The Best Centers in NBA History

For decades, big men dominated basketball. Centers won 23 of the first 28 NBA MVP awards. They have won only three of the last 28, none in the past decade (unless you count Tim Duncan). That's not to say there aren't still great centers. Dwight Howard has finished in the top five of MVP voting four times and probably should have won at least once. Shaquille O'Neal was such a strong MVP candidate in 2005 that it generated an ugly controversy. The dominant big man isn't dead, he's just not as dominant as he used to be.

Below is a list of the greatest centers in NBA/ABA history. Howard isn't on the list yet, but give him a couple more years. He's a special player.

10. Walt Bellamy
1961-75, Chicago Packers/Zephyrs/Baltimore Bullets, New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons, Atlanta Hawks, New Orleans Jazz
20,941 points, 14,241 rebounds, 2,544 assists
20.1 ppg, 13.7 rpg, 2.4 apg
51.6 FG%, 63.2 FT%

Bellamy is one of only 13 players with at least 20,000 points, 12,000 rebounds, and 2,000 assists. If you exclude ABA stats and cherry-pick the cutoff points for Bellamy — 20,000 points, 14,000 rebounds, and 2,500 assists — then he's one of only five: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Elvin Hayes, Karl Malone, and Bellamy.

As a rookie with the expansion Chicago Packers, Walt Bellamy scored 2,495 points (31.6), pulled down 1,500 rebounds (19.0), and led the NBA in shooting percentage (51.9%). It is one of the finest seasons in NBA history, maybe the greatest ever by a rookie. Playing for a team that finished 18-62, Bellamy scored more than any two of his teammates combined and grabbed more rebounds than any three teammates combined. Surrounded by teammates who should have been backups, Bellamy still led the NBA in field goal percentage, even though this was before the zone defense rule, and Bellamy was usually guarded by multiple defenders. Heaven knows they didn't have to cover his teammates.

Bellamy's career went slowly downhill after that, but he appeared in four all-star games, despite stiff competition from contemporary centers. Bellamy was particularly distinguished by his field goal percentage and aggressive rebounding. Most 1,000-rebound seasons in NBA/ABA history: Chamberlain (13), Bill Russell (12), Bellamy (9), Hayes (9), Bob Pettit (9), Abdul-Jabbar (8), Artis Gilmore (8), Jerry Lucas (8), Nate Thurmond (8), Wes Unseld (8).

9. David Robinson
1989-2003, San Antonio Spurs
20,790 points, 10,497 rebounds, 2,441 assists
21.1 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 2.5 apg
51.8 FG%, 73.6 FT%

Robinson wasn't really an admiral, but he did spend years of his prime in the navy, so his career is not terribly long, but it includes 10 all-star appearances, Rookie of the Year (1990), Defensive Player of the Year (1992), MVP (1995), two NBA championships ('99 and '03), and two gold medals, including one with the original Dream Team in '92. Not bad for someone who didn't play in the NBA until he was 24.

Robinson's first seven seasons were incredible, better than the first seven of almost anyone else on the list. During those years, he ranks first in rebounds and blocks, second in scoring and minutes played (Karl Malone), and top-10 in steals. Robinson averaged 25.6 ppg and 11.8 rpg, and was one of the best defensive players in the league, with over 100 steals and 250 blocked shots every season. He led the NBA at various times in points, rebounds, and blocks, plus three straight seasons making more free throws than anyone else in the league.

After that, the Admiral was limited by injuries and age. He only played six games in the 1996-97 season, and by '97-'98, he was 32. He still averaged 23.1 points and 11.4 rebounds per game, and continued to be a good player for years, but he wasn't the dominant force he had been in the early '90s. If Robinson had begun his career two or three years earlier, he might rate in the top five.

8. Artis Gilmore
1971-88, Kentucky Colonels, Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs, Boston Celtics
24,941 points, 16,330 rebounds, 3,050 assists
18.8 ppg, 12.3 rpg, 2.3 apg
58.2 FG%, 69.8 FT%

Some fans will consider this a controversial choice, because Gilmore played his first five seasons in the ABA. He led the league in rebounds all five years, in blocks three times, in field goal percentage twice. He was ABA Rookie of the Year, MVP, All-Star Game MVP, and Playoff MVP, and was the only player named first-team All-ABA five times. He was the first player chosen in the dispersal draft, ahead of Moses Malone.

