Clyde Drexler Named the 2 NBA Icons Bigger Than Michael Jordan and LeBron James

Clyde Drexler was one of the best players of his generation, captivating audiences with his high-flying ability throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s.

The New Orleans native was a first-round pick in the 1983 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers and was instrumental in this franchise’s 21-year playoff streak.

“Clyde the Glide” was a perennial All-Star throughout his 16-year career, navigating Portland through a vaunted Western Conference. The Trail Blazers made the NBA Finals twice with Drexler as their best player, falling short both times.

The second time came against the Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan in 1992. Both MJ and Drexler got to know each other well during this era and even starred on the legendary “Dream Team” together that same year.

Clyde clearly holds the utmost respect for his former foe, but he doesn’t appreciate how the now largely revolves around players: Jordan and LeBron James.

Instead, Drexler believes that two other players deserve way more consideration in this conversation, and he thinks these legendary centers even surpass Jordan and James in some respects.

Clyde Drexler Named the 2 NBA Icons Bigger Than Michael Jordan and LeBron James

In an interview on the “The A-Team w/ Wexler & Clanton” radio show, Drexler brought up Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain as two players who warrant more respect when it comes to the GOAT debate.

Drexler also added why he has grown to resent this discussion that has dominated NBA headlines for so long, stating how it diminishes the accomplishments of past legends.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain are Two of the Most Dominant Athletes Ever

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain have two of the most decorated resumes in league history. Both centers were transcendent players who changed the NBA landcape because of their dominance.

In Wilt’s case, the league had to change the rules to contain his dominance by widening the free-throw lane, banning offensive goaltending, and forbidding dunking from the free-throw line.

In Kareem’s case, the NCAA banned dunking because he was scoring too easily UCLA. In response to that ruling, the 19-time All-Star subsequently developed the most dominant shot ever, the iconic skyhook, which propelled him to 38,387 career NBA points.

Kareem led the Milwaukee Bucks to their first-ever NBA championship in 1971, before eventually becoming a central contributor to the Showtime L.A. Lakersdynasty.

Meanwhile, Wilt time and time again fell in the postseason to the Bill Russell-led Boston Celtics, but eventually won it all two times with the Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers.

Overall, the two centers are eternal figures in basketball history. Clyde Drexler makes a fair point that the GOAT debate’s shift towards solely focusing on Michael Jordan and LeBron James can be irritating, especially when pundits attempt to hypothetically answer the question of who would be more dominant in today’s NBA.

The game evolves, and the only way to compare these players is through their respective resumes and dominance in their own era. Looking at Wilt and Kareem’s full body of work, they do warrant more consideration, especially Abdul-Jabbar.