Houston Rockets tickets

`Every athlete strives for excellence. And the excellence in professional sports is the championship ring."-cyde Drexler.

Clyde Drexler of the Houston Rockets spent much of his basketball career coming up just short of his ultimate goal. "Close but no cigar" could have been his legacy had it not been for a 1995 trade to Houston, where he finally added an NBA championship to a resume that was already overflowing with individual accolades, All-Star appearances and playoff trips. "Clyde the Glide" first became a household name alongside Hakeem Olajuwon on the University of Houston's "Phi Slamma Jamma" teams that reached the NCAA Final Four in back-to-back seasons. They never won a title, but Drexler's leaping ability was the stuff of legend. He once dunked on a hoop set at 11 feet, 1 inch.

Portland plucked Drexler with the 14th pick in the 1983 NBA Draft and, after a modest rookie campaign, he spent 10 straight years soaring to the bucket, draining jumpers, competing for scoring titles, making All-Star trips and generally re-writing the Trail Blazers' record book. By the time of his trade to the Rockets, Drexler had become Portland's career leader in scoring, games, minutes, field goals, free throws, rebounds and steals. He had helped the Blazers to the NBA Finals in 1990 and 1992, losing to the Pistons and Bulls, respectively. Drexler's greatest triumph to that point had come as a member of the original "Dream Team" that cruised to a gold medal in the 1992 Olympics.

Then came 1994-95. Back in his old college town and reunited with Olajuwon after a mid-season trade to the Houston Rockets Facts available, Drexler's lone NBA crown took shape quickly. He shed the distinction of being the player with the most playoff points never to have won a title, helping Houston sweep Orlando in the 1995 Finals despite being seeded sixth in the Western Conference. Drexler finished his career three years later as one of just three players in NBA history to amass 20,000 points, 6,000 rebounds and 3,000 assists. His first non-playing job was as head coach at the University of Houston.