It is my belief that the caliber of competition in the ABA was lower than in the NBA, but not by much after 1970. Gilmore's athletic prime was spent in the younger league — he was 27 by the time of the merger — but he still made six NBA all-star teams, and amassed 15,000 points and 9,000 rebounds in the NBA, with a higher shooting percentage (59.9%) than during his ABA years (55.7%). Gilmore shot over 60% six times in the NBA, including four years leading the league. In fact, he is the NBA's all-time leader in field goal percentage. Gilmore's strengths were similar to Bellamy's — rebounding and shooting efficiency — but Gilmore was a better defensive player, and he had a longer prime, more seasons as an elite player.

Including his ABA stats, Gilmore combined for 41,271 points and rebounds. The only other players over 40,000 are Abdul-Jabbar, Chamberlain, Hayes, Dr. J, Karl Malone, Moses Malone, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Shaquille O'Neal.

7. Moses Malone
1974-95, Utah Stars, Spirits of St. Louis, Buffalo Braves, Houston Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers, Washington Bullets, Atlanta Hawks, Milwaukee Bucks, San Antonio Spurs
29,580 points, 17,834 rebounds, 1,936 assists
20.3 ppg, 12.3 rpg, 1.3 apg
49.5 FG%, 76.0 FT%

It sometimes seems like Moses Malone played with every professional basketball team that ever existed, but he is best remembered for his time with the Rockets and Sixers, especially the famous 1982-83 season, when Malone led the NBA in free throws and rebounds, was first-team All-Defensive, NBA MVP, and Finals MVP. Many fans still think of "Fo', Fo', Fo'" when Malone's name is mentioned. It turned out to be Fo', Five, Fo', but Malone generally backed up his bluster. He led the NBA in rebounds five times, and even more impressive, led his league in offensive rebounds an incredible nine times. Officially, he is the all-time leader in offensive rebounds, although the statistic was not kept before 1973.

Malone made 13 all-star games and is tied with Robert Parish for most seasons played (21) in history. Malone ranks sixth all-time in scoring and third all-time in rebounds, and was a three-time NBA MVP.

6. George Mikan
1946-56, Chicago American Gears, Minneapolis Lakers

Perhaps the most controversial ranking on this list. Mikan could be viewed as an overrated fossil with a short career, or as the most dominant player the game has ever seen. I like to think this rating represents the middle ground, a compromise between two extreme positions. It is true that Mikan played when professional basketball was in its infancy, attracting far fewer skilled players than it does today, and his career spanned just seven full seasons. It is also true that Mikan was the most dominant player in history. More than Chamberlain, more than Michael Jordan, more than anyone.

I didn't include Mikan's statistics, because many of them don't exist. No rebound data was kept until the 1950-51 season. Player minutes weren't recorded until the year after that. Turnovers, steals, and blocked shots were never kept during Mikan's career, nor was any statistical distinction drawn between offensive and defensive rebounds. The numbers we do have, though ... they back up all the folklore and legends about Mikan's dominance.

Mikan joined the Lakers in 1947. They won six of the next seven league championships. The most successful team was the 1949-50 squad, which went 51-17 (on pace for 62-20 in an 82-game season) and went 11-2 in the playoffs, winning the NBA championship. That season, Mikan scored 1,865 points (27.4 per game). The second-highest scoring Laker, Jim Pollard, scored less than half as many (973). Mikan outscored all of the Lakers' backups combined. In fact, he scored more than all of the other starters combined, if you exclude Pollard. Of course, Mikan didn't just lead the Lakers in scoring, he led the NBA. By almost 400 points. And Mikan wasn't a ballhog — he was third on the team in assists.

Effectively, Mikan single-handedly turned a pretty average team into a dynasty. The 1949-50 campaign probably wasn't one of his better seasons. The next season, he had more points, more assists, and a better shooting percentage. Mikan was the most dominant player ever, compared to his peers. But at the end of the day, he dominated a game that was not yet terribly competitive. Russell had Chamberlain, Magic had Bird — Mikan, for most of his career, had no real competition. He was the best in the game, but for less than a decade. Reasonable arguments can be made for moving Mikan up the list or down. Personally, I wouldn't want him any lower than this, and I have some misgiving about not placing him a little higher.

