10 Greatest Centers of All Time

2023 marks the first time since the end of the 1980 season that a center has won the NBA MVP award three years in a row. In fact, between 1965 and 1980 the award went exclusively to centers. While the modern game and the three point revolution have changed the demands of the position, it’s safe to say that the big man is a relevant force in basketball again. While Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic may not be in the conversation just yet, we’re going to look at the top 10 centers of all time.

Career

The only player to ever post a single triple, Wilt Chamberlain belongs on any list of the greatest centers of all time. While he may be most famous to casual fans for the single accomplishment of 100 points in a game, his statistical dominance across his 14-season career cannot be overstated. He won seven NBA scoring titles, no other center has more than two. He holds the record for most 50-point games in NBA history with a whopping 118. Until Russell Westbrook achieved the same in 2019, he was the only player in NBA history to put up a 20 point, 20 rebound, 20 assist game. He won two NBA titles, one with the Philadelphia 76ers and one with the Los Angeles Lakers. Wilt was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1979.

Career

Wilt’s greatest rival, Bill Russell, is another name always included in any discussion about the best centers of all time. While Wilt may have the stats, Russell has the rings, racking up a record 11 NBA championships in his 13 year career making the 1960s Celtics the NBA’s first and most dominant championship dynasty. Both Russell and Chamberlain averaged over 22 rebounds per game for their career, the two most of all time at 22.45 and 22.89, respectively. In the playoffs, however, Russell averaged 24.9, besting Wilt’s 24.5. Russell retired as an NBA champion after winning the 1969 title. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a player in 1975 and as a coach in 2021. 

Career

Until it was broken by LeBron James in 2023, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record of 38,387 points was considered by many to be unbreakable. Standing for 34 years, perhaps what was most impressive is that he achieved this record with only a single three-point shot. This scoring title alone would be enough to place Kareem among the greatest centers of all time, but he was also a six-time NBA champion, two-time finals MVP and earned all-NBA honors 15 times in his 20 season career. He ended his career averaging 24.6 points, 11.2 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game. Easily one of the top five, much less top 10 centers of all time, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1995. 

Career

Shaq was arguably the NBA’s last dominant traditional big man. At an intimidating 7’1” and 325, he had an agility that few players of his size possess. A great champion as well, Shaq won four titles–three with the Los Angeles Lakers and one with the Miami Heat–being named Finals MVP three times. Shaq averaged 24.3 points per game on .563 shooting and 11.6 rebounds per game across his 19 seasons in the Association. Easily one of the best centers of his era and one of the best centers of all time, Shaq earned all-NBA honors at the position 14 times. With his blend of power and athleticism, Shaq can be seen as a bridge between the dominant post centers of the past and the floor-stretching bigs of the modern game.

Career

Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwon is the only player to win a Finals MVP in the middle of the Bulls dynastic run through the 90s, winning two in 1994 and 1995. He is also the NBA’s all-time leader in blocks, with 3,830. For perspective, that’s more than 500 more than the runner up, Dikembe Mutumbo, and more than double the active leader, Brook Lopez. If there is any doubt he isn’t one of the top 10 centers of all time, his 13,748 total rebounds are 15th in league history and he is within the top 10 in both defensive and offensive rebounds.

Career

David “The Admiral” Robinson spent his entire 14 season career with the San Antonio Spurs. Not only is he one of the top 10 Spurs of all time, but he is clearly one of the top 10 centers of all time. Robinson is seventh all-time in blocks at 2,954 and he is second all-time in win shares per 48 only to Michael Jordan. He won two titles with the Spurs, in 1999 and 2003 and earned all-NBA honors 10 times in his career. In 2009, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Career

Philly seems to be a hot bed for big men, from Joel Embiid today to Wilt Chamberlain in the past. Don’t overlook the other great center to play in Philly between these eras, Moses Malone. Not only is Malone one of the greatest centers of all time, he is one of the best rebounders to ever play the game. He has the third most total rebounds with 17,834 and the most offensive rebounds ever, with 7,382. No other player in history has 5,000. He was named Finals MVP in the Sixers last championship in 1983, leading the team in win share. Retiring in 1995, Malone became a hall of famer in 2001.

Career

If it’s a stat category you can think of, there’s a good chance Patrick Ewing is the New York Knicks all-time leader in that category. Total games and minutes played? Yup. Total points, rebounds, steals and blocks? Easily. Advanced statistics like win share and VORP? You know it. You’d be hard pressed to find a basketball fan who doesn’t believe Ewing is one of the top 10 centers of all time and the greatest Knick of all time. Of his 17 seasons, he played 15 in New York, making the playoffs in 13 of these and the finals twice.

Career

The oldest player on this list of the top 10 centers of all time, if you don’t know George Mikan, you should. Mikan played only seven years but he revolutionized the game as the first dominant big man. Playing for the Minneapolis Lakers from 1949 to 1956, he retired as the then-leading scorer in NBA history, averaging 23.1 points per game in the pre-shot clock era. Mikan also led the Lakers to five titles in his seven seasons. Blocks were not recorded as a statistic when Mikan played but he is considered to be the player that forced the league to invent the goaltending rule.

Career

The story of Bill Walton’s career will always be hampered by an unfortunate “what if.” Although he was plagued by foot injuries, his career and skill set was impressive enough that he should still be considered one of the best centers of all time. Known for his passing acumen, Walton’s brief career was highlighted by his championship 1976-77 season, where he averaged 18.2 points and 15.2 rebounds per game in the playoffs with the Portland Trail Blazers. 

The NBA’s two all-time leaders in rebounds per game are centers Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell. Both of them finished their careers averaging over 22 rebounds per game. No other player averaged more than 17. These two are also the NBA’s all time leaders in total rebounds. With 23,924 career boards for Wilt and 21,620 for Russell. In terms of rebounds per game and total rebounds, Wilt Chamberlain can be called the best rebounding center of all time.

This is a question that basketball fans have been debating for decades and will continue to debate for decades to come. Like many things in sports “the best” is subjective and relative. Russell has the rings, Wilt and Kareem have the records. Perhaps when their playing careers are done modern stars like Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic will have played their way into the conversation of who was the best center in basketball history. 

After years of dominance by wing players, Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic have won the last three MVP awards, bringing centers back to relevance. Both of these players are supremely talented, Embiid the better volume scorer and defender, Jokic the more rounded player. While the title of the most skilled center in the NBA is once again subjective, a slight edge may go to the reigning MVP Embiid. 

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This entry was posted on Friday, December 1st, 2023 at 7:58 amand is filed under Uncategorized.You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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