Rockets to their second consecutive NBA Championship. Drexler joined a long list of great players to win an NBA Championship late in his career. However, he had never wanted to leave Portland.

The city had become a home for him, and he didn’t see himself leaving. But the Blazers set in motion their plans for a rebuild. Drexler recently spoke to James Posey for his ‘Posecast‘. During the discussion, Drexler revealed why he made the decision to leave the Blazers. He said:

“The only reason I left Portland – they were starting to rebuild. Because after all those great years, I had some injuries on my knees. And they kind of gave up a little bit too soon. So they started rebuilding and got rid of Kevin Duckworth. And I was like ‘Hold up guys, we don’t have a center’. Then they started saying ‘we need to rebuild, we need to trade some of these veterans while they can still play so we can get something for them. And that’s when I orchestrated the move to Houston. But if they hadn’t done that, I would’ve finished my career there.”

Clyde Drexler left on good terms with the Blazers and is undoubtedly a franchise legend. His #22 jersey hangs retired from the rafters in the Moda Center in Portland.