5. Shaquille O'Neal
1992-2011, Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics
28,596 points, 13,099 rebounds, 3,026 assists
23.7 ppg, 10.9 rpg, 2.5 apg
58.2 FG%, 52.7 FT%

Shaquille O'Neal has played 80 regular-season games only twice: in his first two seasons. Walt Bellamy played 80 games eight times, actually played 88 one year thanks to a strangely-timed trade. David Robinson played 80 games eight times, Gilmore 13 times, Malone 10 times, Mikan never, but only because there weren't 80-game seasons when he played. Center is traditionally a position manned by iron men. Malone and Parish played 21 seasons each. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played forever. Wilt Chamberlain almost never sat — one year he averaged 48.5 minutes per game, because the Warriors went into overtime a few times. While durability was a strength for almost every center on this list, for O'Neal it has been his singular weakness. Well, that or free throw shooting.

O'Neal was officially NBA MVP once, in the 1999-2000 season. He also finished second twice, third twice, and fourth twice. Despite his limited playing time, to suggest that O'Neal was only the best player in the NBA for one season seems, well, unlikely. Shaq was the dominant force on the three-peat Lakers, Finals MVP in all three seasons. The best player on the best team is not necessarily the best player in the league, but in this case, he probably was.

4. Hakeem Olajuwon
1984-2002, Houston Rockets, Toronto Raptors
26,946 points, 13,748 rebounds, 3,058 assists
21.8 ppg, 11.1 rpg, 2.5 apg
51.2 FG%, 71.2 FT%

Olajuwon and O'Neal should probably be regarded as something very close to even. I ranked Olajuwon ahead because of consistency and defense. O'Neal was a sensational offensive player. He led the NBA three times in points and 10 times in field goal percentage. He was also a good defensive player, blocked 200 shots four times, as many as 286 one season. Olajuwon was a sensational defender. He blocked 200 shots for 12 seasons in a row, blocked more than 286 shots four times, blocked 1,100 more than Shaq in his career. Hakeem the Dream is also the only player in recorded history with 200 steals and 200 blocks in the same season (1988-89).

Shaq was not a poor defensive player, but Hakeem was probably the best defensive center since Bill Russell, and Olajuwon was no slouch on offense. He scored 2,000 points four times, grabbed over 4,000 offensive rebounds in his career, and was never vulnerable to the hack-a-Shaq strategies that limited O'Neal's effectiveness on offense. And whereas Shaq has been in and out of the lineup for the last 10 seasons — playing 70 games only twice — Olajuwon was a steady player, someone the team could count on year-in, year-out. They were both great players, and the gap between them is not wide, but it seems to me to favor Olajuwon.

3. Bill Russell
1956-69, Boston Celtics
14,522 points, 21,260 rebounds, 4,100 assists
15.1 ppg, 22.5 rpg, 4.3 apg
44.0 FG%, 56.1 FT%

A difficult player to evaluate 40 years later, because so many of his strengths don't show up in the stats. Russell was one of the greatest defensive players of all time, but we don't have his block or steal statistics. He was one of the greatest rebounders of all time, but we don't know how many were offensive rebounds. He is perhaps the greatest winner in the history of professional sports, and that has never shown up on the stat sheets.

The year before Russell arrived, Boston was a good team: 39-33, second in the East. He played 13 seasons with the Celtics, and the Celtics won 11 championships in those 13 years. When he retired, they missed the playoffs each of the next two seasons. Those teams had other Hall of Famers, plus a legendary coach, but Russell brought everything together. The dynasty began when he arrived and ended when he retired. He was named NBA MVP five times.

My favorite NBA season is one I'm too young to remember: 1961-62. It was a year of legendary individual accomplishments; the league's stars have never shined so brightly. Bob Pettit averaged 31 points and 19 rebounds per game. Walt Bellamy averaged 32 ppg, 19 rpg, and led the NBA in field goal percentage. Oscar Robertson averaged a triple double (30.8 pts, 12.4 reb, 11.5 ast). Wilt Chamberlain averaged 48.5 minutes, 50.4 points, and 25.7 rebounds. And none of them won MVP. Bill Russell did.

