Top 50 NBA Centers of All-Time: Kareem Ranks No. 1

1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

The NBA’s all-time leading scorer, Abdul-Jabbar, is also in the discussion for the greatest player of all time. Kareem is a record-setting, 6-time league MVP and has the most All-Star appearances in NBA history with 19. While he was the focal point of some great Lakers teams, Abdul-Jabbar was even better in Milwaukee, as he led the league in scoring two times as a member of the Bucks. In his 20-year career, Kareem missed the All-Star game only once, due to injury. Not only was he dominant on offense, but Kareem made 11 All-NBA Defensive teams and led the league in blocks four times.

2. Wilt Chamberlain

Wilt the Stilt is number three on this list for several reasons. He holds the best career averages in points and rebounds, 30.1 PPG and 22.9 RPG, and the record for most points in a single game (100). Chamberlain finished his career number one on the all-time rebounding list and is 7th in scoring. He is a 13-time All-Star and won 2 NBA titles during his illustrious career. Chamberlain could undoubtedly be higher on my list if he had more championships, as Russell (11) and Abdul-Jabbar (6) have more in that department than Chamberlain.

3. Shaquille O’Neal

One of the most dominant players we’ve ever seen, Shaquille O’Neal, was a force in the NBA even as a rookie. Shaq entered the NBA in 1992 and put up 23.4 points, 13.9 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks per game and would win Rookie of the Year honors with the Orlando Magic. O’Neal later joined the Los Angeles Lakers, winning three consecutive titles alongside Kobe Bryant. O’Neal finished 8th in scoring and 15th in rebounding during his 20-year career.

4. Bill Russell

Russell entered the league in 1956 and dominated immediately, leading the NBA in rebounds per game. He would lead the NBA in rebounds per game five times in his career. Russell would finish his career as the second-highest all-time rebounder, behind the great Wilt Chamberlain. He edges out Chamberlain due to his NBA record of 11 championships. Russell is also tied for second (alongside Michael Jordan) with five MVPs and made the All-Star team 12 times (every season except his rookie year. Bill Russell is arguably the best rebounder of all time (22.5 RBPG) and should be considered the best Celtic in franchise history.

5. Nikola Jokic

The greatest passing big man of all time can do a lot of everything; he passes, handles the ball in transition, shoots, scores in the post, sets screens, and arguably has one of the highest IQs in the game’s history. “The Joker” is fresh off the 2023 NBA Playoffs, where he averaged a triple-double with outrageous efficiency. Further, he is a two-time MVP and still amid his prime.

6. Hakeem Olajuwon

Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwon is among the best two-way players in the history of the NBA. A 12-time All-Star, Olajuwon made the All-Defensive team 9 times and led the league in blocks thrice. Offensively, Olajuwon finished 11th on the all-time scoring list, averaging 21.8 points per game on 51.2 percent shooting during his career. He’s also the all-time leader in blocks (3,830) and won Defensive Player of the Year twice. With the Houston Rockets, Olajuwon delivered two titles for the franchise and won the MVP award during the 1993 season.

7. David Robinson

Robinson is one of four players in NBA history to record a quadruple-double in a single game. In addition to that, Robinson is a 10 All-Star and All-NBA member. Despite missing his first official two years in the NBA due to his time in the US Navy, Robinson won ROY during the 1989 season. The following year, Robinson would take home Defensive Player of the Year honors and win MVP in 1994. The Admiral would play his entire career in a Spurs uniform and was eventually inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame.

8. Moses Malone

The great Moses Malone is the most decorated 76er ever and won the MVP award three times. Following two seasons in the ABA, Malone would play another 20 in the NBA. He finished 5th in career rebounds and led the league in rebounds per game six times. Malone made the All-Star game 13 times and holds lifetime averages of 20.3 points per game and 12.3 rebounds. Malone also finished his career as the league’s 9th leading scorer of all-time (27,409 points).

9. George Mikan

Mikan was the first superstar in the NBA and earned the nickname “Mr. Basketball.” One of the greatest Lakers players of all time, Mikan won 5 titles in the ABA/NBA. Mikan won an MVP award in 1952 and is a three-time scoring champion. In his first season in the NBA, Mikan would average 27.4 points per game and only score less than 20 PPG twice in his career.

10. Bob McAdoo

McAdoo was one of the best scoring bigs early in his career, as he led the league in scoring three times. McAdoo took home ROY honors as a rookie while putting up 18 points and 9.1 rebounds a night. McAdoo would average better than 30 points and 12 rebounds per game in the following three seasons. The Hall of Famer has two championship rings and won MVP in 1974.

