Ranking the best centers in NBA history, from Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama to Shaquille O’Neal and Patrick Ewing after the MVP debate
NBA centers boast some of the most impressive athletes on the planet.
To rank among the best of the best is to truly be at the top of the basketball mountain as the 2023-24 NBA Playoffs take over the sports world.
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While Bill Russell and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar normally dominate the conversation for the greatest NBA centers of all time, these legendary names played in a much different era than today.
In today’s NBA, 3-point shots are a priority and dynamic big men need to stretch the court every night.
Nikola Jokic makes modern history – and sparks a fiery debate involving Shannon Sharpe – while Victor Wembanyama was unanimously named NBA Rookie of the Year after posting better numbers than LeBron James.
Wemby needs a few more years in The Association, but the French phenom is already moving up the ranks of this list of big men.
Here’s talkSPORT’s look at the best centers in NBA history.
10. Patrick Ewing
Hall of Fame.
An 11-time All-Star and seven All-NBA selections.
Add in his dominance over Georgetown and the Kingston, Jamaica native helped define basketball in the 1980s and 90s, alongside Michael Jordan.
The only thing missing from Ewing’s very 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.
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9. Nikola Jokic
Shaq doesn’t think Jokic deserved his third MVP award.
Most basketball fanatics disagree, pointing to surreal statistics that the Serbian is already the all-time leader in PER (player efficiency rating).
It’s true: Jokic’s PER (28.08) is higher than that of Jordan (27.91) and LeBron James (27.06).
Denver entered the weekend with a big 2-0 deficit in the second round against Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
But when you finish in the top two in MVP standings four years in a row, you’re definitely one of the best centers of all time.
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8. Moses Malone
The chairman of boards of directors has become underestimated in 2024.
Malone was even further 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 making only six 3-pointers.
Just imagine the numbers Malone could have produced in the modern NBA.
For a decade, Malone posted the best pace ever and posted better stats than Jokic.
He deserves more credit these days.
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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 due to his commitment to the Naval Academy.
Once he joined the San Antonio Spurs in 1989, it was game on.
Ten All-Star selections, two world championships, eight All-Defensive team honors and one MVP.
Not bad for a big guy who only played 14 seasons before giving way to the Grand Fundamental.
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6. Hakeem Olajuwon
The Dream once absolutely dominated The Admiral and there are brilliant highlights on YouTube to prove it.
That’s how good number 34 of the Houston Rockets was.
Olajuwon, like Ewing, played and dominated in college.
Then The Dream continued to refine his many skills, evolving into an offensive nightmare for opposing defenses.
In an era where constantly shooting 3s wasn’t an option, Olajuwon honed his craft in the paint and turned low post moves into an art form.
Wembanyama also has a lot of Olajuwon in him.
The Dream, a native of 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.
Current centers could learn a lot from studying Olajuwon.
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5. Bill Russell
The Boston Celtics legend finished in the top seven in MVP voting in every season except one during his time in the NBA.
From 1956 to 1969, Russell was an absolute force as Boston won and won and won again.
For many, the 12-time All-Star and five-time MVP will always be at the top of the big man mountain.
Russell won 11 NBA championships while the Celtics held up banner after banner.
It’s difficult to compare eras of the Association because the league has changed so much.
Russell will always be among the all-time elite.
Then there’s the astonishing fact that he averaged more rebounds (22.5) than points (15.1).
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4. Tim Duncan
For nearly two decades, the Big Fundamental was the defining name at the NBA’s toughest position.
Duncan rarely drew attention to himself and always talked 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’s safe to say that Duncan should be even higher on this loaded list.
He was still impressive in his late 30s and finished 10th in MVP voting in his 18th season.
Factor in the fact 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.
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3. Wilt Chamberlain
Wilt the Stilt averaged 50.4 points in a season and finished his career with a 30.1 average.
In his final year of play, he finished fourth in MVP voting and made the All-Defensive team.
It’s hard to top that, and the only thing holding Chamberlain back is time.
He was drafted in 1959, shot just 51.1 percent from the free throw line and never had to run the court as Stephen Curry shot 3 after 3 quickly.
Like Russell, Chamberlain is on the Mount Rushmore of great men.
He also scored 100 points in a game, which is unthinkable in 2024.
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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 went from a franchise-changing No. 1 pick for the Orlando Magic to a new Lakers legend.
Broken backboards, destroyed rims and three NBA Finals MVPs prove just 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 years old.
With a little more GOAT commitment, Shaq would have rivaled Jordan and James as the greatest player of all time.
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1. Kareem Abdul Jabbar
Some players transcend time and bridge eras.
No one captures this better than a man who patented his own shot.
Formerly known as Lew Alcindor, Abdul-Jabbar entered the league as Milwaukee’s No. 1 overall pick in 1969 and finished as the greatest center in history.
He made 19 All-Star teams, won two scoring titles, was part of six championship teams 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.
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