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NBA History: 25 best sidekicks of all time

By Hans Themistode

LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES: Kobe Bryant (L), Shaquille O'Neal (C) and Brian Shaw (R) of the Los Angeles Lakers joke on the bench during the final minutes in game four of the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs 27 May 2001 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. The Lakers beat the Spurs 111-82 to sweep the best-of-seven series 4-0. AFP PHOTO/Mike NELSON (Photo credit should read MIKE NELSON/AFP via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES: Kobe Bryant (L), Shaquille O'Neal (C) and Brian Shaw (R) of the Los Angeles Lakers joke on the bench during the final minutes in game four of the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs 27 May 2001 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. The Lakers beat the Spurs 111-82 to sweep the best-of-seven series 4-0. AFP PHOTO/Mike NELSON (Photo credit should read MIKE NELSON/AFP via Getty Images) /
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Clyde Drexler
Clyde Drexler(Photo credit should read JEFF HAYNES/AFP via Getty Images) /

Ranking the 25 best NBA sidekicks of all time: 11. Clyde Drexler

Believe it or not, but there was actually a point in time where comparing Clyde Drexler to Michael Jordan was deemed not only acceptable but feasible.

To be fair, Drexler was terrific during his time with the Portland Trail Blazers. During the late 1980s, he routinely poured in over 27 points a night and made numerous All-Star trips in the process.

With the world wanting to know who was better between the two, the pair met in the 1992 NBA Finals. That said, Jordan utterly embarrassed Drexler, outscoring his man 35.8 to 24.8.

For the next few years, Drexler still scored at a high clip and made consistent appearances at All-Star Games but he never pushed the Blazers over the championship edge. Drexler’s one and only ring would come during his years as a sidekick.

At the age of 32, the Blazers pushed Drexler out the back door and sent him to the Houston Rockets to pair up with Hakeem Olajuwon. The all-world big man was still dominant, averaging over 23 points a game during three of his four seasons with Drexler. The former high flyer, on the other hand, didn’t have the same game but he was still incredibly effective.

Drexler would go on to drop 19.2 points a night and over five assists. He wasn’t quite capable of taking over games anymore but as a second option, Drexler made a seamless fit next to Olajuwon.