There's a lot of debate about the Mount Rushmore of basketball.
"Oscar Robertson, Archie Clark, Dave Bing, Dave Cowens and Dave DeBusschere are truly what you would call the Mount Rushmore of basketball icons," Johnny Davis, chairman of the National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA), told USA TODAY Sports last week.
Robertson, Clark, Bing, Cowens and DeBusschere accomplished a lot on the court. The quintet of former players feature NBA champions, Hall of Famers, All-Stars and members of the 35th, 50th and 75th NBA anniversary teams. But the legends' achievements on the court rival the lasting impact they've made off it.
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The founding five are celebrating the 30th anniversary of the NBRPA, which was founded in 1992 by the former players who wouldn't take no for an answer.
"It was a monumental struggle because we couldn't get hardly anyone, that included active ball players, to get involved with us," Robertson told USA TODAY Sports. "It was almost like us being in a canoe trying to go across an ocean. ... We crawled on our hands and knees."
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The idea of the NBRPA started after Clark attended a Democratic convention in his hometown of Detroit and was introduced to retirees of the United Auto Workers (UAW) union. Clark immediately noticed the need for a similar organization for retired basketball players who weren't allowed to join the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) post-career.
"I went and talked to Dave Bing, he's in Detroit with me. Him and I got together and we went and got Oscar," Clark told USA TODAY Sports. "He was the president of the players association when we were players and he really represented the labor interest of the NBA. That was someone we really had to get it off the ground."
The trio met with then-commissioner David Stern, who declined to allocate funds from All-Star weekend to the prospective organization. Charles Grantham, who succeeded Larry Fleisher as head of the NBPA, connected the group with a lawyer who could help their vision come to life: Dennis Coleman. He offered one suggestion to ensure the success of the players' efforts.
"(Coleman) said we had to get some white players. So Oscar went and got Dave Cowens, and Dave Bing got David Debusschere," Clark recalled. "The five of us got together and we ended up putting together $1,000 ... to give to Dennis Coleman. He formed a non-profit 501(c)(3) in the state of New York and we became an entity."
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Although Robertson said retired players were hesitant to join because they "didn't feel this was going to be an ongoing organization," the NBRPA has 1,500 members three decades later, assisting with healthcare, education, career counseling and financial assistance. The association is supported directly by the NBA and NBPA.
"These gentleman ... really had to fight and dig in to get the respect that they have today," said Scott Rochelle, President and CEO of the NBRPA. "It is really a testament to the work they put in and the longevity of over 30 years to see where we are today."
The legends may have paved the way for the next generations of players, but the current stars of the game leveraged their platform and "really gave back to us," Rochelle told USA TODAY Sports.
"(Former Executive Director of the NBPA) Michelle Roberts asked Chris Paul and LeBron James what needed to be done, and when they said they really wanted to support retired players, tens of millions of dollars were invested in a very short time to provide these pension benefits, healthcare and the health screening program," Rochelle added.
Robertson said he wanted "to thank Chris Paul and his group for what they did because it took players of their caliber ... because they are leaders and people will follow them into the right direction."
Robertson was involved in the court of law, too. An anti-trust lawsuit he filed in 1970 led to the "Oscar Robertson Rule" settlement, which helped NBA players achieve free agency.
"When I first got involved with the players association, guys made $50 a month or something like that," recalled Robertson, who became the first Black president of any national sports or entertainment union in 1965, a position he held until 1974.
He continued: "Larry (Fleisher) and I has been talking to a lot of the other associations, baseball and football, to talk about things we needed to do for basketball. And then we get involved with this legal situation, it evolved to a situation where player rights were at the forefront because it was all about who was in control. As long as the owners control the players, they were never going to get anywhere near $30 million, $40 million and $50 million worth of salary.
"I’m so happy for the guys."
Follow Cydney Henderson on Twitter @CydHenderson.
