SB Nation-NBA Theme Day: Who would be on the WNBA’s Mount Rushmore?

After a recent NBA TV interview with LeBron James in which he discussed who could be on the NBA’s Mount Rushmorenetizens discuss which players in league history deserve a spot.

And given LeBron’s heroics against my beloved Golden State Warriors on Wednesday nightI certainly wouldn’t argue with the idea that he should definitely be sculpted into a hypothetical monument by the end of his career, or even sooner.

Today, the SB Nation-NBA network is putting its own twist on this topic of discussion during a thematic day: who would be on the individual mountain of each NBA team. Rushmore (or, as one Golden State of Mind community member noted, on the Warriors Half Dome Monument in Yosemite)? At Swish Appeal, we decided to put our own spin on this theme: Who would be on the WNBA’s Mount Rushmore?

No rules have been given to us for this exercise, but fortunately we have two relatively recent aids to help us discuss this question:

Long story short, there are eight players we can probably agree on as belonging in this discussion to be included on our hypothetical WNBA Mount Rushmore:

From there, the challenge is to cut that list in half. So let’s start with two pretty obvious ones (and you can refer to the breakdowns above

Cynthia Cooper, guard

Do we really need to discuss this? Cooper was the leader of the league’s first four championship teams and is part of a select group of WNBA superstars that any self-respecting basketball fan should know something about, even if it’s just that she raises the roof. Whether she’s the best of all time is irrelevant in this particular discussion: She dominated her era, which happened to make up about a quarter of the league’s history. If we leave it out, we might as well abandon the whole project – if you just want a challenge, try to find arguments for leaving it off this list.

Lisa Leslie, Center

Immediately following the Cooper era, this was the period in which the Lisa Leslie-led Los Angeles Sparks won two consecutive titles and Leslie won three of the next six MVP awards. Additionally, Leslie stands out as another one of those ambassadors of the game that even people who don’t follow women’s basketball are likely to recognize. We didn’t even reach the gold medals.

Again, like Cooper, the hardest task would be to cross her off this list.

After these two, reasonable people might disagree on who should go to the last spots. But if we continue to focus on both the accomplishments of basketball (in the WNBA) and the importance of women’s basketball/sports as a whole, it’s a little easier to focus on two other names.

Sheryl Swoopes, wing

Once again, part of that dominant Comets dynasty early in the league, deserving of two (or more) selections on this list. Individually, Swoopes has three MVPs and a scoring title under his belt. From a broader perspective, her importance to the game – and perhaps to women’s sport as a whole – was summarized in a review of ESPN’s Nine for IX documentary about her by Adrienne Vogt: “Her talent, individuality and sexuality defined an era in women’s basketball.” Questionable? Certainly. But the case for Swoopes over other qualified candidates is pretty strong.

Diana Taurasi, guard

The fourth player is the toughest here, but Taurasi is a hard name to ignore. She has two notable titles, which have been harder to come by in an era that includes Angel McCoughtry and (former teammate) Cappie Pondexter. She won both the league MVP and Finals MVP awards in 2009. Since 2009, the only thing standing in her way of another WNBA Finals appearance has been the existence of heavyweights in the Minnesota and Seattle who broke into the Western Conference. Fortunately for her, she has already won two titles.

There could always be a debate over whether Taurasi was truly the best player of her time with Tamika Catchings (a personal favorite), Lauren Jackson, Candace Parker and Maya Moore also all in the league. Right now, she’s not even the most well-known player on her own team with 6-foot-8 dunk superstar Brittney Griner as her teammate. But the attitude and arrogance that makes Taurasi “the bad guy” among many WNBA fans gives her a mass appeal that others lack. And there is perhaps no player whose personality is as effective as Taurasi’s in her team’s system. espnW’s Michelle Smith summed up what makes Taurasi special in an article in October:

…she is a singular figure in women’s sport, sporting her signature bun, with relentless swagger and unique charisma.

“Ask other players who they want to play with, who they want to watch, and they say Diana,” said Ann Meyers-Drysdale, a Phoenix Mercury vice president who is also a women’s soccer legend.

Again, part of this exercise involves the importance of people in the game in addition to basketball accomplishments/talent – it’s not just about “best players ever” or “players with which I would form a team today. Moore just hasn’t been around that long. Parker did not lead his team to a title and Jackson’s career was hampered by injury. Catchings lacks the offensive flair that is Taurasi’s strong point plays.

Taurasi is the player people want to watch and has a long list of accomplishments to justify the hype she gets. For a league fighting for ratings, that has to count for something.

Who would be on your WNBA Mount Rushmore? Or better yet, who would be part of your favorite WNBA team’s Mount Rushmore? Feel free to express yourself in the comments and tell us what you think.