Ranking the Top 10 NBA Centers of All Time 

If Dwight had never had that first bad back injury, I truly believe that Dwight would still be a force to be reckoned with.

1962 Finals - Russell averaged 23-27-6 on 54%, led his team in pts/rebs 1963 Finals - Russell averaged 20-26-5 on 47% 1965 Finals - Russell averaged 18-25-6 on 70%, NBA Finals record for FG% 1966 Finals - Russell averaged 24-24-4 on 54%, led his team in pts/rebs and that’s Draymond? Yeah ok

Agreed with everything except Bill Russell. So much disrespect to the man who led the most successful team in American professional sports history.

Hakeem lucks of accolades? Really? Being the one who won MVP, DPOY, MVP Finals and NBA Champion in the same year WITHOUT a single All Star teammate and dominating 3 of your top 10 while doing so? And then he repeated his CH status with an ex-all star teammate. Kareem and Shaq, remind me, who were their teammates? You, yourself, put them in your top 10 in their perspective positions.... Hakeem? Give me some solid role players and I got it....! Accolades? Really???

Hakeem dominated Shaq in the 90s, it wasn't even close. Literally no one during that era ever had Shaq ahead of Hakeem. No one. Not even Shaq would have said that.

1. Kareem 2. Wilt 3. Hakeem 4. Shaq 5. Bill russell 6. David Robinson 7. Moses Malone 8. Jokic 9. Dwight Howard 10. Ewing

Nice vid man

Personally I think that Arvydas Sabonis could have been top 5 without injuries. He was amazing in his prime.

Dwight the most slept on center

A non position top 10 would be very interesting, maybe feature 2 or 3 honorable mentions

When you are discussing Wilt Chamberlain you say: “The goal of NBA basketball is to win, and to win championships.” Then, when discussing Bill Russell you basically say: Eleven rings? So what! You need to be consistent. If championships are the goal,then nobody is better than Bill Russell. Russell’s play transformed the game. Before Russell, centers very seldom left their feet. Red Auerbach actually told Russell to rebound and play defense and NOT TO WORRY ABOUT SCORING. One last thing, eight teams in the league meant that man for man, all the teams in the league had excellent players.

The fact that bill Walton isn’t on this list is comical

Facts: Olajuwon did not play basketball until he was 15 years old. He was an instant star in the National Basketball Association (NBA), showing stunning quickness and agility in his game. He formed one half of Houston's formidable "Twin Towers" duo with 7'4" Ralph Sampson. Olajuwon became the first player in NBA history to record at least 200 steals and 200 blocks in a season during 1988-89, and led the league with 14 rebounds and a staggering 4.6 blocks per game the following year. Olajuwon became the first player in NBA history to win the Most Valuable Player, Finals MVP and Defensive Player of the Year awards in the same season. Having secured his U.S. citizenship, he won a gold medal with the 1996 U.S. Men's Olympic Basketball Team. Soon afterward, he was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History as part of a campaign to mark the league's 50-year anniversary. He was named to the All-NBA First Team six times, and to the NBA All-Defensive First Team five times. After leaving the hardwood, Olajuwon reinvented himself as a successful real-estate dealer in Houston and became a instructor for NBA players seeking to improve their moves around the basket. When not tending to business in Houston, he spends his time with his family at a home in Jordan, where he studies the Koran. Olajuwon was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008, a fitting recognition to the career of one of the game's all-time greats. Also Read | Michael Jordan Biography, stats, facts and achievements Achievements: 2× NBA champion (1994, 1995) 2× NBA Finals MVP (1994, 1995) NBA Most Valuable Player (1994) 12× NBA All-Star (1985-1990, 1992-1997) 6× All-NBA First Team (1987-1989, 1993, 1994, 1997) 3× All-NBA Second Team (1986, 1990, 1996) 3× All-NBA Third Team (1991, 1995, 1999) 2× NBA Defensive Player of the Year (1993, 1994) 5× NBA All-Defensive First Team (1987, 1988, 1990, 1993, 1994) 4× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1985, 1991, 1996, 1997) NBA All-Rookie First Team (1985) IBM Award (1993) 2× NBA rebounding leader (1989, 1990) 3× NBA blocks leader (1990, 1991, 1993) No. 34 retired by Houston Rockets NBA anniversary team (50th, 75th) Consensus first-team All-American (1984) NCAA rebounding leader (1984) SWC Player of the Year (1984) NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player (1983) No. 34 retired by Houston Cougars Texas Sports Hall of Fame Houston Sports Hall of Fame Also Read | Bob Cousy biography , Chris Paul Biography , Dirk Nowitzki Biography and Karl Malone Biography

Wilt, Russell, Jabbar, Olajuwon, Robinson, Ewing, Thurmond, Malone, O'Neil, Parish

Love this videos. Late to the game but glad I made it.

