Charles Barkley shares his Mount Rushmore of NBA players
May 20, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Former NBA player and current TNT television personality Charles Barkley prior to game one of the Eastern Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs between the Atlanta Hawks and the Cleveland Cavaliers at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Rankings for the best NBA players of all-time often cause debate, and those from NBA and broadcasting legend Charles Barkley’s are no exception.
During Wednesday’s premiere of “The Great Debate with Charles Barkley” on TNT, Barkley revealed his Mount Rushmore of the most important figures in NBA history.
While the actual Mount Rushmore features four United States presidents, Barkley’s list had seven names: Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan and LeBron James.
"These are the most important figures as far as basketball in my opinion."
Chuck shares his "Mount Rushmore" of NBA history. pic.twitter.com/ObDZ3MuXEy
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 18, 2022
“I like to talk about all those guys,” Barkley said at a roundtable featuring film director Spike Lee, sportswriter Jackie MacMullan and former professional basketball player and vice president of the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream, Renee Montgomery. “Without those guys, guys wouldn’t be making $50 million a year.”
These seven legends made it onto Chuck's NBA Mount Rushmore 🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐 pic.twitter.com/06gTTzzfDx
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 18, 2022
This is a tough list to take issue with. All seven players are some of the best to ever do it, although one could make an argument for the inclusion of Wilt Chamberlain or Shaquille O’Neal.