Houston Rockets’ Clyde Drexler claps back at Michael Jordan

Former Houston Rockets star Clyde Drexler spoke out about his depiction in ESPN’s docu-series The Last Dance and took a not-so-subtle jab at Michael Jordan.

ESPN’s docu-series The Last Dance was captivating and came at a time of desperation for basketball fans. The drawback however was that it was produced by Michael Jordan, which certainly brought forth biases and slants, which left former Houston Rockets forward Scottie Pippen upset.

One major storyline of the ESPN feature was the Michael Jordan vs. Clyde Drexler matchup in the 1992 NBA Finals. During the film, Jordan described how he felt disrespected by being compared to Drexler, which was a major slight considering how accomplished of a player Drexler became and was at that point.

Former Houston Rockets guard Clyde Drexler claps back at Michael Jordan.

Drexler declined to be interviewed for the film but joined The A-Team on SportsTalk 790 on Tuesday to share his thoughts on the slight by Jordan.

“That’s Michael’s documentary so obviously it’s going to be from his perspective. Everybody is entitled to their own opinion. A lot of times guys didn’t like each other from other teams, but as you get older, you’ve got to get beyond all of that and show some love and some respect for the people you played with and against.

This is a team game, it’s not one guy. You can have 50 points and 40 rebounds but if you lose, are you less of a player than anybody on the other team? No, it’s a team game.

So I hate when people act like it’s an individual competition. I didn’t take 35 shots and get 20 free throws a night, so I wasn’t going to score 40 points a night.”

Drexler mentioned that he didn’t watch the film, as he played during the era and didn’t need to be reminded of it. Drexler is right in that Jordan should have developed respect for the players he ran up against by now, but as we all know, MJ is far too competitive for that.

The film provided a great glimpse of that, as he admitted that he still hates Isiah Thomas and carries harsh feelings from Zeke not shaking his hand at the end of the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals. Drexler also made no qualms about who he was talking about when he stated that he didn’t take 35 shots a game and shoot 20 free throws, as that was obviously a common statline for Jordan.

But considering how Jordan belittled Drexler in The Last Dance, it’s safe to say that Drexler handled it with class, as he could have said far worse things. One thing is for certain, however, which is that Drexler is one of the all-time greats, no matter what Jordan says to suggest otherwise.