Who's On My NBA Mount Rushmore?

In an interview with NBATV that airs Monday, LeBron was asked who he sees on the NBA's "Mount Rushmore," a way of asking who he sees as the four greatest, most important players ever.

The easy three, that we all talk about in our league, you've got Michael Jordan, you got Larry Bird and you've got Magic Johnson," LeBron said. "And I would say the fourth... wow, this is so tough. The greatest players of all time that I'd like to see on Mount Rushmore? This is not fair ... Oscar Robertson. Those are my four."

Then LeBron was asked if he'd ever make his way on to it.

"I'm going to be one of the top four that's ever played this game, for sure," he said. "And if they don't want me to have one of those top four spots, they'd better find another spot on that mountain. Somebody's gotta get bumped, but that's not for me to decide. That's for the architects."

That's a lot of confidence, something LeBron's never lacked for. He wants to be considered one of the game's greats. He wants his name to be mentioned alongside Bird, Magic and Jordan.

Text above retrieved from CBS Sports.

In the spirit of this discussion, I have decided to name my personal NBA Mount Rushmore.

These are my picks to be on the NBA's Mount Rushmore with a small caveat; One of these faces does not belong up there.  Can you guess which one it is?  The answer will be revealed below, but for now let's go through each name on the list starting from right to left.

1. Michael Jordan

This is probably the easiest selection for anyone hoping to have a respectable NBA Mt. Rushmore.  Often proclaimed as the greatest basketball player of all time or the God of basketball, Jordan is definitely a shoe-in on this list simply because of his impact on the game of basketball.  Even if you were not a fan of Michael Jordan, you could see that Jordan was bringing in casual basketball fans to NBA arenas across the country.

Old School

Statistically, Jordan holds some of the NBA's most coveted records:

       -Jordan still holds the all-time record for leading the NBA in total points scored 11 times.  Additionally, it is also an all-time record that Jordan led the NBA in scoring 10 times.

       -Michael's career regular season scoring average of 30.12 points per game is the best of all-time. He  also holds the all-time playoff points per game record with 33.5!

       -Jordan STILL has the all-time record for most points ever in a playoff game with 63 vs. the Celtics in  1986.

       -Speaking of playoffs...Jordan holds the all-time record with eight 50-plus point playoff games. He  also holds the all-time playoff record for most 40-plus point games with 38 and he ALSO holds the  all-time playoff record for the most 30-plus point playoff games with 109, and he ALSO holds the  all-time playoff record of most ever 20-plus point playoff games with 173! He played in 179 career  playoff games.

       -Jordan still holds the highest ever scoring average in a Finals series with 41.0 ppg in 1993 on 50%  shooting!

I could go and on about Michael Jordan, but we'd be here all day.

The G.O.A.T.

2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

In my mind, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the true greatest NBA player of all-time.  However, Kareem came into his prime before the days of Michael Jordan, so his exposure was limited.  Here's a player who has his own patented basketball maneuver.(Jordan has the fade-away jump shot)  Kareem's unstoppable offensive move was dubbed "The Skyhook."  It is essentially a hook shot with a very high release point and arc.  The name for his move was coined during Abdul-Jabbar's tenure with the Milwaukee Bucks by the team's radio announcer, Eddie Doucette, who felt that "that hook was so high that it was coming out of the sky". The sky hook was rarely blocked and Kareem's "Skyhook" was so efficient that many players tried to duplicate it; including the likes of Wilt Chamberlain.  The distance in which Abdul-Jabbar was able to launch and make his Skyhook from was another one of its distinguishing features.

The Skyhook

Here is ESPN's JA Adande on Kareem's Skyhook: 

"The greatest of the great don't just have a style. They have a signature, an indelible stamp that signifies exactly who they are.

It can be an article of clothing, such as Abraham Lincoln's stovepipe hat or Tiger Woods' red Sunday shirts. It can be a familiar instrument like B.B. King's guitar, Lucille. It can be as simple as a single word: Marv Albert's "Yes!"

In order to make something so simple seem so distinctive it has to be done over and over again, through solitary repetition and on stage when everyone's watching. I've seen that rhythmic skyhook so many times it's burned in my head like an image left on a computer screen too long. His left leg is straight, the right knee comes up, the left arm extends out, the right arm rises up with the ball and finally the wrist flicks to add the backspin, the seams rotating as the ball arcs to the hoop and drops through the net."

Because Kareem could use the Skyhook with equal effectiveness with either his right or his left hand, and from any distance from the basket, it has basically transcended any element of the game of basketball that came after it. Kareem's Skyhook was so devastating, opposing coaches and players had no other choice but to poke him in the eyes to try to stop it.  This is when Kareem had to bring out the goggles.

Statistically, less than a handful of players can hang with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar:

       -Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the NBA's all-time leading scorer, having racked up some 38,387 points      over the span of 21 NBA seasons.

       -Abdul-Jabbar was selected to a record 19 NBA All-Star games.

