Some of the strongest and scariest players of all time have played the Centre position. The center’s main job has always been to guard the paint, set hard screens, and be the best player around the basket. Centers like Dwight Howard, Shaq, and Moses Malone are good examples of classic centers.
But players like Nikola Jokic have broken that mould and made point centres who can handle the ball and shoot it. The different ways that players play has made the centre position one of the most interesting to watch, and fans love how competitive it is. Teams have also usually built their teams around big men because they can be so important to a team.
In today’s list, I’ll tell you which 10 centres I think are the best of all time. Championships will be a part of how players are ranked, but they won’t be as important as individual awards, big acts, and dominating an era. When trying to win a title, there are so many outside factors that players can’t control. With that said, let’s get right into the list.
10. Robert Parish
Robert Parish has won four NBA titles, been named an NBA all-star nine times, and made the All-NBA second and third teams twice.
At 7’1″, Robert Parish was known for how hard he worked. Robert was known for how hard he ran the floor and how he always pushed the pace on many Celtic teams that won a lot. Parish was also known for his tough defence. During his long NBA career, he averaged more than one block per game. Parish holds the record for both offensive and defensive rebounds in the playoffs. He is now back to working hard. Several Celtic teams went far in the playoffs because of how hard they worked.
Parish wasn’t a great attacking player, but his hustle and defence on the other end are enough to put him on any list of the best centres. Parish played in the NBA for a very long time, and he was recognised enough to be named one of the NBA’s Top 75 players.
9. Nikola Jokic
Stats: 20.2 PTS, 10.5 REB, 6.6 AST
Five-time All-Star, 2015 All-Rookie, two-time Most Valuable Player, and five-time All-NBA (3x First Team, 2x Second Team).
Jokic is finally getting the respect he deserves after another long playoff run and two MVP awards. Jokic is a generational centre with guard-like skills. His mix of skills and IQ has helped him grow from a young star to one of the best in the league. He has one of the best touches in NBA history, a handle that regularly breaks down defences, and some of the best passing skills any big man has ever had. He also has a reliable mid-range and three-point jump shot that keeps defences guessing. Because of his high IQ, he can trick defences and run a very powerful offence against any NBA team.
Jokic is in very good company because he always does well in the regular season and playoffs. Many people are now calling him the best player in the world. I haven’t given him that title yet, but he’s getting close. As Jokic gets ready for his first NBA playoffs, he has a chance to make a mark on the biggest stage that will last forever.
8. Moses Malone
Stats: 20.6 points, 12.2 rebounds, 1.3 blocks per game.
Awards: NBA winner, NBA finals MVP, 3x MVP, 12x NBA All-Star, 8x All-NBA (4x First Team, 4x Second Team), 2x All-Defensive Team (1x First Team, 1x Second Team).
Malone was one of the best centers of his time. He was known for being good at everything. Malone was a relentless offensive rebounder. Over the course of his career, he recorded a crazy 5.1 offensive rebounds per game. He was one of the best players in the league because he had a jump shot that worked very well from mid-range. He would use his jump shot when defenders were afraid of him because he was so fast. Malone was also known for his strong dunks. He was one of the first players to break the rim when he slammed the ball down.
Moses Malone was a key player for 21 years on both sides of the ball, and he ruled. Malone ranks high in a lot of important statistics because he works hard and has a lot of heart. Many players tried to play like him because of how hard he worked and how well he did. His influence on basketball is still felt today, which is another reason why he is a top-10 center.
7. Ewing, Patrick
Stats: 21.0 PTS, 9.8 REBS, 2.4 BLK
Awards: 11 times All-Star, 1985 Rookie of the Year, 7 times All-NBA (1st Team, 6nd Team), 3 times All-Defensive Team, 2nd Team, 2x.
Patrick Ewing was thought to be one of the most naturally skilled NBA players ever because he was so good at protecting the paint and making moves in the post that no one could stop. On offence, Ewing relied on his soft touch and unblockable mid-range to score a lot of points. He was in the Hall of Fame even though he didn’t always get the job done or backed down when it mattered most. He led many good teams.
Because he was so versatile, Ewing could play either the 4 or the 5. He was also a great rim defender. He averaged two blocks per game for several seasons. Because he was so fast and had the instincts of a cat, he was always the key to the Knicks’ tough defences. Because he was so good on both ends of the court, Ewing will always be known as one of the best Knicks to ever play in the NBA.
6. David Robinson
Stats: 21.1 PTS, 10.6 REB, 1.4 BLK
Accolades: Two-time NBA champion, scoring king in 1993, 1x Most Valuable Player, 1x Defensive Player of the Year, 1x Rookie of the Year, 10x All-Star, 10x All-NBA (4x First Team, 2x Second Team, 4x Third Team), 8x All-Defensive Team (4x First Team, 4x Second Team).
Robinson was one of the best big men to score in the history of the game. At 6’11, he could handle the ball like a guard and hit consistently from mid-range. He was also a great player in the post. Robinson’s face-up moves after the game were so good that they made players look like fools. He was too fast in motion and too strong in the halfcourt. He was an amazing athlete. Robinson was also a great defender on the other end of the court. He was very athletic and quick on his feet, so he was able to cover the rim very well. Robinson had an absurd average of 3.0 blocks over the course of his career.
Robinson had such good footwork that he could also jump out on the perimeter and protect against faster players. He always played in the playoffs and stepped up in the most important times. The Spurs were able to fight for years until the start of their real dynasty because of how versatile he was on both offence and defense.
5. Bill Russell
Stats: 15.1 PTS, 22.5 REB, 4.3 AST
Awards: 11 times NBA winner, 5 times NBA MVP, 12 times NBA All-Star, 11 times All-NBA (3 times First Team, 8 times Second Team), 1 time All-Defensive Team.
