The topic of Mount Rushmore in the NBA is one that divides opinion like few others. Narrowing it down to just 4 players from a list of so many greats who have stepped foot on an NBA court is quite tough as you are comparing players who played in different eras with different rules and whatnot.
It is what makes the GOAT debate so difficult, too, as you aren’t comparing apples to apples, but it hasn’t stopped fans from engaging in it all this time, and it won’t stop them in the future, either. The idea of an NBA Mount Rushmore excites fans and the media, as well.
NBA Fans Debate Mount Rushmore By Position
The topic of Mount Rushmore came up again recently, but this time with a slight twist. ClutchPoints put out their Mount Rushmore by position, but they filled only 3 of the 4 spots and asked fans who they would pick for the final spot. As you might imagine, they had a lot to say about which all-time greats deserve to be on there.
“Hakeem is better than Shaq and Wilt…”
“Jerry West, James Harden, Dr. J., Giannis, Hakeem. That was easy.”
“Isiah Iverson Kawhi Giannis Shaq”
“Take wilt off and put shaq and Hakeem”
“Malone for PF but y’all underrate him heavily”
“Kawhi clears KD sadly. Shaq and Olajuwon over russel and wilt”
“Rasheed Wallace over KG. I’m sorry”
“Karl Malone and Dirk > Kg , and I take Wilt over Russell”
“Thomas, Iverson, Baylor, Malone, Olajuwon”
“First off take off the big O and put up IT he led those pistons teams”
“Isiah, A.I.,PIP, Barkley,Shaq”
“Sorry but Dirk isn’t on the Mount Rushmore of power forwards”
“Zeke, Clyde, Dr J, Mailman, Dream”
“Thomas, Harden, Leonard, Giannis, Shaq”
“AI on that list—no one has meant more to the culture of basketball like Jordan and Ai. All sports really….”
“Shaq and giannis def up there”
“Point CP, SG AI, SF Kawhi, PF Giannis, C Dream Shake or Shaq!”
“Stockton, AI, Dr. J, Malone, Hakeem”
“Jason Kidd/ Gary Payton should be up there over cp3 and Stockton not only because of their play and longevity but because they both have championship pedigree on their resume”
“Hot take Giannis is already the 2nd best pf of all Time behind Tim Duncan”
Fans were split with a lot of different lists being put out there, and all those players are great in their own right, so there is no wrong answer here. Hakeem Olajuwon and Shaquille O’Neal were two names that did come up often when it came to centers, with both of them certainly leaving their mark on the league.
Hakeem, for one, had one of the greatest playoff runs of all time in 1994 when he became the first player in NBA history to lead his team in all 5 major statistical categories in the postseason while also winning the title. He was truly a one-of-a-kind player, and there definitely won’t be another one like him.
