Hall of Fame Former Blazer-Turned-Big3 Commissioner Talks Future of League

The Portland legend has worn many hats in retirement.

Mar 19, 2022; Scottsdale, AZ, United States; Dion Glover watches the BIG3 tryouts at Victorium. Basketball Big3 Tryouts / Alex Gould-Arizona Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

Former Hall of Fame Portland Trail Blazers swingman Clyde Drexler has enjoyed an active post-playing career. A longtime broadcaster for the Houston Rockets, with whom he won his lone NBA title in 1995, the 6-foot-7 small forward/shooting guard played for most of his high-flying peak with Portland, guiding the Blazers to a pair of NBA Finals appearances in 1990 against the Detroit Pistons and 1992 against the Chicago Bulls. Drexler also won league MVP honors during the latter season.

Since 2018, Drexler has also been the commissioner of Ice Cube's three-on-three league for former and/or veteran NBA players, the Big3.

During an interview on ESPN 1320 Sacramento's The James Ham & Kyle Madson Show with fellow Hall of Fame shooting guard Michael Cooper (a longtime Drexler rival on the Los Angeles Lakers), Drexler spoke candidly about the future of the league.

Legends Clyde Drexler and Michael Cooper joined the show today to talk about the @thebig3...could we get a team out here in Sacramento?👀

Tap into the Insiders at 10:00am every day, and subscribe to the podcast here to catch whatever you missed: https://t.co/dEZsYIMqSq pic.twitter.com/X73VNz24EP

— ESPN 1320 Sacramento (@ESPN1320) August 16, 2024

The Big3 had been a touring enterprise, where clubs would travel to various cities showcasing their product. In 2025, however, that is set to change.

"Yeah, we're gonna have teams named after cities, so they're selling [Big3] franchises," Clyde said. "The Big3 is the best entertainment in the summer if you're a hoops fan, bar none. The basketball is just incredible, the action is fierce, coached by people you know and love and already. So it's a proven concept, we're Year 7, and it only gets better from here guys. 'Cause everywhere we've gone — we have a ten-week season, we go to different cities every week, and we sell out. But now we're gonna have geographical locations, where you'll have home teams. Oh my god, can you imagine playing in L.A., and the championship [is] in front of your crowd? It's gonna be off the hook... It's going to be a fun ownership group.... It's going mainstream."

In front of a projected 10,000 fans at Boston's TD Garden on Sunday, former Celtic Gerald Green and his brother Garlon led their club Bivouac, coached by Gary Payton, to a 50-47 victory over the Michael Cooper-coached 3's Company. Green was honored as the league's MVP. Bivouac wrapped up its brief Big3 season with a 9-1 record. Payton, a Hall of Famer with the Seattle SuperSonics, Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat, was named Coach of the Year for his efforts.

Drexler, now 62, was a 10-time All-Star and a five-time All-NBA honoree. He was named to the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team in 2022. Across 1,086 regular season games in 15 seasons from 1983-98, Drexler boasts career averages of 20.4 points on .472/318/.788 shooting splits (keep in mind, during his era, the 3-point shot was not a major point of emphasis among most elite scoring wings), 6.1 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 2.0 steals and 0.7 blocks.

More Trail Blazers: Former Portland All-Star Gives Worst Possible Take on Michael Jordan