Russell was one of the players in NBA history who gave the most to the team. He was always willing to give up his stats to help his team win. He was one of the first players to change the way teams stopped each other on defense. He was also great on defense. He was the backbone of many Celtic defenses. He did it with his great rim defense, his hard work on the boards, and his clever plans. Russell’s influence was the driving force behind the Celtics’ dynasty. Whenever he was healthy and on the court, it directly helped the team win games.
Russell was also a very good player for his time. He wasn’t as good as Jokic, but he was still very good. He used his great defense to grab boards and regularly throw outlet passes to help the Celtics score easy baskets. At that time, Russell’s outlet passes powered an offence that could not be stopped. Russell will always be known for the way he changed the game and did great things off the court.
4. Wilt Chamberlain
Stats: 30.1 PTS, 22.9 REB, 4.4 AST
Accolades: 13 All-Stars and 2 NBA titles 4x NBA MVP, 10x All-NBA (7x First Team, 3x Second Team), 2x All-Defense Team (2x First Team), NBA ROY, 7x NBA scoring champion, 11x rebounding champion https://twitter.com/NBAHistory/status/922942794368503811?s=20
Most NBA fans called Wilt “the human stat machine,” and he was a truly great player. Wilt holds 72 NBA records, including the mark for most points in a game with 100. Wilt really could score whenever he wanted to. He had a good fadeaway shot that he could use to shoot over defenders, and he had a powerful vertical jump that he could use to finish over players. He couldn’t be stopped on offence or defense, and for a man his size, he was incredibly fast. Wilt became a good passer over time, which helped him win multiple titles at the end of his career.
If you only look at Wilt from a scientific point of view, there will never be another man like him. His ability to easily rack up unbelievable stats is unmatched. Sure, his amazing stats were a product of his time, but that doesn’t change the fact that he was a great player who changed the game.
3. Shaquille O’Neal
Shaquille O’Neal has 23.7 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks.
Accolades: 4x NBA champion, 3x Finals MVP, 1x MVP, 15x NBA All-Star, 14x All-NBA (8x First Team, 2x Second Team, 4x Third Team), 3x All- Defensive Team( 3x Second Team), NBA ROY, 2x NBA scoring champion
Now, from my point of view, Shaq is the best NBA player of the 21st century. At 7’1″ tall, 300+ pounds, and fast as the wind, he can’t be stopped. Shaq is one of the few guys who almost no one can defend one-on-one. He made teams add more big guys because no one could handle Shaq’s physical play for the whole game. He had great moves and footwork in the post and could always turn and power through players. Shaq was also a great shot blocker. During his 20-year career, he blocked more than two shots per game, on average.
Shaq was a big reason why the Lakers had a success in the 2000s. He always beat teams in the playoffs and was a nightmare to match up with. The Lakers were one game away from making history if they had won every playoff game in 2001. People have a hard time coming up with another all-around powerful force like Shaq. His size, strength, and skill make him hard to stop.
2. Hakeem Olajuwon
Stats: 21.8 PTS, 11.1 REB, 3.1 BLK
Accolades: Two-time NBA winner, two-time NBA Finals MVP, 12-time NBA All-Star, 12-time All-NBA (6x First Team, 3x Second Team, 3x Third Team), two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, nine-time NBA All-Defensive Team (5x First Team, 4x First Team), and three-time NBA blocks leader.
The dream of Hakeem I think that Olajuwon’s post-game was the best in the history of the NBA. He had the best footwork in the game, and he used it to kill people with the dream shake. His football skills helped him move around the court with grace. Hakeem also had a great jump shot that he could use at any time and from anywhere on the court. His defense was also some of the best the league had ever seen. He was known for guarding the rim and getting steals, which was unusual for a big guy. People rate Hakeem so highly because of how amazing it was that he could regularly score when it was needed and then go to the other end of the court and be the defense’s leader.
It is crazy that Hakeem is in the top 15 in points, rebounds, steals, and blocks. I don’t think it’s possible to find another big man who can do so many different things. He was one of the few NBA players who really didn’t have any weaknesses. He could do anything he wanted on the court. His resume is as good as it gets, and no one can say anything bad about his impact.
1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Stats: 24.6 PTS, 11.2 REB, 2.6 BLK
Accolades: Six times NBA champion, two times NBA playoffs MVP, six times MVP, 19 times NBA All-Star, 15 times All-NBA (10 times First Team, 5 times Second Team), 11 times All-Defensive Team (5 times First Team, 6 times Second Team), NBA ROY. Two times I was the best scorer, and four times I was the best blocker.
Kareem was a great basketball player. Some people think he was the best college player and NBA player in the history of basketball. Kareem was the first person to use the hook shot, which was impossible to stop and changed the game. Most centers used force and strength to beat players, but Kareem used skill and speed to completely beat them. He was a good scorer against any defense. For 17 years, he scored more than 20 points per game. Because of how good he was at scoring, he became the second-highest scorer in NBA history. Kareem, like many of the other players on this list, was proud of his defense. Over the course of his career, he averaged more than two blocks per game. Kareem could also pass the ball well from the post because he was tall enough to see over the defense and spot cutters coming.
From high school to the last game of his NBA career, Kareem was a truly powerful force. He had amazing scoring skills for his size, and he could score as well as anyone in NBA history. Kareem was also an important part of the showtime Lakers and helped them win a lot of titles. People will always talk about how good he was and how often, and he showed that he should be on any list of the best players of all time.
This is the last item on the list. Just to be clear, players were ranked by how dominant they were, how many awards they won, and how many games they won. Even though winning played a role in the results, it wasn’t as important as getting praise and being the best. Tell me what you think about the piece and what you would change.
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