Michael Jordan Once Told Craig Hodges Clyde Drexler Was Just As Good As Him But Didn’t ‘Know How To Play The Game’

Former Chicago Bulls shooting guard Craig Hodges revealed to DJ Vlad of Vlad TV shortly after ESPN’s “The Last Dance” docuseries came out in 2020 that NBA icon Michael Jordan once told him he thought Clyde Drexler was just as good as him.

However, Jordan didn’t think Drexler knew how to play the game.

“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 conversations 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.”

Hodges brought up Jordan’s comments about Drexler while discussing Jordan’s marketability with DJ Vlad.

Jordan and Drexler may have had similar talent on the court, but Drexler didn’t know how to use it to his advantage to become an international superstar like Jordan. 

Jordan and the Bulls faced off against Drexler and the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1992 NBA Finals. The series was marketed to NBA fans as the battle between Jordan and Drexler, the top two scoring guards in the league.

During the 1991-92 season, Jordan averaged 30.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 2.3 steals and 0.9 blocks for the Bulls. He won his third MVP Award. 

Meanwhile, Drexler put up 25.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 1.8 steals and 0.9 blocks per game for the Trail Blazers. 

During “The Last Dance” doc, Jordan admitted he was offended when pundits compared Drexler to him.

Jordan was so angry Drexler was being compared to him that he attacked the Trail Blazers guard for the entire 1992 NBA Finals. 

“Clyde was a threat,” Jordan said in The Last Dance doc. “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.”

Jordan opened the 1992 NBA Finals by hitting six 3-pointers in the first half and scoring 39 points in Game 1.

The Bulls beat the Trail Blazers in six games to capture their second straight championship.

Jordan averaged 35.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.3 blocks in the series and won Finals MVP for the second consecutive season, while Drexler put up 24.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.0 blocks per game.

Jordan and Drexler were teammates on the 1992 United States Men’s Olympic basketball team. It must have been uncomfortable for Drexler to play with the guy who had lit him up a few months prior.

Jordan was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2009. He finished his NBA career with averages of 30.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.3 steals and 0.8 blocks in 1,072 games with the Bulls and Washington Wizards.

Jordan won five MVPs, one Defensive Player of the Year Award, six championships, six Finals MVPs, three steals and 10 scoring titles with the Bulls. 

Drexler didn’t win six rings, six Finals MVPs, five regular-season MVPs, three steals and 10 scoring titles like Jordan. However, he had a fantastic career and made it to the Hall of Fame in 2004.

Drexler won his lone championship in 1995 as a member of the Houston Rockets. He finished his NBA career with averages of 20.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 2.0 steals and 0.7 blocks in 1,086 games with the Trail Blazers and Rockets.