Clyde Drexler
A high-flying Hall of Famer known as 'The Glide,' whose graceful athleticism carried two different franchises to the NBA Finals.
Born 1962 (age 64)·American basketball player·Birthday: June 22·Baby Boomers
Biography
Clyde Drexler played basketball with a smooth, aerial elegance that made the difficult look effortless. For over a decade in Portland, he was the heart of the Trail Blazers, a versatile guard who could score, rebound, and orchestrate the offense, leading the team to two NBA Finals. Though often living in the shadow of Michael Jordan during that era, Drexler's own greatness was undeniable—a ten-time All-Star with a complete game. His story reached its apex with a homecoming trade to Houston, where he teamed with Hakeem Olajuwon to finally capture an NBA championship in 1995, proving his game was built for winning. After retiring, his impact continued as a college athletics director and later as commissioner of the Big3 league, staying connected to the game he glided through.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Clyde was born in 1962, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Clyde Was Born
The biggest hits of 1962
#1 Movie
Lawrence of Arabia
Best Picture
Lawrence of Arabia
#1 TV Show
Beverly Hillbillies
Clyde's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1962Born
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1967Started school
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1975Became a teenager
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1978Could drive
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1980Could vote
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1983Turned 21
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1992Turned 30
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
2002Turned 40
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2012Turned 50
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2022Turned 60
Russia invades Ukraine; Queen Elizabeth II dies
Gas: $3.97/galHome: $348,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"As It Was" — Harry StylesBest Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once
2026Age 64 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won an NBA championship with the Houston Rockets in 1995.
- Selected as a ten-time NBA All-Star and named to the NBA's 50th and 75th Anniversary Teams.
- Led the Portland Trail Blazers to the NBA Finals in 1990 and 1992.
- Ranks among the top 10 all-time in NBA career steals.
- Earned an Olympic gold medal as part of the 1992 United States 'Dream Team' in Barcelona.
Did You Know?
He was a college teammate of Hakeem Olajuwon at the University of Houston, forming part of the famed 'Phi Slama Jama' dunking squad.
His nickname 'Clyde' came from his preference for wide-brimmed hats, reminiscent of bank robber Clyde Barrow.
He was drafted by the Houston Rockets in 1983 but traded to Portland on draft night.
After his NBA career, he served as the head coach of his alma mater, the University of Houston, for two seasons.
“The day you take complete responsibility for yourself, the day you stop making any excuses, that's the day you start to the top.”
