Ridiculous athleticism and a class guy every time I got a chance to meet him. The story about how his frog-legged jumper came about is intriguing as well.
I met Clyde three times and each time he was extremely nice. I met his wife Gaynell and she was just as nice. I got her autograph on a Caldwell Jones card. lol Caldwell Jones was a grumpy dude. That's back when you could walk right up to the locker room door after the games. One time the exit door was locked so Caldwell had to stand there and wait so he begrudgingly signed my Franz Bread card.
Clyde is awesome, but I really love this dude, who gave it all on the court, and continued to make his mark after retirement: p.s. Blazers, PLEASE add his "gone horizontal" dunk over Mark Eaton in the playoffs.
The athleticism, the passing, the strength.....and he accomplished all he did with one of the worst formed jump-shots you could possibly imagine. Give him a normal height ceiling on his hoop growing up that would have developed a solid jumper, and he would have been even more ridiculous.
I have a nice Clyde Drexler story I can share... Back in the day, the Blazers would make an annual visit to a Vet hospital in Vancouver...(1988)..My Dad had a stroke which left him pretty much a vegetable, paralyzed from the throat down, he couldn't speak, and we never could tell how aware of anything he really was. Anyway, one year when they came, I remember Bill Schonley walking into my Dad's room and it got one helluva reaction from my father...He started grunting and pointing at The Schonz, he never even did that for us, but it was obvious he recognized the great announcer...Then Clyde walked in..My mother and I told him my Fathers story, and you could tell, Clyde was touched. Fast forward two weeks later....... My mother and I go to visit my Dad, and as we walked into his room, guess who was there, at his bedside, reading from Sports Illustrated?? Yeppers, Clyde The Glide... He told us he was so taken with my Dad, that as soon as he got back in town, from the road trip, he drove his car to see my Dad. Right from the airport!!..No press, No cameras...just a Man. I didn't much care for Clyde in later years, but I will always love him for the sincere humanity he showed my dying father.
We had amazing years with Clyde. Amazing talent who had us in multiple finals. But after he left, many Blazer fans quickly recognized him as the guy who hated practice and didn’t like the city. I admire a superstar who could rock Avia’s
never know. He left, then jordan retired. Who's to say if he stayed we win when Houston did with mj out? If mj would have secretly told us he was gonna retire, we could have built for those years and won it all with him. 94-96, right? we were in the finals in 91’.
Also. I meant moreso after he retired. Never gives time to the city that gave him so much love. Just kinda deserted us.
