"Entertainment for the mind numb", "How does this affect Lebron's legacy?", "Mind numbingly boring" - NBA Fans react as Jalen Rose urges people to retire the term "Mount Rushmore"
NBA debates over the greatest players of all time are already futile. Former NBA player and sports television personality Jalen Rose had a different criticism for these arguments. In a video posted on Twitter, Rose objected to using the term "Mount Rushmore," citing its contentious history with Native Americans and the indigenous peoples of North America.
"Why do you think Washington changed their name from Redskins? ... So, I wanna continue to challenge myself and challenge you to do something. Can we retire using Mount Rushmore? That should be offensive to all of us, especially Native Americans, indigenous people.
Here's why using Mount Rushmore to define greatness should be retired immediately. https://t.co/mtYYTtKFSa
"...To add insult to injury, four American presidents were put on what we call Mount Rushmore on the top of the dead bodies that are buried right underneath."
"Let's stop using the term Mount Rushmore when we talk about favorite rappers, favorite movies and favorite players"
r/NBA reacted to Rose's comments.
Whereas some slammed Rose, calling his objections worthless.
The Mount Rushmore analogy in the NBA
Mount Rushmore is an American monument with the faces of four American presidents carved into the Black Hills in South Dakota, USA. The 5700 foot-high mountain features the faces of presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.
The choice of carving only four specific American presidents on the mountain for their significance to the country created an analogy. The "Mount Rushmore" analogy is used in several fields to describe the four most significant contributors to the field.
Certainly, the so-called "Mount Rushmore" of basketball should represent the greatest to ever play the sport. However, this is yet another MJ vs LeBron debate masked by another name.
How would one go about constructing the criteria for placements? Is it championships, points, influence on the game, net worth, global fame or something else?
Besides deciding on the criteria, another reason for the sheer lack of substance in such debates is comparison across eras.
It has never been, and will never be, possible to sufficiently compare Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan and LeBron James. None of these players went up against each other in their primes. They also played in different eras. Therefore, an accurate comparison is not possible.
All "G.O.A.T." and Mount Rushmore debates are cut from the same cloth. They are designed to act as provocateurs with no real objective.