The NBA may appear to have lost the need that it had in
years prior for dominant forces in the paint, but that does not take away from
the greatness and impact that NBA centers have had on the game's history. From George
Mikan to Shaquille O’Neal, centers have the unique ability to influence and
dominate a game on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.
And while the prevailing sentiment in the NBA
has treaded away from franchise big men in favor of guards and small forwards,
three of the four teams left in the 2013 Eastern conference finals have
game-changing centers: Marc Gasol, Roy Hibbert, and Tim Duncan (who can play
either PF or C).
With that in mind, here are the top-10 greatest NBA centers of all
time:
10. Willis Reed
Points
|
Rebounds
|
Assists
|
Steals
|
Blocks
|
FG %
|
FT %
|
Titles
|
MVPs
|
Finals MVPs
|
18.7
|
12.9
|
1.8
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
.476
|
.747
|
2
|
1
|
2
|
Reed spent his entire career in the 60s and 70s
as a member of the New York Knicks. His legendary performance in the 1970 NBA
Finals against another all-time great, Wilt Chamberlain, immortalized him in
NBA history. Fighting through injury that series, he was crowned an NBA
champion (and Finals MVP) for the first time to complement his regular season
MVP honors.
9. Patrick Ewing
Points
|
Rebounds
|
Assists
|
Steals
|
Blocks
|
FG %
|
FT %
|
Titles
|
MVPs
|
Finals MVPs
|
21.0
|
9.8
|
1.9
|
1.0
|
2.4
|
.504
|
.740
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
Another Knicks superstar, Ewing is probably most
remembered for what he did not accomplish: that evasive NBA championship title.
Nonetheless, he was compared to great NBA centers before he was even drafted. Pat
O’Brien declared before Ewing was in the NBA that “we’ve had the Mikan era, the
Russell era, the Kareem era…now we’ll have the Ewing era.” Even though he has since been bombarded with criticism and the notorious Ewing Theory emergence, Michael Jordan
obviously thought very highly of the 11-time NBA All-Star when he said that Ewing “has a heart of a
champion. When you thought about New York, you thought of Patrick Ewing. He
came and gave life back into the city.”
8. David Robinson
Points
|
Rebounds
|
Assists
|
Steals
|
FG %
|
FT %
|
Titles
|
MVPs
|
Finals MVPs
|
|
21.1
|
10.6
|
2.5
|
1.4
|
3.0
|
.518
|
.736
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
The Admiral served the length of his entire NBA
career as a member of the San Antonio Spurs and was best known for being half of the “Twin Towers” with current Spurs forward/center, Tim Duncan.
Robinson could do it all, not only was he an MVP winner and NBA champion, but
he also took home Defensive Player of the Year honors (1992) and was an NBA
scoring champion (1994). His most memorable offensive outpouring was on April
24, 1994 when he dropped 26 of 41 from the field en route to a 71-point
performance.
7. Moses Malone
Points
|
Rebounds
|
Assists
|
Steals
|
Blocks
|
FG %
|
FT %
|
Titles
|
MVPs
|
Finals MVPs
|
20.6
|
12.3
|
1.3
|
0.8
|
1.3
|
.495
|
.760
|
1
|
3
|
1
|
In a career that spanned 21 seasons and three
decades (70s, 80s, and 90s), Malone was one of the first players to successfully transition from high school to the pros (ABA). His three MVPs and NBA
championship title only begin to tell the story of his impressive résumé which
includes top-10 rankings all-time in points, rebounds, free throws, minutes, and
games played. In 2001, he was appropriately enshrined in the NBA Hall of Fame.
Points
|
Rebounds
|
Assists
|
Steals
|
Blocks
|
FG %
|
FT %
|
Titles
|
MVPs
|
Finals MVPs
|
23.1
|
13.4
|
2.8
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
.404
|
.782
|
7*
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
*Includes BAA and NBL championships.
Mikan may not be exactly a household name but he
single-handedly revitalized the NBA in the 40s and 50s. Prior to that time
period, the NBA was “considered a sport better suited to shorter men” (per NBA.com). Not only that, but Mikan’s presence
forced the NBA to implement several rule changes, including the aptly-named
“Mikan Rule” which is more commonly known today as the three-second rule.
5. Hakeem Olajuwon
Points
|
Rebounds
|
Assists
|
Steals
|
Blocks
|
FG %
|
FT %
|
Titles
|
MVPs
|
Finals MVPs
|
21.8
|
11.1
|
2.5
|
1.7
|
3.1
|
.512
|
.712
|
2
|
2
|
1
|
Often coveted to train with by today’s NBA big
men (most recently by Amaré Stoudemire), Hakeem Olajuwon had arguably
the best repertoire of post moves. Collectively known as the “Dream Shake,”
Shaquille O’Neal said it best after being dominated and swept
by Hakeem in the 1995 NBA Finals: “He’s got about five moves, then four
countermoves…that gives him 20 moves.” Two-time winner of the NBA Finals,
Finals MVP, and Defensive Player of the Year, Hakeem is undoubtedly also one of
the greatest NBA players of all time.
