We break into the top 50 of all-time on our list and coming in at 50 is a player who had a spectacular career that often gets overshadowed by other great players of his era. In his era Clyde Drexler was often thought of as the second best shooting guard behind Michael Jordan and the 10 time all-star did little to hurt that opinion. Drexler had a solid career at the University of Houston where he was paired with future NBA great Hakeem Olajuwon. The duo paired to take Houston to back to back NCAA title game appearances where they lost both times. Drexler played a total of 96 games for Houston averaging 14 points and 10 rebounds. The Portland Trailblazers selected Drexler with the 14th overall pick in the 1983 draft. Drexler had a mediocre rookie year appearing in all 82 games and averaging 8 points a game in a backup role. Drexler became a starter part way through his second season and raised his scoring average to 17 a game.

In 88 and 89 Drexler averaged a career high 27 points per game and in 1990 and 1992 was able to lead the Portland Trailblazers to the NBA finals, where unfortunately they lost both times. In 1992 he was selected to be on the United States Men’s national basketball team known as the Dream Team, the team would go on to win the gold medal at the Barcelona Olympics and is often considered the greatest team ever to be assembled.

After he hit 30 years old Drexler’s game became to lag some. The Blazers teams who had reached the finals had gotten old and Drexler couldn’t do the heavy lifting himself and wanted more talent to be brought in or to be traded and the Blazers chose the latter. The Blazers traded Drexler to the Houston Rockets where he would be paired up with former college teammate Hakeem Olajuwon.

Drexler arrived to a Houston team who despite having just won the NBA championship was in a bit of a disarray. Injuries had forced the team to the bottom of the playoffs standings in the west and with 3 sixty win teams on top of the standings it looked unlikely that the Rockets would repeat as champion. But the Rockets did the unthinkable, as a sixth seed they defeated three sixty win western conference foes before sweeping the top seed in the East to win their second NBA title.

The title was the high point for the Rockets who declined quickly even after adding talent like Charles Barkley in 1997. Age and injuries began to effect Drexler and following the 1998 season he retired.

Drexler appeared in 1,086 career games and averaged 20 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. He was selected to the hall of fame in 2004.

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