Allen Iverson puts 3 Lakers on his basketball Mount Rushmore list

These days, it seems like anyone with an opinion is asked who his basketball Mount Rushmore is.

Hall of Famer Allen Iverson was asked this question on a recent episode of “All the Smoke,” and he included two Los Angeles Lakers legends, as well as one of their current superstars.

“My favorite is always going to be Mike (Michael Jordan), you know what I mean,” Allen Iverson said. “Kobe [Bryant], you know what I mean, my one and two. And LeBron [James], you know what I mean, so great. … I got Bron No. 3.

“Kobe is the closest thing to me to Mike. And then LeBron is just hands down LeBron James. He’s in a class by himself. And then, you know, Shaq (Shaquille O’Neal) and I just, ya’ll know how I feel about Stephen Curry.”

It should be noted that Iverson chose five players, even though the famed South Dakota mountain sculpture only has four United States presidents.

Still, he would know something about the players he mentioned, since he played against each of them at some point in his career.

Iverson faced off against Bryant and the Lakers in the 2001 NBA Finals. Although Iverson’s Philadelphia 76ers fell in five games, he likely gained a measure of respect for the Philadelphia area native.

As a rookie, Iverson made heads turn by crossing over Jordan one night, a play that many still remember years later.

As a result, Iverson in his own right is a player who will always stand tall in the annals of NBA history.