4. Shaquille O’Neal
Points
|
Rebounds
|
Assists
|
Steals
|
Blocks
|
FG %
|
FT %
|
Titles
|
MVPs
|
Finals MVPs
|
23.7
|
10.9
|
2.5
|
0.6
|
2.3
|
.582
|
.527
|
4
|
1
|
3
|
At 7’1” and 325
pounds, Shaq absolutely overpowered opponents during his NBA career. Although
his feud with Kobe Bryant led to his departure from the Los Angeles Lakers in
2004, the dynamic Kobe-Shaq duo won three consecutive NBA titles at the
beginning of the new millennium. O’Neal is also known for a host of off-court
endeavors (including music, law enforcement, MMA, and of course his NBA
analysis on TNT).
3. Bill Russell
Points
|
Rebounds
|
Assists
|
Steals
|
Blocks
|
FG %
|
FT %
|
Titles
|
MVPs
|
Finals MVPs
|
15.1
|
22.5
|
4.3
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
.440
|
.561
|
11
|
5
|
N/A
|
Bill Russell and the three best centers of all time
are difficult to place considering Russell was the epitome of a champion but
was not very impressive offensively, Kareem had greatness in stats and a
championship résumé, and Wilt Chamberlain had jaw-dropping stats but a less
than impressive winning record when compared to Russell and Abdul-Jabbar. Russell lands the three spot because he doesn’t stack up very
well against the other two in terms of offensive output and Chamberlain
actually hauled down more rebounds per game than the NBA’s greatest champion. I
have a hard time seeing Russell with the same insane success in the Magic-Bird,
Jordan, Kobe, and LeBron eras of basketball…especially considering Russell is
barely taller than LeBron.
With all of that said, Russell and the Celtics
dominated the NBA during the 60s, winning it every year during that decade
except for 1967. That success that has never been repeated by another
franchise—and most likely will never be in the future, either. Russell even had
the unique distinction of being a player and coach from 1966
to 1969.
2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Points
|
Rebounds
|
Assists
|
Steals
|
Blocks
|
FG %
|
FT %
|
Titles
|
MVPs
|
Finals MVPs
|
24.6
|
11.2
|
3.6
|
0.9
|
2.6
|
.559
|
.721
|
6
|
6
|
2
|
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s six MVP awards are an
all-time record and prove that he (like Chamberlain and Russell) not only had
more impressive peaks than other centers but were also able to sustain those
peaks for an extended duration of time. At his retirement, Abdul-Jabbar owned
NBA records for points scored, shots blocked, All-Star appearances, seasons
played (20), in addition to the six MVPs. His trademark skyhook was simply
unstoppable and is something he is sharing with WNBA rookie, Brittney
Griner. Pat Riley went so far as to say that the
Lakers Hall of Famer is the “greatest player ever.”
1. Wilt Chamberlain
Points
|
Rebounds
|
Assists
|
Steals
|
Blocks
|
FG %
|
FT %
|
Titles
|
MVPs
|
Finals MVPs
|
30.1
|
22.9
|
4.4
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
.540
|
.511
|
2
|
4
|
1
|
For a position so strongly associated with
dominating the floor, Wilt Chamberlain owned it on a nightly basis like no
other player (save maybe Michael Jordan). 100 points in a game, 18 consecutive
FGs made, 55 rebounds in a game, four MVPs, and innumerable other records are
what slot Wilt the Stilt at the No. 1 spot for greatest center of all time. Chamberlain possessed incredible size and ability,
something not hard to believe considering he towered over opponents at seven
feet and peaked in weight at over 300 pounds. Some quotes from A Tribute to Wilt Chamberlain help provide a glimpse into his
larger than life game-play:
“We’d go into a dressing room and see a box
score from the night before where Wilt had 55 or 60 points. No one would think
twice about it. Getting 50-some points, or even 60-some, wasn’t news when Wilt
did it.” – Kevin Loughery
“The first time I guarded Wilt, I stood behind
him and he was so wide that I couldn’t see the rest of the game. Then I saw him
dunk a ball so hard that it hit the court and bounced straight up back through
the rim again.” – Bob Ferry
“One-on-one he would’ve murdered Russell and
everyone.” – Red Holzman
“Double-teaming defenses used today wouldn’t
bother him.” – Wayne Embry
“He can score anything he wants. There is no way
to stop him. How can you defend him? The only way I know is to lock the door to
the dressing room before he comes out.” – Ed MacAuley
“He was the NBA.” – Johnny Kerr
Check out the rest of our "greatest of all time" series where we rank the top-10 point guards, shooting guards, and overall players in NBA history.
Check out the rest of our "greatest of all time" series where we rank the top-10 point guards, shooting guards, and overall players in NBA history.