Statistically, that's hard to condone, but Russell led the Celtics to the league's best record and a championship. Would the Celtics have been just as good with Chamberlain or Pettit? Would the Hawks or Lakers or Warriors have won 11 championships with Russell patrolling the paint? We'll never know — probably not, to both questions — but we do know that Russell was an outstanding rebounder, defender, and team player, the greatest winner in the history of professional basketball.

2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
1969-89, Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers
38,387 points, 17,440 rebounds, 5,660 assists
24.6 ppg, 11.2 rpg, 3.6 apg
55.9 FG%, 72.1 FT%

38,387 points. Best all-time. 57,446 minutes played. Most all-time. 5,660 assists. Most by a center. Six MVP awards. Most all-time. Two-time Finals MVP. Only player to win with two different teams.

Most 2,000-point seasons:

1. Karl Malone, 12
2. Michael Jordan, 11
3. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 9
4. Dominique Wilkins, 8
5. four tied, 7

Abdul-Jabbar could have won a few MVPs just with his offense. An efficient shooter both on the floor (with his legendary sky hook) and at the line, he ranked among the league's top 10 scorers 13 times, made the top five 10 times. But Abdul-Jabbar wasn't a one-dimensional offensive powerhouse. He was an awesome rebounder, who averaged 11.2 per game in a 20-year career. He was a great assist man, the leader among centers by over 1,000. He led the league in blocked shots at least four times — maybe more, since the stats weren't kept until he had already played four seasons.

And Abdul-Jabbar, as much as any player in history, proved that while he worked well with his teammates, his success wasn't just because of them. He played on six championship teams, one with the Bucks and five with the Lakers. He won Finals MVP honors with both teams. He won six regular-season MVP awards, three with each team. Abdul-Jabbar is probably best remembered for his years with Magic Johnson, and he was still a great player then, but in the '70s, Kareem was a singular force, by far the greatest player in basketball.

1. Wilt Chamberlain
1959-73, Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers
31,419 points, 23,924 rebounds, 4,643 assists
30.1 ppg, 22.9 rpg, 4.4 apg
54.0 FG%, 51.1 FT%

Michael Jordan averaged 30.1 points per game, with 6.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists. Wilt Chamberlain averaged 30.1 points per game, with 22.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists. Jordan averaged 2.8 steals per game. Chamberlain probably averaged 3-4 blocks. Jordan shot 49.7%. Chamberlain, 54%.

Wilt led the NBA in scoring seven times, in rebounding 10 times, in assists once, in field goal percentage nine times, and in minutes eight times. He averaged 35 points a game five times, 20 rebounds a game 10 times, 5 assists four times, and he shot 60% three times (actually over 64.9% all three years).

Chamberlain's accomplishments are legendary (even if we're only talking about his basketball accomplishments). Fifty points per game, 100 in a single game, 72.7 FG% his final season. He was an unparalleled offensive force. In the 2010-11 season, MVP Derrick Rose scored 2,026 points. In the 1961-62 season, Wilt scored 4,029 points — 2,000 more than Rose. And that was an 80-game season, not 82. How do you even wrap your mind around that, separate the man from the legend?

Chamberlain was also the greatest rebounder of his day. Well, him and Russell. Chamberlain's career record for rebounds, 2,664 ahead of Russell and many thousands ahead of everyone else, will probably never fall. Contrary to popular belief, he was also a generous passer, with more assists than any center except Abdul-Jabbar. Chamberlain was a far better offensive player than Russell, but he also averaged more boards and more assists. As a defensive player, he was not Russell's equal, but apart from his rival in Boston, he probably blocked more shots than anyone in his day.

Because he is so often compared to Russell, a reputation has unfairly settled on Chamberlain as not being a winner. His first year with the Warriors, they improved by 17 games. When they traded him, they dropped from 48-32 to 17-63. He played on championship teams with both the Sixers and the Lakers. He was named Finals MVP in '72, and probably would have been in '67 if the award had existed. Chamberlain played all but two minutes of the playoffs that season, shooting 57.9%, averaging 29 rebounds and 9 assists. What a choker, right?

Who is the greatest center in history? Some say Mikan. Some, Russell. Many fans believe it was Abdul-Jabbar. My choice is the Big Dipper.