“Michael Jordan and I weren’t enemies but if you come in my way, I’ll knock your nose off”: Clyde Drexler broke down his rivalry with Bulls legend

Clyde Drexler talked about how he felt about his rivalry with Michael Jordan during the 1990s and how competitive they were. 

Michael Jordan never exactly had a direct competitor who truly rivaled his status as the most dominant player in the league. Whole teams like the ‘Bad Boy’ Pistons led by Isiah Thomas or the Pat Riley Knicks were most definitely a challenge but individual superstars being compared to Jordan usually resulted in people conceding to the fact that MJ was in fact, superior. 

One player who got close purely in terms of playstyle was Clyde ‘The Glide’ Drexler. He played the same position as Michael Jordan and displayed a similar skillset with his high-flying dunks and powerful first step that led to skillful finishes at the rim.

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Above all else, Clyde led the Portland TrailBlazers to a 57-25 record in 1992 and made sure that they were championship contenders. That ‘92 season saw the Blazers make the NBA Finals and face off against the defending champions looking for their first repeat, the Chicago Bulls. 

Clyde Drexler on his rivalry with Michael Jordan. 

Michael Jordan and his Bulls won the ‘92 Finals in 6 games with Game 1 of that series being a legacy defining one for MJ. Him raining in six 3s over the Blazers in the first half alone told the world that he could space the floor if he wanted to but chose not to, proving his own point of not developing a skill that may tarnish his existing one of the mid-range. 

Prior to beating Clyde Drexler on the biggest stage of them all, he would best him in the 1992 NBA MVP race as well. Jordan won ‘Most Valuable Player’ with 900 total points while Clyde came in second place with over 300 points less at 561.

Also read: “Michael Jordan never had a teammate on the same level as Dwyane Wade”: Was LeBron James’ path to the NBA Championship easier than that of the Bulls’ legend?

Jordan himself has said that he took offense to being compared to Drexler. He respected Drexler but being compared to him was something he wasn’t particularly fond of as he believed he was much better than the 10x All-Star. 

Drexler talked about Michael Jordan during an interview once and refuted any news about him being enemies with him. 

“We weren’t enemies. I know he’s going to come at me and guess what? I’m coming at him. I’m going to play my game. If you get in my way, I’m going to knock your nose off.” [at the 1:53]