       -Abdul-Jabbar was a six-time regular season MVP and two-time NBA Finals MVP

       -Abdul-Jabbar is third all-time in blocks in NBA history with 3,189(Note: blocks were not officially  tabulated until the 1973–74 season so he likely is #1)

       -Abdul-Jabbar is #1 all-time in minutes played at 57,446

       -Abdul-Jabbar is #1 all-time in field goals made at 15,837

       -Abdul-Jabbar is a Six-time NBA champion

3. Wilt Chamberlain

Chamberlain is the only NBA player, in my opinion, that can challenge Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's status as the G.O.A.T..  In my list though, I place him as the 2nd greatest player of all-time.  It could be argued that Chamberlain was the most dominant center in NBA history due to his impact on the game.  Here's a guy who once AVERAGED 50 points and 25 rebounds a game! Chamberlain's dominance of the NBA lead to several rule changes, as noted by Chamberlain's Wikipedia article; 

"Chamberlain's impact on the game is also reflected in the fact that he was directly responsible for several rule changes in the NBA, including widening the lane to try to keep him farther away from the hoop, instituting offensive goaltending and revising rules governing inbounding the ball and shooting free throws (such as making it against the rules to inbound the ball over the backboard). Chamberlain, who reportedly had a 50-inch vertical leap, was physically capable of converting foul shots via a slam dunk without a running start (beginning his movement at the top of the key). When his dunks practically undermined the difficulty of a foul shot, both the NCAA and the NBA banned his modus operandi. In basketball history, pundits have stated that the only other player who forced such a massive change of rules is 6'10" Minneapolis Lakers center George "Mr. Basketball" Mikan, who played a decade before Chamberlain and also caused many rule changes designed to thwart so-called "big men"."

Statistically, Chamberlain's name can be found on nearly every page of the NBA record books:

       -2× NBA champion (1967, 1972)
       -NBA Finals MVP (1972)
       -4× NBA Most Valuable Player (1960, 1966–1968)
       -13× NBA All-Star (1960–1969, 1971–1973)
       -NBA All-Star Game MVP (1960)
       -7× All-NBA First Team (1960–1962, 1964, 1965–1968)
       -2× NBA All-Defensive First Team (1972–1973)
       -Chamberlain was the NBA Rookie of the Year in 1960
       -7 x NBA scoring champion (1960–1966)
       -Once called selfish by a reporter, Chamberlain DECIDED to be the NBA assists leader in the 1968  NBA season.

• 

       -11× NBA rebounding champion (1960–1963, 1966–1969, 1971–1973)

       -Chamberlain is the NBA all-time leading rebounder.

       -Chamberlain is perhaps most famous for scoring a NBA record 100 points against the New York      Knicks in 1962. 

Decades after his record, many NBA teams did not even average 100 points as fewer field goals per game were being attempted. The closest any player has gotten to 100 points was the Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant, who scored 81 in 2006. Bryant afterwards said Chamberlain's record was "unthinkable ... It's pretty exhausting to think about it."

4. Kobe Bryant 

As much as I am tempted to place Kobe Bryant on the NBA Mount Rushmore, I just cannot do it.  There are others who are more worthy than him.  Am I to reward someone who has blazed a difficult path for others to follow more easily?  This line of thinking is what keeps me from placing the current NBA greats in my Mount Rushmore.  Things come easily to NBA players today(money, fame, access to the best medical trainers in the world, etc.) for me to seriously cast the likes of Kobe or LeBron in stone forever.  Therefore, I have to place someone else in Kobe's spot.

This fourth spot on the NBA Mt. Rushmore is hard, but I decided to pick one Earvin "Magic" Johnson in the final spot of my NBA Mt. Rushmore.

4. Earvin "Magic" Johnson

Often considered the greatest Los Angeles Lakers of all-time, Magic Johnson is definitely the greatest point guard in NBA history in my opinion.  I consider Magic Johnson to be the Michael Jordan of the NBA BEFORE Michael Jordan.  Magic was the face of the league through the 1980s, and he was bringing in more and more fans with his smile, warm grace, and charm.  Magic Johnson likely passed the torch as the face of league in the 1991 NBA Finals to Michael Jordan who then carried the game of basketball to even greater heights.  There's that and also the HIV thing.

Statistically, Magic Johnson has an impressive resume to justify his position in Mt. Rushmore:

       -5× NBA champion (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987–1988)

       -3× NBA Finals MVP (1980, 1982, 1987)

       -3× NBA Most Valuable Player (1987, 1989–1990)

       -12× NBA All-Star (1980, 1982–1992)

       -2× NBA All-Star Game MVP (1990, 1992)

       -9× All-NBA First Team (1983–1991)

       -NBA All-Rookie First Team (1980)

       -Magic lead the league in assist 4× (1983–1984, 1986–1987)

       -Magic Johnson averaged 11.2 assists per game in 905 NBA games, making him the holder of the  highest assists per game average in NBA history.

A TRUE No-Look Pass

       -Johnson also lead the league in steals twice (1981–1982)

       -Johnson shares the single-game playoff record for assists with 24.

       -Magic holds the Finals record for assists in a game with 21.

       -Johnson also has the most playoff assists of all-time with 2,346.

       -He holds the All-Star Game single-game record for assists with 22, and the All-Star Game record for career assists at 127.

Johnson was exceptional because he played point guard despite being 6 ft 9 in , a size reserved normally for frontcourt players. He combined the size of a power forward, the one-on-one skills of a swingman, and the ball handling talent of a guard, making him one of the most dangerous triple-double threats of all time; his 138 triple-double games are second only to Oscar Robertson's 181.  Magic was definitely the inspiration for LeBron's game.