11. Dwight Howard

Before injuries derailed his career, Howard was a perennial All-NBA member with the Orlando Magic. The eight-time All-Star has won Defensive Player of the Year 3 times in his career. As a member of the Magic, Howard led the league in rebounding five times and blocks twice. Howard took the Magic to their second NBA Finals appearance in his prime in 2009. “Superman” also has career averages of 15.7 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game.

12. Bill Walton

Following a terrific college career at UCLA, Walton had an outstanding career for the Portland Trailblazers before injuries derailed his career. He delivered the franchise’s only NBA championship in 1977 while winning Finals MVP. The following season, Walton was the league’s MVP. Walton’s career averages include 13.3 points and 10.5 rebounds per game while shooting better than 50 percent from the field (52.1%).

13. Willis Reed

The Captain, as he was called, is one of the best players in Knicks franchise history. He’s a two-time championship and also has one MVP award. Reed made 7 All-Star appearances and delivered the Knicks with their only titles in franchise history (1970, 1973). Reed is a member of the NBA Hall of Fame and has career averages of 18.7 points and 12.9 rebounds per game. In addition to winning MVP in 1969, Reed was the All-Star Game’s Most Valuable Player.

14. Patrick Ewing

Ewing is one of the more underrated players of his generation and was an essential piece for some great Knicks teams that challenged Jordan’s Bulls for the Eastern Conference title. The 11-time All-Star won Rookie of the Year during the 1985 season and averaged a near double-double for his entire career (21 PPG & 9.8 RPG). Ewing finished 23rd all-time in scoring and is enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame.

15. Joel Embiid

Embiid won his first MVP during the 2022-23 regular season over the two-time reigning MVP, Nikola Jokic. He averaged 33 points and ten rebounds while leading the Sixers to the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. A six-time All-Star, Embiid has averaged 27.2 points and 11.2 rebounds per game in his already illustrious career. Embiid is also a significant force on the defensive end, making three All-Defensive NBA teams.

16. Wes Unseld

Wes Unseld is one of the top rebounders of all-time and ranks 12th in career rebounds (13,769). Unseld led the NBA in rebounding in 1974 and averaged 14 boards per game in his career. The 5-time All-Star also has one MVP award and won a title with the Washington Bullets during the 1977-78 season (the franchise’s only championship). Unseld also won Rookie of the Year in 1968-69, putting up 13.8 points and 18.2 rebounds per game. Unseld was highly efficient as a scorer, as he shot 50.9 percent from the field.

17. Robert Parish

Another Celtic legend on our list, Robert Parish, is a 9-time All-Star and 2-time All-NBA member. Parish won four titles with the Celtics, averaging 14.5 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. Parish doesn’t have the eye-popping career averages of some players on this list, but he has four NBA championships and was a key player for one of the greatest teams ever.

18. Dave Cowens

Cowens is just one of the many Celtic greats on this list. He was an 8-time All-Star and two-time NBA Champion. Cowens also won All-Star MVP and league MVP during the 1972-73 season, averaging 20.5 points and 16.2 rebounds per game. Cowens was also one of the better free-throw shooters at his position and holds a lifetime percentage of 78.3 percent. He wasn’t just an elite scorer and rebounder, as Cowens made the All-Defensive team three times.

19. Bob Lanier

With the Detroit Pistons, Lanier was a top-tier big man and one of the best rebounders and scorers in the league at the time. After his rookie season in 1970, Lanier would average at least 21 points and 11 rebounds for the next seven consecutive seasons. The Piston’s center would make eight All-Star appearances and won the All-Star MVP award during the 1973 season. Lanier’s lifetime averages include 20.1 points per game and 10.1 rebounds per game.

20. Nate Thurmond

Thurmond was one of the top players of his generation and is in the discussion for the greatest Warrior of all time. The center averaged double-digit points and rebounds for ten consecutive seasons with the Warriors. Along with Alvin Robertson, David Robinson, and Hakeem Olajuwon, Thurmond recorded a quadruple-double in a single season game. Thurmond is a 7-time All-Star, 5-time All-Defensive team member, and is 10th on the career rebounding list.

21. Pau Gasol

One of the best international players of all time, Gasol is a six-time All-Star and two-time NBA champion, both of which came with Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers. Gasol ranks 21st in career blocks and won Rookie of the Year honors during the 2001 season as a member of the Memphis Grizzlies.

22. Artis Gilmore

Artis Gilmore is one of the most decorated players of his time, having won an MVP award in 1971 and winning ROY in the same season. Gilmore is also an 11-time All-Star and 5-time All-NBA team member. Defensively, Gilmore was solid as well and is 25th in career blocks. He also made the All-Defensive team 5 times during his career. Before playing in the NBA, Gilmore played in the ABA, winning a championship with the Kentucky Colonels.

