Heat Rookie Kel’el Ware Leaves Michael Jordan Off His Basketball Mount Rushmore Because He Heard Some Of His Stats Are Fake

Sarah Stier. Getty Images.

Now that we're officially in Mount Rushmore season, it should be no surprise that once this year's rookie class started doing their first media sessions with their new teams that some sort of Mount Rushmore or "Top 5 All Time" basketball question gets asked. It's basically how we get through July/August until we get closer to football, and this year is no exception.

Enter Miami Heat rookie Kel’el Ware. A 7fter taken 15th out of Indiana who I imagine the Heat are hoping can slide right next to Bam in some lineups and then also man the paint in certain non-Bam lineups

let's have a look at the Mount Rushmore he went with because it sure is something

OK, there's a lot to unpack here. I will say what I do find interesting about these younger generation players being asked this question or who the GOAT is, almost every single one of them has completely outrageous answers. And really, the way Ware started wasn't so terrible. Not where I would go, but we were still on the rails. From there? Not quite. In a moment like this, I'm all for pandering as a rookie. Win over the fanbase and your team, it's a no brainer right? Well, Ware missed a prime opportunity to do just that and have Dwyane Wade instead of Ant. 

As a whole though, this is a completely insane NBA Mount Rushmore. Once we got to how he had to leave MJ off because he heard MJ's stats were a little shaky

you knew right there we were cooked. In some ways, what this video showed was exactly how the current younger generation lives/gets their news/forms their opinions. Whatever the internet says at that moment is the north star. Over the last few weeks, the narrative has been that MJ is some of defensive fraud, so for the moment that's the truth. 

In some ways, this is how legacies die. 

If no one is left to stop things like this, some of the greatest players of all time are simply going to be forgotten. It will be as if they never existed. As a new-ish old, this troubles me greatly. People are going to want to roast Ware for his list, but I see it more as a peek into the mind of the next generation. They're fucking insane. I have no doubt that this kid can play and he'll make an impact in MIA given their need at the position. But as a society? We're cooked. Pack it in and call it a day. 

Oh, and in the spirit of fairness, I can't call out someone's Mount Rushmore without including my own so the rest of the internet can roast me, so here it is

Bill Russell

Michael Jordan

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

LeBron James