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NBA Draft: 30 greatest draft picks in league history

By Josh Cornelissen

Larry Bird, Boston Celtics, Magic Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers. (Photo by Tom Herde/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Larry Bird, Boston Celtics, Magic Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers. (Photo by Tom Herde/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) /
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Clyde Drexler, Portland Trail Blazers, Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls
Clyde Drexler, Portland Trail Blazers, Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls. (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Greatest NBA Draft picks in league history: Clyde Drexler, Portland Trail Blazers

Clyde “The Glide” Drexler was a smooth-scoring 2-guard who played in exactly the wrong time to be recognized as one of the league’s very best.

The Houston native attended the University of Houston and teamed up with Hakeem Olajuwon to make two consecutive Final Fours as “Phi Slama Jama” — an above-the-rim group of elite athletes that set college basketball on fire. The Portland Trail Blazers selected him No. 14 overall in the 1983 NBA Draft.

Drexler had a middling rookie season before breaking out as a sophomore, dropping 17.2 points per game. The problem for Drexler’s fame was that his second season aligned with the rookie year of one Michael Jordan. From then on, Drexler’s greatest accomplishments seemed to always be overshadowed by “His Airness”.

Even so, he was a highly productive player for the Trail Blazers. He made six All-NBA teams in 12 seasons in Portland, as well as eight NBA All-Star teams. His 6.3 Box Plus-Minus while with the franchise is borderline elite. Drexler led the Trail Blazers to the 1990 NBA Finals, where they lost to the “Bad Boy” Detroit Pistons. In 1992, he was a member of the 1992 “Dream Team” for USA Basketball.

Drexler requested a trade to a contender in 1994. He was then moved to the Houston Rockets to reunite with his former college teammate Olajuwon, helping the Rockets to secure a second straight NBA title. The return for Drexler ended up being basically worthless to Portland, but his time with the team propels him onto this list, despite the lack of a title.