{"id":159412,"date":"2025-09-18T15:30:49","date_gmt":"2025-09-18T19:30:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=159412"},"modified":"2025-11-06T22:56:54","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T03:56:54","slug":"mt-rushmore-no-more-who-are-the-6-nba-godfathers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/09\/18\/mt-rushmore-no-more-who-are-the-6-nba-godfathers\/","title":{"rendered":"Mt. Rushmore No More: Who Are The 6 NBA Godfathers?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Now one of the most popular and recognizable sports leagues in the world, the NBA was founded in 1949 as a merger of the Basketball Association of America (BAA) and National Basketball League (NBL). The NBA would retroactively claim the BAA\u2019s inaugural year, 1946, as their own. As a result, when they honored their 75th anniversary by announcing the top-75 players<\/a> (technically, 76, due to a voting tie) in NBA history, it was in 2021 rather than 2024.<\/p>\n

NBA Mt. Rushmore No More<\/h2>\n

In a vacuum, it probably doesn\u2019t matter whether the NBA says they were created in 1946 or 1949. However, that nonchalance withers away when considering players like Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic<\/a>, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid<\/a>, Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving<\/a>\u00a0and 76ers swingman Paul George<\/a> being among the arguable snubs. Certainly, had the league waited until 2024, the 75th anniversary of the merger that officially created the NBA, at least Jokic \u2014a three-time NBA MVP \u2014would have made the cut<\/a>.<\/p>\n

With that in mind, the league and its fans have a tendency to leave NBA luminaries out of important constellations. Not only does the 75th anniversary team<\/em> demonstrate this, but any version of an NBA Mt. Rushmore<\/em> does as well. That\u2019s why getting back to the roots of Mount Rushmore, which the Lakota originally called Tunkasila Sakpe (\u201cThe Six Grandfathers<\/a>\u201d), is necessary.<\/p>\n

Who Are The 6 NBA Godfathers?<\/h2>\n

In an effort to avoid inadvertent disrespect towards the Lakota\u2019s belief system and that of other Native American communities, this list will name the NBA\u2019s Six Godfathers (<\/em>rather than Six Grandfathers<\/em>).<\/p>\n

Michael Jordan<\/h3>\n

Is Hall of Fame shooting guard Michael Jordan<\/a> is still considered the greatest basketball player of all-time? That\u2019s up for debate. However, there\u2019s no denying that he\u2019s the most influential player<\/a> in NBA history. His gaudy numbers only tell part of the story, as his reputation is tied into his mindset<\/a> as much as the point totals he amassed. A prototypical NBA wing in terms of his physique, athleticism, multi-faceted skillset and indomitable willpower, the outspoken Michael Jordan<\/a> has been all but deified by the sports world.<\/p>\n

Career Accolades<\/h4>\n