Selecting the San Antonio Spurs’ Mount Rushmore
By Cal Durrett
With the San Antonio Spurs celebrating their 50th season this year, now is the perfect time to take a look back at the team’s greatest players. The Spurs are one of the most successful franchises in the NBA, despite playing in a small market. In fact, they boast the highest winning percentage of any team in NBA history and have also had plenty of playoff success.
The San Antonio Spurs have made an impressive 14 Conference Finals and won five championships. Many players contributed to their success, but only four can be included on a hypothetical Spurs Mount Rushmore, which has become a way for basketball fans to rank only the most important players. Which Spurs were chosen? Let’s see.
San Antonio Spurs: George Gervin
George “The Iceman” Gervin was the Spurs’ first great player, and he played for them in both the ABA and NBA. While only nine of his 12 seasons with the team are officially recognized by the league, Gervin still did more than enough to warrant inclusion on the Spurs’ Mount Rushmore.
The Iceman averaged a stellar 26.1 points per game on an efficient 51.1% shooting in San Antonio. He didn’t just score a bunch of points; however, he carried the Spurs to the Eastern Conference Finals in 1979, where they lost by two stinking points in game seven against the Washington Bullets.
He later led them to the Western Conference Finals in 1983, where Gervin and the Spurs dueled against Magic Johnson and the Showtime Lakers. He never won a championship with the team, nor did he get to finish his career in San Antonio. Still, his legacy as a franchise icon ensures that his contributions to the Spurs will never be forgotten.