Each NBA team’s Mt Rushmore

[Costanza]

Each team’s Mt Rushmore, limited to current geographical area:

Atlantic Division​

Boston Celtics

• Bill Russell
• Larry Bird
• John Havlicek
• Bob Cousy

Brooklyn Nets

• Brook Lopez
• Kevin Durant
• Kyrie Irving
• Joe Johnson

A particularly difficult four because Brooklyn has only represented the franchise since 2012. No Dr. J, Jason Kidd or Buck Williams.

If you include their entire history:

Julius Erving
Jason Kidd
Buck Williams
Vince Carter

Honorable mentions: Dražen Petrović, Brook Lopez, Derrick Coleman, Richard Jefferson, Kerry Kittles and John Williamson.

One particularly difficult decision is Petrović versus Carter. Dražen's peak was extraordinary, but Carter's longer contribution and overall production give him my vote..

New York Knicks

• Walt Frazier
• Willis Reed
• Patrick Ewing
• Jalen Brunson

Brunson's 2026 championship and Finals MVP put him on the mountain. Carmelo Anthony is the most notable omission.

Philadelphia 76ers

• Julius Erving
• Allen Iverson
• Wilt Chamberlain
• Moses Malone

Joel Embiid and Charles Barkley are formidable omissions. Wilt's Philadelphia 76ers years count, but his earlier Philadelphia Warriors years are a different franchise.

Toronto Raptors

• Kyle Lowry
• DeMar DeRozan
• Vince Carter
• Kawhi Leonard

Kawhi gets the nod despite only one season because of what he accomplished in the 2019 championship run. Pascal Siakam is extremely close.

Central Division​

Chicago Bulls

• Michael Jordan
• Scottie Pippen
• Dennis Rodman
• Derrick Rose

Rose gets the fourth spot over Bob Love and Artis Gilmore because of his MVP season and significance to the franchise.
Cleveland Cavaliers

• LeBron James
• Mark Price
• Brad Daugherty
• Kyrie Irving

Kyrie's championship-winning shot gives him the edge over Kevin Love and Zydrunas Ilgauskas.

Detroit Pistons

• Isiah Thomas
• Joe Dumars
• Ben Wallace
• Bill Laimbeer

The Bad Boys and the 2004 championship team are both represented. Bob Lanier and Dave Bing are the biggest omissions.
Indiana Pacers

• Reggie Miller
• Mel Daniels
• Roger Brown
• George McGinnis

I'm counting the ABA years because the Pacers have always represented Indianapolis. This gives the franchise's three-time ABA championship era appropriate representation.

Milwaukee Bucks

• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
• Giannis Antetokounmpo
• Oscar Robertson
• Sidney Moncrief

Marques Johnson and Bob Dandridge narrowly miss.

Southeast Division​

Atlanta Hawks

• Dominique Wilkins
• Trae Young
• Lou Hudson
• Joe Johnson

No Bob Pettit because his greatness came in St. Louis. Dikembe Mutombo and Pete Maravich are the closest omissions.

Charlotte Hornets

• Kemba Walker
• Dell Curry
• Larry Johnson
• Alonzo Mourning

Muggsy Bogues, Glen Rice and Gerald Wallace deserve consideration. Kemba is the franchise's defining player.

Miami Heat

• Dwyane Wade
• LeBron James
• Chris Bosh
• Alonzo Mourning

Jimmy Butler is the hardest omission. His two Finals appearances give him an excellent case, but Mourning's longevity, defensive accomplishments and franchise legacy win out.

Orlando Magic

• Shaquille O'Neal
• Dwight Howard
• Penny Hardaway
• Tracy McGrady

The four defining superstars of the franchise's first two major eras.

Washington Wizards

• Wes Unseld
• Elvin Hayes
• John Wall
• Gilbert Arenas

This is Washington only, beginning with the franchise's arrival in 1973. Bradley Beal is the closest omission.

Northwest Division​

Denver Nuggets

• Nikola Jokić
• Alex English
• Dan Issel
• Carmelo Anthony

David Thompson and Dikembe Mutombo are the most difficult omissions. Issel's longevity and ABA/NBA contributions give him the nod.

Minnesota Timberwolves

• Kevin Garnett
• Karl-Anthony Towns
• Anthony Edwards
• Kevin Love

Edwards is already firmly in the conversation after leading Minnesota's recent playoff resurgence. Love's individual peak earns him the fourth spot.

