NBA Hall of Famer Bill Russell burned Miami Heat Star LeBron James when asked about being left off James's "Mount Rushmore." Russell, an 11-time NBA champion, thanked James for being kept off the list and reminded him basketball is a team game.
James was prompted over the All-Star weekend with the nearly impossible task of listing the NBA's top four players of all time. His answer - Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Oscar Robertson - left a number of NBA greats off the list, including Russell.
TNT's Craig Sager reported during the All-Star Game telecast on Sunday an exchange between Russell and James about the latter's "Mount Rushmore" selection.
"Before the game," Sager said during the telecast, via MassLive.com, "LeBron James was talking to Bill Russell and Bill said, 'Hey, thank you for leaving me off your Mount Rushmore.'
"He said, 'I'm glad you did. Basketball is a team game, it's not for individual honors. I won back-to-back state championships in high school, back-to-back NCAA championships in college, I won an NBA championship my first year in the league, an NBA championship in my last year, nine in between. And that, Mr. James, is etched in stone.'"
James made headlines during the NBA All-Star break when he predicted himself to be one of the four greatest NBA players ever by the time he retires. He also gave an honest answer when asked to name his top four NBA players.
"Four NBA greats - I would say, obviously, the easy three, that we talk about in our league: Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson," James said, via SI.com. "I would say my fourth, wow, this is so tough. The greatest players of all time, that I would like to see on Mount Rushmore. This is not fair. This is not fair. You know how many great players there is? Oh my god, Oscar Robertson. Those are my four."
