Clyde Drexler on Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon | Why Shaq and Penny didn't get along

Steal by Drexler. Clyde Drexler knows how to drive the baseline. Drexler for the dunk. It's showtime, don't forget it. Clyde the Glyde. The one thing that I remember you from Clyde the Glyde Drexler, the finger roll, and why was it such an advantage for you? Well, I think when we played, there always were seven-footers in the lane. You've got to develop a way to get your shot up over them as you drive to the basket. And so the finger roll I stole from Julius Erving and George Gervin, I grew up watching them. Some of the greats. Loved the way they played, and so I kind of emulated their move and you try to work hard to perfect it. And it worked out pretty well. Clyde the Glyde. Didn't even look at the basket. Drexler turns around, push it up. It's good! How was it going back and forth with a guy like Michael Jordan? Well, anytime you're playing against a legendary player like Michael Jordan, first of all, it's a privilege. That's why you play the game. You want to play against the best, and if you're lucky, you want to beat the best, right? So Michael Jordan was a tremendous challenge, and Chicago the Bulls were a great team. We had a great run. That series should have gone to seven, but, you know, they played well. They deserved to win. But that was a very close series. You're obviously considered a great of Portland. When you look back at your time, how do you feel about your time in Portland? Portland's a great city. I still love it. That's the franchise that drafted me, so they're going to always be special. When I think of the teams that I love, I think of the Portland Trailblazers and the Houston Rockets. My top two teams. It'll never change. Okay. Well, let's get to the Houston Rockets. You get traded there. There's only one destination that you're going to go if you're going to leave Portland, and that's Houston because that's where home is. How did that all come about? How did that all arise? You know, the trade evolved because Portland was – we're a championship caliber team, but they're starting to get rid of some pieces, which means they're starting to break the team down to start over. I didn't want to be a part of a do-over. I want to continue to play for a championship. So the opportunity arise where I could go to the Houston Rockets. I didn't think it was going to happen because it was such a dream. I always wanted to play for my hometown. And after 12 years in the league, I'm thinking, well, it's probably not going to happen. And then it happens, right? And, of course, four months later, we win the championship at home. It doesn't get any better. Pivotal moments, pivotal games, which ones stood out to you, your performances, crucial parts that you thought was the key to winning that championship? Well, I think when you have teams, everyone has to play their role, and you've got to know what your role is. We had a great coach in Houston, Rudy Tomjanovich. He was great at defining roles. So if you're on that team, you know exactly what your role is. My role was to do everything, every game. So it was real simple. You love that role? I love that role. That's what I've done my whole life. So, you know, to not be limited is a wonderful thing, right? But playing with Hakeem made it so much easier. In a game that Orlando and Shaq, they had us down by 24 points at home. To lose that game in game one was devastating for them. So the rest of the games, they couldn't recover. We went on to sweep Shaquille O'Neal, and we had a lot of success because of that first game. Oh, get a license plate number. I think it starts with 22. And there's another foul on Shaquille O'Neal. We talked about Shaq. He's coming through. He's a young player. There was all this hype around Penny Hardaway, Shaq, that combination. What was it like playing those two young guys at that time? Those two guys remind me of Hakeem and I when we were younger. Two of the best in the game at their positions, and they were really talented, right? So Shaq and Penny, we thought were going to be a dynasty for many, many years. That's how good they were. But injuries and Shaq leaving to go to L.A., really, I don't know if they got along internally. It seemed like Shaq got along a little bit through his career. He's a lot better now, obviously. He's a lot better. But he had problems, a few problems, and Shaq's a great guy. Never underestimate Shaq. One of the greatest players to ever play. But those guys were really good, and we were lucky to catch them when they were still young. When I'm young.