NBA centers are among the most impressive athletes on the planet.
To rank among the best of the best is to truly be on top of the basketball mountain top.
While Bill Russell and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar normally dominate the conversation for the greatest NBA centers of all-time, those legendary names played in a much different era than today’s game.
In the current NBA, 3-pointers are at a premium and dynamic big men are required to stretch the floor nightly.
Nikola Jokic is making modern history — and igniting fiery debate that involves Shannon Sharpe — while Victor Wembanyama was unanimously named NBA Rookie of the Year last season after putting up better numbers than LeBron James.
Wemby needs a few more years in The Association, but the French phenom is already working his way up this big-man list.
Here is talkSPORT’s inside look at the best centers in NBA history.
10. Patrick Ewing
Hall of Famer.
An 11-time All-Star and seven All-NBA selections.
Throw in his Georgetown domination, and the native of Kingston, Jamaica helped define basketball in the 1980s and ’90s, along with Michael Jordan.
The only thing missing from Ewing’s highly impressive resume is an NBA Finals trophy.
He averaged 21 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.4 blocks, while making three All-Defensive teams.
Ewing was the powerful leader of the New York Knicks and ahead of his time in many ways.
11
9. Nikola Jokic
Shaq doesn’t think that Jokic deserved his third MVP award.
Most basketball fanatics disagree, pointing to surreal statistics that already have the Serbian native as the all-time leader in PER (player efficiency rating).
That’s right: Jokic’s PER (28.47) is higher than Jordan’s (27.91) and LeBron James’ (26.94).
When you finish in the top two in MVP voting four consecutive years, you’re definitely one of the top centers of all time.
Jokic also keeps getting better.
He became the first player in NBA history to achieve a triple-double featuring at least 30 points, 20 rebounds and 20 assists.
11
8. Moses Malone
The Chairman of the Boards has become underrated in 2024.
Malone was even more ahead of his time than Ewing, dominating the NBA with 13 All-Star selections and three MVPs.
He averaged 31.1 points in 1981-82, despite attempting just six 3-pointers.
Just image the numbers that Malone could have produced in the modern NBA.
For a decade, Malone was on an all-time best pace and put up better stats than Jokic.
He deserves more credit nowadays.
11
7. David Robinson
Before Wemby, there was Tim Duncan.
Before Duncan, there was The Admiral.
Robinson had to wait two years to enter the NBA because of his Naval Academy commitment.
Once he joined the San Antonio Spurs in 1989, it was on.
Ten All-Star selections, two world championships, eight All-Defensive team honors and an MVP.
Not bad for a big man who only played 14 seasons before giving way to the Big Fundamental.
11
6. Hakeem Olajuwon
The Dream once absolutely dominated The Admiral and there are brilliant YouTube highlights to prove it.
That’s how good No. 34 for the Houston Rockets was.
Olajuwon, like Ewing, starred and dominated in college.
Then The Dream kept fine-tuning his diverse skills, evolving into an offensive nightmare for opposing defenses.
During an era when constantly shooting 3s wasn’t an option, Olajuwon perfected his work in the paint and turned low-post movements into an art form.
Wembanyama also has a lot of Olajuwon in him.
The Dream, who hailed from Lagos, Nigeria, made 12 All-Star teams, was twice named Defensive Player of the Year, and won two NBA Finals MVPs.
He averaged 21.8 points, 11.1 rebounds and 3.1 blocks over 18 seasons.
Contemporary centers could learn a lot by studying Olajuwon.
11
5. Bill Russell
The Boston Celtics legend finished in the top-seven in MVP voting in every season but one during his time in the NBA.
From 1956-69, Russell was an absolute force while Boston won, won and won again.
For many, the 12-time All-Star and five-time MVP will always be on top of the big man mountain.
Russell won 11 NBA championships while the Celtics raised banner after banner.
It’s hard to compare eras in The Association because the league has changed so much.
Russell will always be one of the all-time elites.
Then there’s the amazing fact that he averaged more rebounds (22.5) than points (15.1).
11
4. Tim Duncan
For almost two decades, the Big Fundamental was the defining name at the toughest position in the NBA.
Duncan rarely drew attention to himself and always made it about his team.
He ended up with 15 All-Star selections, five NBA world titles, 15 All-Defensive team honors, three NBA Finals MVPs and two NBA MVPs.
It can be argued that Duncan should be even higher on this loaded list.
He was still impressive in his late 30s and finished 10th in MVP voting during his 18th season.
Factor in that Duncan spent every one of his NBA years with the Spurs, and there’s a special place in history for the quietly dominant big man.
11
3. Wilt Chamberlain
Wilt the Stilt averaged 50.4 points in one season and finished his career with a 30.1 scoring average.
In his final playing year, he finished fourth in MVP voting and made the All-Defensive team.
It’s hard to be better than that, and the only thing holding back Chamberlain is time.
He was drafted in 1959, only shot 51.1 percent from the free-throw line, and never had to run the court while Stephen Curry was rapidly firing 3 after 3.
Like Russell, Chamberlain is on the Mount Rushmore of big men.
He also scored 100 points in a game, which is unthinkable in 2024.
11
2. Shaquille O’Neal
Sharpe was right in some ways.
Shaq could have been even better.
O’Neal had the talent to be the greatest center of all-time.
No one was more powerful, as the LSU star journeyed from a franchise-changing No. 1 pick for the Orlando Magic into a new Lakers legend.
Broken backboards, rim destruction and three NBA Finals MVPs are proof of how monstrous the NBA’s Superman was.
O’Neal averaged 23.7 points, 10.9 rebounds and 2.3 blocks, and played until he was 38.
With a little more GOAT commitment, Shaq would have rivaled Jordan and James as the greatest player ever.
11
1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Some players transcend time and bridge eras.
No one better captures that than a man who basically patented his own shot.
Once known as Lew Alcindor, Abdul-Jabbar entered the league as a No. 1 pick by Milwaukee in 1969 and finished as the greatest center in history.
He made 19 All-Star teams, won two scoring titles, was a part of six championship squads and won six MVPs.
It’s almost impossible to be better than Duncan, Chamberlain, Russell and O’Neal.
That’s how special and rare Kareem was in NBA history.
11
Reference link
Read More
Visit Our Site
Read our previous article: NASA’s Artemis 2 crew wants your help designing the plush toy that will fly with them around the moon.
Sports Update: . Stay tuned for more updates on Ranking the best centers in NBA history, from Nikola Jokic to Shaquille O’Neal and other trending sports news!
Your Thoughts Matter! What’s your opinion on Ranking the best centers in NBA history, from Nikola Jokic to Shaquille O’Neal? Share your thoughts in the comments below and join the discussion!