A Hall of Fame former Houston Rockets center has made some bold selections for his list of all-time big men.
Per longtime NBA insider Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson, former eight-time All-Star big man Dwight Howard has had a changing relationship with what he considers to be the best centers in basketball.
In 2014, Howard revealed his picks for his all-time top four NBA centers on his own "Mount Rushmore" of bigs, per Robinson — a group that included Howard himself.
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“So one day, me being up there—I’m gonna go with Shaq [Shaquille O'Neal], Bill Russell, Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar],” Howard told Robinson. “I’m picking all centers, they’re taking all of the big guys off the ballot. They can’t take centers off of Mount Rushmore. So this is my centers Mount Rushmore.”
In a new conversation with Robinson, Howard insisted that a four-headed Mount Rushmore was too limited a terrain to cover the league's all-time greats.
"You have to have a Wall of Bigs," Howard proposed, before listing two additional Rockets greats to join him in the group of greats.
“You gotta have Dream [Hakeem Olajuwon], Wilt Chamberlain, Yao [Ming], Patrick Ewing" in addition to his aforementioned foursome, Howard indicated.
Howard spent three seasons in Houston alongside superstar guard James Harden, averaging 16.0 points on 60.1 percent shooting from the field and 52.3 percent free throw shooting, 11.7 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, 1.5 assists and 0.9 steals a night.
The 6-foot-10 superstar enjoyed his most successful individual, seasons with the Orlando Magic, making six All-Star teams and being named Defensive Player of the Year three times.
Olajuwon and Ming are both Hall of Fame Houston legends in their own right. Olajuwon, a 12-time All-Star, led the Rockets to two straight championships in 1994 and '95. Ming, an eight-time All-Star, failed to have the deep playoff runs Olajuwon or even Ming enjoyed in Houston, although he and Tracy McGrady frequently led the club to the postseason.
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