"Some of his stats were false" - Heat rookie Kel'el Ware snubs Michael Jordan from his NBA Mount Rushmore
Miami Heat rookie Kel'el Ware revealed his personal NBA Mount Rushmore in a distinctive manner by excluding Michael Jordan in light of the recent controversies surrounding the accuracy of the Bulls legend’s statistics.
In an interview with Bally Sports, Kel'el Ware listed Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant, Anthony Edwards and Heat teammate Bam Adebayo as the players in his Mount Rushmore.
When asked about omitting Jordan, Kel'el Ware explained:
"I would say MJ but I heard that some of his stats was false.”
Jordan's Defensive Player of the Year Award in 1988 has faced scrutiny after Tom Haberstroh of Yahoo Sports reported that Jordan's defensive stats could have been inflated by home scorekeepers.
Haberstroh's report found discrepancies in Jordan's steals and blocks numbers between home and road games. For example, Jordan had 165 steals and 87 blocks in 41 home games but only 94 steals and 47 blocks in 41 road games.
The report included testimony from Alex Rucker, a former Vancouver Grizzlies scorekeeper, who confirmed the common practice of home stat padding in the NBA.
Reinis Lacis, a Latvian basketball executive, reviewed six full games from Jordan's DPOY season and found box scores crediting Jordan with 18 more steals than he actually had.
What can Kel'el Ware bring to the Miami Heat?
The Miami Heat drafted Kel'el Ware with the No. 15 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Standing at 7 feet tall with a 7-foot-5 wingspan, he instantly becomes the tallest player on the Miami Heat.
In his sophomore year at Indiana, Ware averaged 15.9 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game while shooting 42.5% from beyond the arc.
Ware is a versatile center, capable of being a lob threat similar to Nick Richards, Nic Claxton and Dereck Lively II, but also with a reliable 3-pointer that could be a significant asset in the NBA.
He is extremely athletic, complementing his size and length, and has good mobility for his stature. His excellent hands and feel for the ball make him a genuine lob threat, able to catch tough passes and be agile in the paint.
During the rookie’s introductory news conference, Pat Riley expressed confidence in Ware’s skills and said he could be a good frontcourt partner for Adebayo.
“We feel very fortunate that we were able to get the specific player we wanted, that can complement our team, can complement Bam [Adebayo],” Riley said.
Aside from adding their rookies, the Heat's offseason has been quiet, with the only notable moves being the re-signing of Thomas Bryant and Dru Smith.