Craig Hodges, Michael Jordan‘s former teammate on the Chicago Bulls, has revealed a surprising comparison between the legendary player and Clyde Drexler. According to Hodges, Jordan believed Drexler was as talented as he was but lacked the skills needed to be a truly dominant player.
Both Jordan and Drexler are considered basketball legends. Jordan is widely recognized as one of the greatest players of all time, with six NBA championships, five MVPs, and ten scoring titles.
Drexler, meanwhile, also had a successful career, winning a championship with the Houston Rockets in 1995. Despite not reaching the same level of success as Jordan, Drexler was a standout player and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2004.
Hodges shared this information in an interview with DJ Vlad, shortly after the release of the documentary series The Last Dance. During the conversation, Hodges mentioned that Michael Jordan had expressed his opinion about Drexler on one occasion.
“Not every great athlete is marketable,” Hodges said. “I remember having a conversation one time. It was like four of us, MJ included. And the conversation came up about Clyde Drexler. And MJ said this: ‘Clyde Drexler is just as good as me. He just don’t know how to play the game.’ And we ain’t talking about basketball.”
Jordan vs. Drexler: The Rivalry
Jordan and Drexler met in the 1992 NBA Finals, when the Bulls faced the Portland Trail Blazers. Although Drexler demonstrated an exceptional level of play, Jordan was considered superior and took the Finals MVP.
“Clyde was a threat,” Jordan said in The Last Dance. “I’m not saying he wasn’t a threat. But me being compared to him, I took offense to that. Based on the way I was playing at that time; it wasn’t even close. So, I attacked him every night.”