Oklahoma City Thunder

• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
• Kevin Durant
• Russell Westbrook
• James Harden

Seattle SuperSonics accomplishments are excluded. Durant, Westbrook and Harden are included only for their Oklahoma City years.
SGA's two consecutive MVPs, 2025 championship and Finals MVP have made him the franchise's defining player.

Portland Trail Blazers

• Clyde Drexler
• Damian Lillard
• Bill Walton
• LaMarcus Aldridge

Terry Porter and Brandon Roy are the closest omissions.

Utah Jazz

• John Stockton
• Karl Malone
• Adrian Dantley
• Rudy Gobert

Donovan Mitchell and Deron Williams are the other major candidates. Gobert's three Defensive Player of the Year awards give him the edge.

Pacific Division​

Golden State Warriors

• Stephen Curry
• Rick Barry
• Klay Thompson
• Draymond Green

This is one of the toughest selections. Wilt Chamberlain and Nate Thurmond both qualify through their San Francisco years. I give Draymond the fourth spot because of his longevity and importance to four championship teams. Wilt is arguably the more individually accomplished player.

LA Clippers

• Chris Paul
• Blake Griffin
• DeAndre Jordan
• Kawhi Leonard

Elton Brand is another serious contender. I'm excluding Bob McAdoo because his Clippers career was in Buffalo.

Los Angeles Lakers

• Kobe Bryant
• Magic Johnson
• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
• Shaquille O'Neal

Jerry West and LeBron James are the painful omissions. This is probably the most difficult four-person selection in the league.

Phoenix Suns

• Steve Nash
• Charles Barkley
• Devin Booker
• Walter Davis

Kevin Johnson, Amar'e Stoudemire and Shawn Marion are strong alternatives.

Sacramento Kings

• Chris Webber
• Mitch Richmond
• Peja Stojaković
• Domantas Sabonis

I'm excluding Oscar Robertson, Jerry Lucas and other Cincinnati-era greats. De'Aaron Fox and Vlade Divac are the closest omissions.

Southwest Division​

Dallas Mavericks

• Dirk Nowitzki
• Luka Dončić
• Mark Aguirre
• Rolando Blackman

Jason Kidd, Jason Terry and Steve Nash are notable omissions.

Houston Rockets

• Hakeem Olajuwon
• James Harden
• Moses Malone
• Yao Ming

Calvin Murphy and Rudy Tomjanovich are the other major candidates.

Memphis Grizzlies

• Marc Gasol
• Mike Conley
• Zach Randolph
• Ja Morant

Pau Gasol is the biggest omission. I'm giving Ja the nod for his individual peak and the heights he helped the franchise reach in the modern era.

New Orleans Pelicans

• Chris Paul
• Anthony Davis
• Jrue Holiday
• David West

Zion Williamson could eventually make this list, but his injuries and limited playoff accomplishments make that difficult right now.

San Antonio Spurs

• Tim Duncan
• David Robinson
• George Gervin
• Tony Parker

Manu Ginóbili is the toughest omission. Victor Wembanyama is already making a compelling case after winning the 2026 Defensive Player of the Year, All-NBA First Team and Western Conference Finals MVP, but it's too early to remove a franchise legend.

The biggest debates​

A few of these deserve particular attention:

Franchise	The debate
Golden State	Draymond vs. Wilt vs. Nate Thurmond
Lakers	Shaq vs. Jerry West vs. LeBron
76ers	Moses vs. Embiid vs. Barkley
Miami	Mourning vs. Jimmy Butler
Spurs	Parker vs. Ginóbili vs. Wembanyama
Suns	Walter Davis vs. Kevin Johnson vs. Amar'e
Kings	Sabonis vs. Fox vs. Divac
Celtics	Cousy vs. Tatum vs. McHale

One overarching observation: The city restriction changes some franchise Mt. Rushmores dramatically. Atlanta loses Bob Pettit, the Lakers lose George Mikan, Sacramento loses Oscar Robertson, and Oklahoma City loses Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp. Those are not judgments about the players; they simply belong to a different city's basketball history.

 

[knightmelodic]

How could you exclude Toni Braxton from the Dallas Mavericks?

