In the past few days, Mount Rushmore has seemingly been
mentioned more times than when the national landmark first opened in 1941.
The cause of that increase comes from Miami Heat forward LeBron James proclaiming he would be one of the four faces on a NBA version of Mount Rushmore at the end of his playing career.
The cause of that increase comes from Miami Heat forward LeBron James proclaiming he would be one of the four faces on a NBA version of Mount Rushmore at the end of his playing career.
While a debate of the greatness of “King James” can be saved for another time, the conversation of the NBA’s greatest shifted closer to home and the Mountain State’s homegrown basketball legend.
Here’s what West Virginia basketball coach Bob Huggins said Wednesday in regards to where he believes Jerry West fits into the discussion:
The NBA mount Rushmore without Jerry west is like a basketball without a hoop or a hoop without a basketball pic.twitter.com/aXmWI3ncTF
— Bob Huggins (@CoachHuggs) February 12, 2014It’s very easy to agree with Huggins and say West should absolutely be included in the NBA’s Mount Rushmore following West Virginia basketball and growing up just a short drive from where he was born in the Kanawha Valley.
Even though being the unofficial logo of the NBA, West should not be included as one of the four players carved into the figurative mountain for the world’s premier basketball league.
There will be a small portion of Mountaineer fans that just called for my fan card to be revoked immediately, but it makes perfect sense.
As the NBA approaches its 70th season in the coming future, there are just so many amazing players over those years that bump West down the overall list of the greatest to step on the court for the world’s premier basketball league.
Would you have West featured on the Mount Rushmore over Bill Russell of the Boston Celtics, which won 11 NBA Championships and made 12 All-Star games in his career?
How about Kareem Abdul-Jabbar that collected six NBA Championships and Most Valuable Player awards during his time in Milwaukee and Los Angeles?
The dominance of Michael Jordan through the late 1980s through the later parts of the 1990s with the Chicago Bulls would cement his spot on the Mount Rushmore of the NBA without question.
Oscar Robertson, Shaquille O’Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Wilt Chamberlain could all be great inclusions that would make fans happy, but still exceed the career of West in the NBA.
Undoubtedly, West would be the first player selected to a WVU version of Mount Rushmore followed by a number of former Mountaineers like Don Nehlen, Patrick White, Gale Catlett, Sam Huff and others.
Even though Jerry West might be not be immortalized by being carved into an imaginary mountain of NBA stars, there is one bright side to the situation.
“The Logo” is a nickname and iconic image in NBA history that
no player can take away from Jerry West.
You can follow Chris on Twitter at @_CBH_ and the official WVU Pros account at @WVUPros.
You can follow Chris on Twitter at @_CBH_ and the official WVU Pros account at @WVUPros.
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