I'll put Moses over Robinson.Hakeem to me is the greatness center of all time and has outclassed all other centers.

Perfect list

HM: Dwight Howard 10. Ewing 9. Moses Malone 8. Embiid 7. Jokic 6. David Robinson 5. Bill Russell 4. Hakeem 3. Wilt 2. Shaq 1. Kareem

Hakeem was widely the best center of all time

1 SHAQ 2 WILT 3 HAKEEM 4 JABAAR 5 RUSELL 6 MOSES 7 ROBINSON 8 JOKIC 9 EWING 10 HOWARD

Kareem will always be my number 1

Moses>Drob. Moses was a three time MVP and the best often I’ve rebounder of all time. He was also the best player on a championship team that had DR J on it. DRob was a one time mvp and only really contributed as the second best player on a championship team once. Moses was the best blazers on two finals teams and won one of them. Moses is the most underrated player in NBA History. Moses is also the last Center in NBA History to average 30 shaq drob and Embiid (Embiid was on pace this season before the injury) but none have actually done it since

I have been watching your videos. I agree with you on most of the things that you have to say,but Moses at #7. He is the most underrated player of all time. 3 time mvp, 6 time rebounding champ, etc. He is definitely ahead of Robinson, he should be in top 5 but there is alot of great centers. But seriously,i bet you can't name me 10 players including Noses who has atleast 3 MVPs. The top 6 centers can go in any order.

1. Kareem 2. Wilt 3. Hakeem 4. Bill Russell 5. Shaq

Wilt at #5 give me a break. The disrespect of Wilt is disgusting. Wilt is 1 or 2 period. How is Shaq #2? Shaq wasn't a great rebounder for his size, wasn't great on defense, and really dominated after the elite centers started aging and breaking down. Shaq used to have huge trouble with Alonzo Mourning, Big Country, and even Rick Smits. Too many people making lists and never even seen most of these guys play besides RU-vid highlight videos.

Kareem, Wilt, Hakeem, Shaq, Bill

Boy ain’t no way you ain’t got Big Red in the top ten. red was a white Dream in his prime and Moses is wayyyyy too low. 3x mvp in the golden age of hoops. Nba champ one of the greatest rebounders of all time, an elite defender in his time and one of the best scorers. He was the best player on a team with Dr J when the Dr was still one of the best players in the nba. Moses too low and you gotta drop Dwight for Big Red bare minimum. bills peak was way higher than d12s as much as I love d12. Also he’s one of the only players in nba history to solo lead his team to an NBA Chip. The other being Dream.

No Walton?

As of right now there are no real big men in the league you can't put any of these players in a top 10 over any player that played before 2000

Ewing is my favorite player.

The joker can dunk shoot from the mid range and shoot the 3 ball

What??? Wilt won with Jerry West in '72. One of the greatest teams of all-time, are you kidding me?

good list.. personally.. i would rank them as follows: 1. Kareem 2. Hakeem 3. Shaq 4. Bill 5. Wilt 6. David 7. Moses 8. Dwight 9. Ewing 10. i dont really know... but jokic is just too early for this

I personally can agree with most of the list, except I just think Dwight should be a bit higher.

And to think Dwight didn't even make The Top 75.

Wilt got to be top 3 I personally got him 1st wilt 2nd Hakeem 3rd Kareem 4th shaq 5th bill 6th jokic 7th robinson 8th Malone 9th Ewing 10th Howard As of now in 2024

Id swap shaq and wilt spots for sure. Shaq was a weaker less skilled wilt with little stamina compared to wilt. Honestly i cant think of a single thing shaq did better than wilt

Prime Shaq.

You should do this for current players

Personally I got Hakeem as the best center all time

The Dwight Howard respect is much appreciated

Mad disrespect to Bill for calling him Draymond in today’s league smh, solid list otherwise

Love the content but there is too much recency bias in these lists. When it’s all said and done, Jokic will be in the top 10, but it’s too early to put him here over guys like Reed, Unseld, and even Bill Walton. Dwight’s dominance in the late 2000s-early 2010s is undeniable, but he played in the weakest era of centers in NBA history. Wouldn’t have even been a top 5 center in the 90s.

I personally would have Wilt higher but otherwise, I agree with this list

WILT AT 5 is an abomination…. On the CENTER LIST? The only flaw in his career is the era he played in!!! If not for the greatest dynasty in American sports HISTORY lmaooo he’d be at least a 6x Champ To have 4 players over him at his position is hard to swallow…

dont think you were consistent enough with championships * playing a factor among each person. Also, you downplayed some players achievements due to not having as much competition while you didn't for others

if you dont have russell in your top 3 centers, then is he even in your top 10 players?

