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Every single NBA team’s Mount Rushmore of stars

By Maxwell Ogden

Apr 2, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade (3) and Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) look on in the first quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 2, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade (3) and Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) look on in the first quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /
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Houston Rockets Mount Rushmore, Hakeem Olajuwon
Hakeem Olajuwon – Houston Rockets Mount Rushmore (Photo credit TED MATHIAS/AFP via Getty Images) /

The Mount Rushmore of the Houston Rockets

  • James Harden
  • Elvin Hayes
  • Moses Malone
  • Hakeem Olajuwon

Hakeem Olajuwon is the greatest player in Houston Rockets history. With all due respect to a surging player on this list, it’s not really a close discussion. Olajuwon led the team to back-to-back championships and is one of the most revered centers to ever grace the NBA.

Olajuwon won NBA MVP, two Defensive Player of the Year awards, led the Rockets to the only two titles in franchise history, and even made a third NBA Finals appearance.

Joining him is another legendary center: Moses Malone. Malone won a pair of MVP awards while playing in Houston, both during the prime of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s career, and led the team to the 1981 NBA Finals—where he, like Olajuwon in 1986, pushed Boston to its limit.

Malone had a genuine case for being the franchise GOAT before Olajuwon got there, and should be safely on anyone’s Mount Rushmore for the Rockets.

Next on the list is Elvin Hayes, who adds to the list of legendary big men who wore a Rockets uniform. He won the scoring title as a rookie, led the league in rebounding the very next season, and made the All-Star Game in each of his first four seasons in Houston.

Hayes would return to and retire with the Rockets late in his career, which thus pushed him to fifth in scoring and second in rebounding on the franchise’s all-time list.

The fourth spot had competition, including Clyde Drexler, Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming, and Ralph Sampson. James Harden has done more than enough to find himself on Mount Rushmore, however, including two Conference Finals appearances and an MVP award.

Harden has also won three scoring titles, led the NBA in assists, and earned five All-NBA First Team nods—with a sixth potentially coming in 2020.

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