LeBron James of course knows that there is no Mount Rushmore of the NBA. However, if there was, the Miami Heat superstar thinks that his face should eventually be carved into it. A clip from an interview with NBA TV’s Steve Smith asking King James who his personal Mount Rushmore was leaked online. James told Smith that the easy three would be: Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan. The fourth Mount Rushmore face took James a few extra seconds to consider, in the end he went with Oscar Robertson.
Then Smith asked the easy layup question about whether he thought he would be considered one of the four greatest NBA players and deserve to bump off one of men that he listed. King James responded with a yes, he explained his thought process. “Because I’m going to be one of the top four to ever play this game, for sure. And if they don’t want me to have one of those top four spots they better find another spot on that mountain. Somebody’s gotta get bumped, but that’s not for me to decide. That’s for the architects.”
The 29 year old does have a good case. He’s been in the league now ten full years. He has four MVP awards, two consecutive NBA Championships, two Finals MVP awards, seven All-NBA first-team selections, five NBA All-Defensive first team considerations, and 10 All-Star selections.
Plus, he can put down an impressive dunk.
The clip has captured a lot of attention and has even gone viral. Of course, every basketball fan has their own opinion regarding the legacy of the game and their own opinion of the man that refers to himself as “King.”
I respect LeBron James. Great player. But I will never put him over Kobe Bryant when it comes down to legacy.
— Jonathan Carter (@DaSportzBoi) February 12, 2014
Lebron James may be the greatest basketball player of All Time. We will see how the future plays out. pic.twitter.com/BsaCvrXgbs
— ⚡The Fast Break⚡ (@The_FastBreak) February 12, 2014
You can see the full interview on Monday, February 17th at 9 PM ET on NBA TV.
Image via Wikimedia