Artis Gilmore is a HM.

Bill Russell didn't need to score. He averaged around 15 or 18 with elite defense and offensively. He was a good playmaker translation and can run the floor . He's a capable scorer. Plus his Fg % doesn't even have context at all because of the era he played in and average shooting percentage. Plus TS % league average in the 60s were around mid 40s not like in today's nba

I would take Hakeem over Shaq any day.

Hakeem has 3 sons on this list

You didn’t even mention Russell won 5 mvps smfh

Moses Malone>David Robinson People forget about how Moses carried a Houston Rockets team that had no business making it anywhere near the finals to the finals and got 2 games against the loaded Boston Celtics, not to mention how he would dominate Kareem in the playoffs. The 81 Rockets swept the showtime Lakers in the 1st round.

Will Jokic pass dwight all time, probably but no way you can look at his career and put it against Dwight's and say he's higher all time, dwight is clearly higher than jokic all time currently

1. Hakeem 2. Wilt 3. Kareem 4. Shaq 5. Russell

Ewing, Robinson and Shaq didn't choke against Hakeem. He outclassed them. He even outclassed Kareem when he was a sophomore!

Excellent list. Not much to quibble with. Being older than dirt and having watched Chamberlain at his peak he has to rank above everyone with the exception of Jabbar. That great team in Philly in 66-67 with HOFers Greer, Walker, Cunningham, and others like Luke Jackson and Wali Jones was arguably one of the best of all time. Until then, Wilt’s supporting cast was no match for Russell’s. He should not be penalized because his early teams were not very talented. Also bring old, I might go with Nate Thurmond at number 10.

Hakeem Olajuwon dominated Shaq! Even Shaq said so!

George Mikan is my number 1. He played with brittle bones. Broke bones multiple times. Had to retire after 9 seasons. He won 7 championships in 8 seasons in 3 different leagues. If mvp’s and finals mvp’s were a thing back then, he would have 6 mvps and 5 finals mvps. He also won the scoring title 6 times. So imagine if he played 15 to 20 seasons. No center would ever come close to his championships and awards.

The Dream didn't have any help like Shaq and Kareem but that's none of my business 🤧🥃

i think Bill Walton should take the 10 spot over dwight, both great but short peaks. but he did get a chip and an mvp in his peak, an another chip and 6moty in boston. not to mention hes the greatest passing big next to jokic

Good list. Don't like the bill Russell, Draymond green comparison. Draymond is a beneficiary of all time great time

In their peaks, I would have chosen Bill Walton or George Mikan over Dwight.

I almost unsubscribed over the Russel comments and I love this channel

Hakeem > shaq

I got Wilt at #1... they made rules for him day of games. Over all the guy was a freak of nature on and off the court.. he chose not to be dominant imagine if he did and to me hes 2× stronger than Shaq and faster than probably 99% of all players you mentioned in any position..

I’d honestly put Hakeem over Shaq. I know you said in the power forwards video that Dirk’s 2011 run is in your opinion the most impressive but Hakeem’s 1994 and 1995 runs are honestly two of the top 10 ever. In ‘94 he had no players on his team who were all stars and still got them to the finals. He also won MVP, DPOY and FMVP in the same year, the only player to ever do that. He humiliated all the centers of his era. Then in ‘95 he dragged a sixth seed team to the championship. Those are arguably the two biggest carry jobs of all time and two of the most difficult rings of all time. 3 of Shaq’s rings came with Kobe and the great Lakers supporting cast. Hakeem made that team champions by himself.

This man's reasoning is whack

Great list imo I would switch jokic and Dwight

If anything Bill Russell is closer to Dwight Howard than draymond green come on bro do your homework

10 dwight 9 dikembe 8 Patrick Ewing 7 Moses 6 Robinson 5 Hakeem 4 shaq 3 bill 2 wilt 1 Jabar

Hakeem was the 7 foot Michael Jordan

Wilt #1…by a landslide. Easily the most individual dominant player in basketball history. There’s only 5 major stat categories in basketball and he was the best ever in 3 of them. No contest the best rebounder ever. Totally unparalleled in his scoring feats. And the fact he averaged 8.8 blocks across a large sample of games when he was out of his prime with bad knees proves he’s the best shot blocker ever. In all honestly it’s very likely he averaged a triple double for his career between points, rebounds, & blocks. Also the only big man to ever lead the league in assists, only player with a quintuple-double (look up Harvey Pollack, he’s an extremely reputable person that recorded that games stats for Wilt), and he owns the record book unlike anyone else.

