Who is on your Basketball Mount Rushmore?

[Dave D]

Too many are treating the "rushmore" thing as a top 4.

Fail.

Amending my original "rushmore", even bird/magic are too modern to be on this list.

True nba forefathers:

West (logo)
Russel
Lew Alcindor (jabbar)
Wilt

I'm fine with either wilt/mican/pettit (Robert E. Lee Pettit jr.) in the final spot.

The NBA finals were on airing on tape delay prior to Bird and Magic's arrival. There was only 4 channels to choose from back then and the NBA was so out of favor its championship wasnt even being broadcast live.

The players you have on your Rushmore are all worthy but I think you have to include Bird and Magic just because they saved the NBA.

That said I'd go

Naismith
West
Bird/Magic
Jordan

When he is on he is amazing.But the problem with the 3 point shot, its usually on or it isnt.Shots from 30 feet out require so much precison,that when your game is off, like steph has been many times in the finals, the 1/7 from 3 point lands are what you see.Whereas its much harder say for jordans turnaround 14 footer to be off, just by nature of it being an easier shot to make, plus with jordans vertical and skill, even in off nights he never sniffed anything like 1/7, 2/11 etc from that range.You live by the 3 and you die by the 3.unless in the warriors case you have the 3 best 3 point shooters, where 2 can be off for the night but just feed the others ones hot hand.

Agreed. I'm kind of surprised that it's taken so long for the 3 point shot to be embraced they way that it finally has.  It's all or nothing now.

[Earl1972]

How rings do the Cavs have if Steph isn't injured  and is able to drive past Kevin Love?

1

E

[shiftedShapes]

Wilt Chamberlin
Larry Bird
Michael Jordan
Stephen Curry

This is mine. LeBron could replace someone depends on how his career ends but Curry changed the game. Basketball is different because of him. He does shit I've never seen and I still don't want to accept. LeBron is a monster no doubt but Curry will end up with like 7 rings and best shooter ever. The Most high certainly blessed him with his talent and hard work brought it out.

I gotta give it to Larry Bird. The original 3 point King and tough as bricks. A great clutch guy. All time I'm going with him, Curry or Jordan for clutch. Plus I'm giving Larry extra point for overcoming the odds and beating Hebrews. Could you imagine that today? Larry Legend.

James Naismith

[Hulkotron]

Curry has averaged 25.4 ppg in 22 Finals games, compared to his regular season average of 25.8 ppg in the seasons in which he is an All-Star (2013/2014 - present) and his 26.1 ppg career average in the playoffs overall.  He has scored 20+ points in 68% of those Finals games and 30+ points in 27%.  He has never had a single-digit scoring game in the Finals unlike LeBron (although LeBron has played in way more games).  Not sure where this narrative that Curry "doesn't show up" in the Finals is coming from.  It is hard to make a compelling case that he is an appreciably worse player in the Finals than in any other setting.

[Army of One]

Curry has averaged 25.4 ppg in 22 Finals games, compared to his regular season average of 25.8 ppg in the seasons in which he is an All-Star (2013/2014 - present) and his 26.1 ppg career average in the playoffs overall.  He has scored 20+ points in 68% of those Finals games and 30+ points in 27%.  He has never had a single-digit scoring game in the Finals unlike LeBron (although LeBron has played in way more games).  Not sure where this narrative that Curry "doesn't show up" in the Finals is coming from.  It is hard to make a compelling case that he is an appreciably worse player in the Finals than in any other setting.

Numbers mean nothing unless you watch the games.Jerry stackhouse averaged 29.7 point per game in 2001, michael jordan averaged 28.7 in 1998, was stackhouse better than Jordan?If you watched those finals games, curry was chucking at the end of the blowout wins to get his stats up, was also coming alive during games when his team had clearly already lost.In other words he was scoring at times when the pressure was off.Compare this to the regular season where he is sitting out in 4th quarters over and over because he’d already won his team the game in the first 3 quarters.

[Irongrip400]

I've never seen a guy who hits shots from 30 and 40 feet as consistently as Curry.  It borders on witchcraft.

Dude is hitting over 50% from the field and three point range. Free throw is automatic. Dude is the best shooter ever by those stats alone.

[SOMEPARTS]

Best shooter since they stopped playing defense maybe.

[benchmstr]

Wilt Chamberlin
Larry Bird
Michael Jordan
Stephen Curry

This is mine. LeBron could replace someone depends on how his career ends but Curry changed the game. Basketball is different because of him. He does shit I've never seen and I still don't want to accept. LeBron is a monster no doubt but Curry will end up with like 7 rings and best shooter ever. The Most high certainly blessed him with his talent and hard work brought it out.

I gotta give it to Larry Bird. The original 3 point King and tough as bricks. A great clutch guy. All time I'm going with him, Curry or Jordan for clutch. Plus I'm giving Larry extra point for overcoming the odds and beating Hebrews. Could you imagine that today? Larry Legend.

Basketball is for inmates and urbanites...which are the same thing

Bench

[Marty Champions]

Basketballs rules are very finicky , that boxing out a person sometimes its a foul sometimes not very gay, is it a foul or not to touch the offense or defense

[G_Thang]

wilt C
bird SF
Duncan PF
Jordan SG
Oscar Roberton PG

[dr.chimps]

Russell, Jabbar, Jordan, and, after last season, Lebron. Have never seen one guy carry so many through so many games.

[AbrahamG]

FIRST TEAM
Kareem
Magic
Jordan
Bird
LeBron

SECOND TEAM
Wilt
Isaiah
Oscar
Duncan
Karl Malone

[Dave D]

Zion Williamson gets an early nod from me.

[XFACTOR]

Zion Williamson gets an early nod from me.

he's unreal man.   I've never seen anything like him in college.

[CalvinH]

Dr J.

[Parker]

One needs two Mt. Rushmores.

[2ND COMING]

The NBA finals were on airing on tape delay prior to Bird and Magic's arrival. There was only 4 channels to choose from back then and the NBA was so out of favor its championship wasnt even being broadcast live.

The players you have on your Rushmore are all worthy but I think you have to include Bird and Magic just because they saved the NBA.

That said I'd go

Naismith
West
Bird/Magic
Jordan

Agreed. I'm kind of surprised that it's taken so long for the 3 point shot to be embraced they way that it finally has.  It's all or nothing now.

I can't argue against Naismith, the literal father of basketball.

Updated

Naismith
Russel
Wilt
West

Jabbar is too modern.

[Pray_4_War]

he's unreal man.   I've never seen anything like him in college.

I hope he slims down a little in the NBA and grows another couple inches.  If so he could be LeBron 2.0.

[Dave D]

I hope he slims down a little in the NBA and grows another couple inches.  If so he could be LeBron 2.0.

He size is prototypical of a NFL TE or DE.

My head is telling me he needs to be taller or lighter to play in the NBA but maybe Zion will be transcendent and excel just as he is built now.

[Pray_4_War]

He size is prototypical of a NFL TE or DE.

My head is telling me he needs to be taller or lighter to play in the NBA but maybe Zion will be transcendent and excel just as he is built now.

I'm concerned that if he doesn't have a strong work ethic he's gonna keep gaining weight.  Kid is only 18.

[Ronnie Rep]

Zion Williamson gets an early nod from me.

Looks like a Hybrid of Lebron and Barkley.

[Voice of Doom]

Michael
Magick
Larry
Wilt