Clyde Drexler: From Phi Slama Jama to the Dream Team and an NBA Championship

There was a reason they called him “The Glide.”

At 6-foot-7, Clyde Drexler could grab a rebound, push the ball the length of the floor and suddenly be soaring toward the basket. His combination of size, speed and athleticism helped make him one of the most exciting players of his generation. Fans remember Drexler for his high-flying style and his ability to seemingly glide toward the rim, a style that eventually became inseparable from his nickname.

The highlights only tell part of his story.

Drexler helped make the University of Houston’s Phi Slama Jama one of the most famous teams in college basketball. He became the face of a Portland Trail Blazers team that reached two NBA Finals. He competed alongside Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird on the original 1992 Dream Team. Then, after more than a decade of chasing an NBA championship, he returned to Houston, reunited with Hakeem Olajuwon and finally won one.

Over 15 NBA seasons, Drexler averaged 20.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game. He became a 10-time NBA All-Star, five-time All-NBA selection, Olympic gold medalist, NBA champion and Basketball Hall of Famer.

His career crossed several of the most memorable chapters in modern basketball history. Through all of them, Drexler built a reputation around athletic excellence, longevity and team success.

Ultimate Fan Rundown

• Clyde Drexler played 15 NBA seasons, averaging 20.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game.
• He became a 10-time NBA All-Star and five-time All-NBA selection during his Hall of Fame career.
• At the University of Houston, Drexler starred on the legendary Phi Slama Jama teams and helped Houston reach consecutive Final Fours in 1982 and 1983.
• Drexler led Portland to the 1990 and 1992 NBA Finals and finished second to Michael Jordan in the 1992 NBA MVP race.
• He won an Olympic gold medal as a member of the legendary 1992 U.S. Olympic Dream Team.
• After returning to Houston and reuniting with former college teammate Hakeem Olajuwon, Drexler helped the Houston Rockets win the 1995 NBA Championship.
• Drexler was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2004.

What Was Phi Slama Jama?

Before Clyde Drexler was “The Glide,” he belonged to a fraternity with one of the greatest nicknames in college basketball history.

Phi Slama Jama.

It wasn’t an actual fraternity. The nickname belonged to the University of Houston Cougars of the early 1980s, whose fast breaks, dunks and athleticism made them one of college basketball’s biggest attractions. Sportswriter Thomas Bonk coined the phrase during the 1982 season, and Houston became known as “Texas’ Tallest Fraternity.” (University of Houston)

Drexler played alongside future NBA superstar Hakeem Olajuwon. With both future Hall of Famers on the roster, Houston reached the Final Four in 1982 and returned in 1983.

The 1982-83 Cougars won 26 consecutive games and reached the NCAA Championship Game with a 31-2 record. Drexler earned All-America honors and had emerged as one of the team’s biggest stars.

Then Phi Slama Jama experienced one of the most famous upsets in NCAA Tournament history.

From Phi Slama Jama to “The Glide”

Houston faced NC State in the 1983 NCAA Championship Game. With the score tied 52-52 in the final seconds, NC State’s Dereck Whittenburg launched a long shot that came up short. Lorenzo Charles caught the ball near the basket and dunked it as time expired.

NC State won 54-52.

The upset produced the famous image of Wolfpack coach Jim Valvano running across the court looking for someone to hug. For Houston, a dominant season ended one victory short of a national championship.

Drexler left Houston after his junior season, and the Portland Trail Blazers selected him 14th overall in the 1983 NBA Draft. By his third NBA season, he was an All-Star. Portland soon developed into a championship contender around him.

Clyde Drexler vs. Michael Jordan: Birth of the ‘Jordan Shrug’

Drexler led Portland to the 1990 NBA Finals, where the Trail Blazers lost to the Detroit Pistons. Two years later, Portland returned to face Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.

The matchup came with plenty of anticipation.

Drexler had averaged 25 points per game, earned First-Team All-NBA honors and finished second to Jordan in the 1992 MVP race. The two superstar guards were now competing directly for an NBA championship.

Jordan responded with one of the most recognizable performances of his career. In Game 1, he scored 35 points in the first half and made six three-pointers. After hitting the sixth, Jordan turned toward the broadcast table, raised his hands and shrugged.

The Jordan Shrug was born.

Chicago eventually defeated Portland in six games.

Within weeks, however, Jordan went from Drexler’s championship opponent to his teammate.

From Michael Jordan’s Rival to Dream Team Teammate

Only weeks after battling Jordan for an NBA championship, Drexler joined him on the 1992 U.S. Olympic Dream Team.

The roster included Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Patrick Ewing, David Robinson and other NBA stars. It remains one of the most celebrated collections of basketball talent ever assembled.

The Dream Team dominated in Barcelona and won Olympic gold.

For Drexler, it added another extraordinary chapter to his career. One accomplishment was still missing: an NBA championship.

A Phi Slama Jama Reunion in Houston

That opportunity arrived in 1995 when Portland traded Drexler to the Houston Rockets.

Waiting for him was Hakeem Olajuwon, his former Phi Slama Jama teammate.

Houston entered the playoffs as the Western Conference’s sixth seed but fought its way to the NBA Finals against Shaquille O’Neal, Penny Hardaway and the Orlando Magic.

The Rockets swept Orlando.

Drexler averaged 21.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game in the Finals, finally earning the championship that had eluded him throughout his career.

Twelve years after Drexler and Olajuwon fell one basket short of a college championship together, they became NBA champions together in Houston.

Clyde Drexler’s Hall of Fame Legacy

Drexler retired in 1998 and entered the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2004. He was also named to both the NBA’s 50th and 75th Anniversary Teams.

His career reads like a tour through basketball history: Phi Slama Jama. Michael Jordan’s Finals rival. The Dream Team. A reunion with Hakeem Olajuwon. An NBA championship.

“The Glide” seemed to be there for all of it.