Hall of Famers Shaquille O’Neal and Reggie Miller appeared on the latest episode of the Rushmore Podcast, where, as you might expect, they were tasked with creating a Mount Rushmore for a topic. Point guards 6’3″ and under were the category given to Miller and O’Neal, and here’s what the former went with.
“There is no number one, but Stephen Curry, I think that’s easy to say,” Miller said. “Isiah Thomas, no brainer. Allen Iverson, no brainer. Even though he’s not a point guard, but you said 6’3″ and under… My fourth is either between Kyrie [Irving], Steve Nash, CP3, Chris Paul, who is at home probably watching this… John Stockton and Damian Lillard… I’m going to go with Kyrie.”
Magic Johnson tends to be the first name brought up in these, but he was listed at 6’9″, so he’s not eligible. Johnson not being in the mix makes things a little bit interesting, as it opens up a spot that’s usually occupied.
Among the names Miller mentioned, Stephen Curry and Isiah Thomas are obvious selections. You’d find them in most lists. Allen Iverson is another somewhat common entry, and these three were on O’Neal’s Mount Rushmore as well. Instead of putting Kyrie Irving in that fourth spot like Miller, though, he went with a former teammate, Jason Williams.
“We’re going to go Stephen Curry, ’cause he’s the greatest shooter of all time,” O’Neal said. “We’re going to go AI, pitbull… Now, I’ve seen a guy that I’ve never seen anybody do it like he did it as a White guy. I’m going White Chocolate. White Chocolate brought that funk… And the last one to me is the great Isiah Thomas, because I watched his documentary, and I rewatched his documentary. He don’t get the respect that he deserves.”
Williams was a very good player, but he’s definitely a style over substance pick. He was incredibly fun to watch with his incredible handles and creative passes, but he is definitely out of place here.
Williams won an NBA title with O’Neal on the Miami Heat in 2006, and that was that, in terms of major honors. He never led the league in any category and didn’t even make an All-Star team. So, this was a bit of a biased selection.
Funnily enough, the only major honor for Irving was the championship he won with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016. He hasn’t led the league in any category, either, but did at least make nine All-Star and three All-NBA teams. He also won Rookie of the Year in 2012.
As for the common picks, Curry has won four titles, one Finals MVP, two MVPs, and two scoring titles. As O’Neal mentioned, he’s undoubtedly the greatest shooter we have ever seen.
We get to Thomas next, and he won two titles, one Finals MVP, and one assists title. To accomplish all that while playing in the same era as Johnson, Michael Jordan, and Larry Bird is remarkable.
All the players mentioned so far managed to win at least one championship, but that wasn’t the case with Iverson. He won two MVPs and four scoring titles, but the championship eluded him. That doesn’t take away from his greatness, though. Iverson was incredible, and had O’Neal not been standing in his way in the 2001 NBA Finals, we might be calling him a champion today.