23. Spencer Haywood

Haywood had a decorated NBA career, which featured four All-Star appearances, two All-NBA First Teams, and an NBA Championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1980 season. Unfortunately, Haywoody, was dismissed by the Lakers’ head coach during the NBA Finals due to a drug addiction, but his greatness over the years has never beenquestionedn.

24. Dikembe Mutombo

Mutombo entered the league in 1991 as a force on the defensive end. In his rookie season, he recorded averages of 16.6 points, 12.3 rebounds, and three blocks per game. Mutombo is famous for his finger-wagging after blocking his opponents and would finish his career 2nd on the NBA all-time block list. In his career, Mutombo would be dominant on the defensive side of the ball, leading the league in blocks per game three consecutive times and winning Defensive Player of the Year four times. Although he never won a championship, Mutombo was regarded as one of the best defenders in league history.

25. Ben Wallace

Ben Wallace, one of the best defensive players in league history, made a considerable impact on the game despite averaging only 5.7 points per game in his 17-year career. The 4-time All-Star led the league in blocks once, rebounds twice, and won 4 Defensive Player of the Year awards (tied for most on this list). Wallace also made the All-NBA team 5 times and won a championship in 2003 with the Detroit Pistons.

26. Alonzo Mourning

Mourning, known more for his days in a Miami Heat uniform than in Charlotte, delivered Miami its first title in franchise history during the 2005-06 season. The 7-time All-Star also ranks 11th in career blocks and led the NBA in blocks during a season two times. Mourning also won Defensive Player of the Year two times in his career. His lifetime averages comprise of 17.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks per game.

27. Walt Bellamy

Early in his career, Bellamy was among the most dominant players in the NBA. In his rookie season, Bellamy won ROY after averaging 31.6 points and 19 rebounds per game while shooting 51.9 percent from the field. In 17 seasons, Bellamy failed to average double-digit points and rebounds only five times, finishing his career as the 11th-best rebounder of all. In addition to his rebounding, Bellamy holds a 20.1-point scoring average and made the All-Star game four times.

28. Neil Johnston

In his brief, 8-year NBA career, Johnston was one of the most productive players of his era. He led the league in scoring three times in a row (1952-1954) and also led the league in minutes his second and third seasons in the NBA. The Hall of Famer is a 6-time All-Star and won a single NBA championship with the Philadelphia Warriors in 1955.

29. Yao Ming

In his eight seasons in the NBA, Yao Ming made the All-Star game each year. Before his career ended prematurely due to injuries, Ming was one of the top big men in the league. He also made the All-NBA team 5 times throughout his Hall of Fame career. Ming’s best season came in 2005, when he averaged 25 points, 9.4 rebounds, and two blocks per game.

30. Arvydas Sabonis

The father of current Indiana Pacers forward Domantas, Arvydas Sabonis, was an extremely skilled big man during his time in the NBA. The Hall of Famer made the All-Rookie team in 1995 while averaging 14.5 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game and was known for his exceptional passing ability.

31. Marc Gasol

One of the best centers in the NBA since the late 2000s, Marc Gasol is a three-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA member. His best individual season came in 2012 when he won Defensive Player of the Year and made the All-Defensive team. In 2019, Gasol helped the Toronto Raptors win their first title in franchise history. He’s also the younger brother of Pau Gasol, who also ranks highly on this list.

32. Rudy Gobert

As far as rim protectors go, Rudy Gobert is amongst the greatest of all time, winning three Defensive Player of the Year awards and making six All-NBA Defensive Teams. His near-eight-foot wingspan and impressive timing have allowed him to have a long NBA career with the Utah Jazz and Minnesota Timberwolves.

33. Karl Anthony-Towns

Towns has all the makings of a future Hall of Famer. He currently has career averages of 23 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game and is one of the best shooting big men ever. While Towns has enjoyed some individual success (two All-Star appearances), he still needs team success to move up on this list.

34. DeMarcus Cousins

Although Cousins struggled with injuries towards the end of his NBA career, he was a dominant force for the Sacramento Kings. Before his short stints in Los Angeles and San Francisco, Cousins was a star for the Sacramento Kings. During his career, Cousins averaged better than 11 rebounds and 22 points seven times. The four-time All-Star was even regarded as the best center in the NBA in the mid-2010s.

