Bleacher Report has released every NBA team’s Mount Rushmore for the 21st century, and there are a fair few interesting selections in it. The one that stands out the most is the Los Angeles Lakers‘, as Derek Fisher has made it in over LeBron James.
PG Derek Fisher
SG Kobe Bryant
PF Pau Gasol
C Shaquille O’Neal
Fisher’s inclusion here was explained by his being part of the Lakers’ title-winning teams in 2001, 2002, 2009, and 2010. He is one of two players to have been part of both of those iterations of the team.
Fisher wasn’t some passenger on those Lakers teams either, as he hit some huge clutch shots over the years. The one that immediately comes to mind is his game-winning buzzer-beater against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the 2004 Western Conference Semifinals with just 0.4 seconds remaining.
That said, does Fisher deserve to make it in over James? He played his part extremely well, but averaged 9.0 points, 2.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.1 blocks per game for the franchise in the 21st century.
James, on the other hand, has averaged 26.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, 8.1 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game in his seven seasons as a Laker. He has made seven All-Star and seven All-NBA teams during his time with the franchise, and finished runner-up for MVP in 2020.
Fisher, meanwhile, didn’t make an All-Star or All-NBA team as a Laker. He was undoubtedly a great role player, but that shouldn’t get him a spot on Mount Rushmore.
James hasn’t won four titles with the Lakers in the 21st century like Fisher, but he was the driving force behind the 2020 title run. He won Finals MVP and was the best player on that team, something Fisher never was.
As for the rest of the selections, there is no debate when it comes to two of them. Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal were obvious picks as they led the Lakers to titles in 2001 and 2002. They won it all in 2000 as well, but that doesn’t come under this century.
Bryant would then go on to win two more titles in 2009 and 2010 to cement his status as the greatest Laker of this century, if not all time. He won those two titles with Pau Gasol as his sidekick, and while the Spaniard is a solid pick, you could argue that Anthony Davis should get the nod here.
Davis averaged 24.8 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 2.2 blocks per game as a Laker. He won a title and made three All-Star, two All-NBA, and two All-Defensive teams in his six and a half seasons with the franchise.
As for Gasol, he put up 17.7 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 0.6 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game as a Laker. He won those two titles and made three All-Star and three All-NBA teams in six and a half seasons.
Davis’ peak was better than Gasol’s, but he perhaps wasn’t quite as consistent. So, there is a case to be made for both men, and you can’t really go wrong with either selection.