Now that the joker has won a championship, he easily goes a little higher on the list

If you're going to say Jokic should be here despite his lack of longevity, than Bill Walton should take his spot. Late 70s Walton was a brief peak, but many older analysts and writers say he was the best center ever at his apex.

Personally I believe if ur calling Russell, Draymond Green then ur list is invalid. Otherwise I agree with most the picks but I would take Dwight and Nikola off the list, I don’t like centers hitting threes and I think bill Walton is better than Dwight.

I have Hakeem as the greatest center of all time. Circumstance matters when discussing success and championships in the NBA. And the Rockets were not only notoriously injured in his early years but management did him no favors. Like actively feuded with him. It’s a wonder he stayed with he team long enough to win any titles

Shaq is way overrated. He wasn't the best player on his championship teams, he was an average rebounder, had hardly any offensive moves, and was a terrible FT shooter. A lot of people say Kareem was the most dominant center of the 70s and 80s, but I think Moses was better from 79 to 84.

Yea you lost me saying Bill Russel would be a Draymond Green in today’s league

If Arvydas Sabonis could have played an entire career in the NBA, he would have been Jokic before he was even a thought

How do you put Dwight Howard but not Dikembe Mutombo.

I'd have Bill Russell at number 1, yes he didn't have a great Fg%, but if that's not hurting the team, which it clearly didn't, it shouldn't be a problem. Your list is great though, but here's mine 1. Russell 2. Kareem 3. Hakeem 4. Shaq 5. Wilt 6. Moses Malons 7. Robinson 8. Willis Reed 9. Elvin Hayes 10. George Mikan

Cmon man Wilt, Bill Russell is better than Hakeem

When you refer to Ewing's era, why you and generally people forget about centers like Mourning, Mutombo, Daugherty?

Really? Shaq over Hakeem? That's like saying russ over dame. Put Hakeem on those teams that shaq was on and he'd achieve way more. Offensively and defensively Hakeem was better and really had no holes in his game, compared to shaq.

Yooooooo mad respect to having Dwight Howard and I believe Nikola Jokic deserves the 9 spot (even if it’s early, he does have that MVP) 🏀

You don't realize how good Wilt was.

8:50 Wow, he was even putting up points back in time? Crazy.

Wilt would dominate all these centers when he was in his prime. He was 35 and recovered from a torn Patella and could block the unblockable Kareem skyhook . A younger Wilt would swat it all day. He would outmuscle Shaq . Shaq would be up against a guy who could could push him around and block everything he put up. Gotta give props to the most dominant center I ever saw play in the NBA.

Lakers part 1 killed dwights career and lakers part 2 saved it 😂

Kareem #1. He is the only one who span eras amd still dominate. For example Jabbar scored 50 pts on Wilt Chamberlain in 1972. 14 years later he scores 46 points on Akeem Olajawon amd did this more than once. That same year he scored 40 points on Patrick Ewing. Kareem burned Wilt so bad Wilts fans still havemt forgiven hm.

Way to early to have the joker on a list like this IMO, but will he end up in the top 10 for sure

Bull💩💩💩on Jokic being the best passer, Wilt averaged 7.8 and 8.6 assists in 67-69. NO CENTER EXCEPT WILT LEAD IN ASSISTS. Wilt won in 71-72, that’s when Baylor resigned after 9 games, and the Lakers went on a 33 game win streak. That’s the longest streak in the NBA.

I’ve gotta go Wilt at #2. I know he was a stat padder and arguably hurt his teams more than he helped them sometimes but he still had to put up the points/assists/rebounds/blocks. Most athletic player to ever play and I think if he played in a different era he could’ve easily been #1. Basketball was the Wild West in the 60s there was so little structure I think it actually hurt Wilt by allowing him to do whatever the hell he wanted.

bill Russell was great but he wasn't better then Robinson

Wilt should have been #1

Some Honorable Mentions: Bob McAdoo Robert Parrish Bob Lanier Wes Unseld Jack Sikma Artis Gilmore George Mikan Nate Thurmond Dave Cowens Alonzo Mourning Willis Reed

Walton averaged 5.5 assists per game in the ’77 Playoffs. Russell averaged five assists or more in seven different playoffs,20 PPG in 7 different playoff/finals including 6.3 a game in the ’65 Playoffs (when it was much tougher to get credited for an assist). For his career, Russell averaged playoff (4.7) than any center (except jokic) who ever played more than 30 playoff games.

Great series fr! Ever considered rounding everything off with doing a top 10 all time?

can u make your top 50 players all-time video?