 

[SIDESHOW]

Lenny Wilkins > Trea Young

 

[Rezn8]

Pretty damn good list!!! Just a few observations:

Warriors - I hate, Hate, HATE that Nate Thurmond always seems to get left off these lists. He has got to be among the 5-10 most underrated great players in NBA history. He's arguably one of the 2-3 greatest defensive centers in league history. According to Wilt, Walt Bellamy, Wes Unseld, Willis Reed, and Kareem, he was the single most difficult player each of them ever faced, and I'm sure there were others who had the same opinion. I'm glad at least that he was chosen for all of the NBA's All-Time Anniversary teams.

Pistons - I would replace Laimbeer with Dave Bing. Bing was truly an electrifying, all-time great player, and a lot like Thurmond, his greatness has been lost to the passage of time.

Suns - I would give some serious consideration to Connie Hawkins and Paul Westphal, both Hall of Fame players. A lot of people don't know how spectacular Westphal was as a player, and he came within a hair of leading them to their first championship in '76.

76ers - I hope you gave some thought to Hal Greer, one of the greatest guards of all time who was a lead player on their first NBA championship team. I might also give some consideration to Billy Cunningham, another all-time great player, and the head coach of their last NBA championship team.

Knicks - When putting your Knicks list together, I hope you gave some serious consideration to Bernard King. For a 2-3 year run, he was the most unstoppable small forward in the league, and he did it all with all types of injuries.

Lakers - I think it's a crime that the name that seems to always be forgotten where the Lakers are concerned is the player who almost single-handedly established them as a relevant franchise in Southern California from the beginning - the great Elgin Baylor. For the first 6-7 years of his career, other than Bill Russell, he was the most dominant player in the sport, and literally changed the style in which the game was played. Yet, you rarely hear mention of him anymore.

Anyway, good list and an interesting thread.

 

[PlayerR]

How could you exclude Toni Braxton from the Dallas Mavericks?

What's wild is that story was actually fake..lol Jackson was talking about it recently, said the shit got leaked and folks just ran with it & Braxton's team used it as publicity and wouldn't say it was false..lol

 

[Costanza]

Pretty damn good list!!! Just a few observations:

Warriors - I hate, Hate, HATE that Nate Thurmond always seems to get left off these lists. He has got to be among the 5-10 most underrated great players in NBA history. He's arguably one of the 2-3 greatest defensive centers in league history. According to Wilt, Walt Bellamy, Wes Unseld, Willis Reed, and Kareem, he was the single most difficult player each of them ever faced, and I'm sure there were others who had the same opinion. I'm glad at least that he was chosen for all of the NBA's All-Time Anniversary teams.

Pistons - I would replace Laimbeer with Dave Bing. Bing was truly an electrifying, all-time great player, and a lot like Thurmond, his greatness has been lost to the passage of time.

Suns - I would give some serious consideration to Connie Hawkins and Paul Westphal, both Hall of Fame players. A lot of people don't know how spectacular Westphal was as a player, and he came within a hair of leading them to their first championship in '76.

76ers - I hope you gave some thought to Hal Greer, one of the greatest guards of all time who was a lead player on their first NBA championship team. I might also give some consideration to Billy Cunningham, another all-time great player, and the head coach of their last NBA championship team.

Knicks - When putting your Knicks list together, I hope you gave some serious consideration to Bernard King. For a 2-3 year run, he was the most unstoppable small forward in the league, and he did it all with all types of injuries.

Lakers - I think it's a crime that the name that seems to always be forgotten where the Lakers are concerned is the player who almost single-handedly established them as a relevant franchise in Southern California from the beginning - the great Elgin Baylor. For the first 6-7 years of his career, other than Bill Russell, he was the most dominant player in the sport, and literally changed the style in which the game was played. Yet, you rarely hear mention of him anymore.

Who would you take off in each of those instances (other than the Pistons)?

With a franchise as successful as the Lakers, I think it’s impossible to include a player who never won a championship.

Ironically, I think Patrick Ewing is by far the greatest Knick ever and I’m not sure Brunson belongs on the list for winning a title with more talent around him than Ewing ever had. But that franchise only has three titles and the Lakers have 17 so the standards are different IMO.

 

[knightmelodic]

What's wild is that story was actually fake..lol Jackson was talking about it recently, said the shit got leaked and folks just ran with it & Braxton's team used it as publicity and wouldn't say it was false..lol

I don't believe him. He was the one getting cucked after all. She was seen booed up around town with the other guys.