35. Ed Macauley

Macauley was one of the first real stars in the NBA after being drafted with the fifth pick in the 1949 NBA Draft; he played ten seasons in the NBA for Boston and St. Louis., while racking up nearly 18 points per game throughout his career. Further, he was named the first MVP of the NBA All-Star Game in 1951.

36. Mark Eaton

While Eaton wasn’t quite the scorer and rebounder as many of the centers on this list, he was an excellent shot-blocker. Eaton entered the NBA at 26, much older than players today, but is 4th all-time in blocks. He would play all 11 NBA seasons with the Utah Jazz and led the league in blocks four times. His best shot-blocking season came in 1984 when he averaged 5.6 blocks per game. Eaton’s career blocks per game are a staggering 3.5, and he also won Defensive Player of the Year two times.

37. Al Horford

While past his prime, Horford is still one of the best all-around centers in the NBA. He’s a 5-time All-Star and made the Defensive team in 2017. In his career, Horford has four seasons in which he has averaged at least four assists per game, including a career-high five assists per game in 2016. Horford is also a great shooter at the five and has a career 37.4 percent from three.

38. Ralph Sampson

Sampson is a 4-time All-Star with career averages of 15.4 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game. He won the All-Star Game MVP award in 1984 and was also a member of the All-NBA team. Sampson’s career was capped off by a Hall of Fame enshrinement.

39. Dan Issel

Issel entered the league in 1970 and had one of the most impressive rookie seasons to date. He averaged 29.9 points, 13.2 rebounds, and two assists per game while winning the ROY award. The following season, Issel took home All-Star Game MVP honors. Issel would make 7 All-Star appearances during his career and won an ABA championship in 1974.

40. Bill Laimbeer

Laimbeer played on one of the most iconic teams of all time, the “Bad Boy” Detroit Pistons, and is regarded as one of the toughest players to ever play in the NBA. In his 15-year career, Laimbeer played at least 79 regular season games thirteen times. He made the All-Star game four times and won two championships with the Pistons.

41. Jack Sikma

In the 1978-79 season, Sikma helped deliver Seattle its first and only NBA championship. That season, Sikma averaged 15.6 points, 12.4 rebounds, and one block per game. At the end of his career, Sikma would make 7 All-Star teams, the All-Defensive team once, and was later enshrined into the Hall of Fame.

42. Clyde Lovelette

Like many of the centers on this list, Lovelette was a great scorer and rebounder from the interior. In his 11-year career, Lovelette made the All-Star game four times and won three NBA championships. His lifetime averages include 17 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. Lovelette was also an above-average shooter as a big man, shooting 75.7 percent from the charity stripe in his career.

43. Domantas Sabonis

The son of the famous European and NBA center Arvydas, Domantas Sabonis has picked up right where his dad left off in the NBA. Domantas is a fantastic all-around player who can shoot, handle, and pass the ball. In the 2022-23 regular season, Sabonis was the primary facilitator for the Kings, who had the highest-ranked offensive rating in the league’s history.

44. Bam Adebayo

Few NBA centers in the game’s history have been able to defend more than one or two positions (centers and power forwards.) However, Adebayo has built a reputation as an incredibly versatile, switchable defender who can defend guards, forwards, and centers.

45. Marcus Camby

Camby is one of the best shot-blockers of all time and sits 12th in career blocks. Camby led the league in blocks four times and won Defensive Player of the Year during the 2006 season. He’s also a 4-time All-Defensive team member.

46. Brook Lopez

Lopez is the poster child for reinventing yourself as the game changes. Brook was amongst the best post players in the NBA during his stint in Brooklyn, but as the game extended beyond the three-point line and turned into more of a “threes and dunks” league, Lopez became an elite rim protector and a solid three-point shooter.

47. Al Jefferson

Among the last traditional big men in the NBA, Jefferson retired after the 2017 season as one of the best big men in basketball from the mid-2000s to the late 2010s. Although he never made an All-Star appearance, Jefferson’s career averages include 15.7 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.

48. Brad Daughtery

Daughtery is another big one on this list who had a brief NBA career. Daughtery made the All-Star game five times in his eight seasons and was an All-NBA member during the 1991-92 NBA season.

49. Red Kerr

Red Kerr was a force in the paint from the mid-50s to the mid-60s. Kerr posted a double-double in eight of his 11 seasons for the Syracuse Nationals and was one of their most decorated players in their short stint as an NBA team.

50. DeAndre Jordan

Jordan is one of the most athletic and accurate big men of all time. He’s a one-time All-Star and two-time rebounding champ. Jordan’s expertise on the defensive end has also earned him a spot on the All-Defensive team two times. Jordan’s career field goal percentage is 67.5 percent, the best on this list.