Top 10 Best Centers in NBA History

The center position has been home to some of the most dominant players in NBA history. From unstoppable scorers to defensive anchors, these big men have shaped the game in ways few others could. Some controlled the paint with sheer strength. Others relied on skill and finesse.

This list gives you the chance to weigh in on who stands above the rest. Do you favor the all-time scoring leaders who rewrote the record books? The defensive specialists who built dynasties around their shot-blocking and rebounding? Or the versatile stars who changed how the position is played?

1. Wilt Chamberlain

   

   Wilton Norman "Wilt" Chamberlain was an American basketball player. He was born on August 21, 1936, in Philadelphia and died on October 12, 1999, in Los Angeles due to heart failure. He was 63 years old at the time of his death.... read more

   Only 6 other players have had a 30/30 game, with 30 points and 30 rebounds, and none have done it more than once. While Wilt did it over 100 times. No other player has had even one 40/40 game, and Wilt had 8 of them. And then there is Wilt's "Double-Triple-Double", where he had 20/20/20, which again no other player has ever done. Blocks were not recorded officially during his career, but in his final year, the NBA was doing a few "test" games, and he had 26 blocks. Simply the GOAT- Greatest Of All Time.

   Anyone who thinks Chamberlain wasn't the greatest basketball player of all time not just center simply hasn't checked the numbers. Bill Russell who supposedly had Wilt's number managed to hold him to 40 points 28 rebounds who knows how many blocks they didn't count them and 12 assists avg. in their games. He would've fouled shaq out in the first quarter. He'd have averaged a triple double for a career if not quadruple if they kept all the stats.

2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

   

   Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is an American retired professional basketball player who played 20 seasons in the National Basketball Association for the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers. He is the NBA's all-time leading scorer with 38,387 points, a record he held from 1989 until it was surpassed in 2023... read more

   Kareem (the player formerly known as Lew) and his Bucks stopped the greatest NBA winning streak. People say Kareem was young and Wilt was old, but really, Wilt, a veteran center, was outplayed by a 2nd-year player. Kareem had Magic and Oscar (each never got a ring without Kareem), but Wilt had Jerry "the NBA logo" West and Gail Goodrich at the same time. Kareem didn't just change the rules (like the NCAA not allowing dunking) but he changed the way big men trained and conditioned. Not just the greatest center, but the greatest player of all time.

   Kareem had the most unstoppable shot in NBA history, the Sky Hook. He hit many big shots over his illustrious career, including game-winning shots against their bitter rival, the Boston Celtics. Kareem is also the NBA's all-time leading scorer. In his prime, nobody could even come close to stopping him. He is a true basketball legend.

3. Hakeem Olajuwon

   

   Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon, formerly known as Akeem Olajuwon, is a Nigerian-American retired professional basketball player. He played in the NBA from 1984 to 2002, spending most of his career with the Houston Rockets. Olajuwon led the Rockets to two NBA championships in 1994 and 1995 and was named NBA Finals... read more

   He improved in the playoffs, while Wilt and Kareem got worse statistically.

   He outplayed all Hall of Fame centers during his prime in the postseason, including Kareem in '86, Parish in '86, Ewing in '94, Robinson in '95, and Shaq in '95.

   He is better than Russell defensively because he was a much better stealer, man defender (Wilt regularly destroyed him), and perimeter defender.

   Russell also has an inflated defensive presence due to favorable rules, like a smaller lane to patrol, no three-second rule, stacked teams, lesser competition (athletically, skill-wise, and economically), shorter playoff runs to a championship, and one of the greatest coaches of all time in Red Auerbach. Olajuwon had no such advantages and is still close to Russell in defensive presence, which is why he is better overall.

   He is the greatest two-way center of all time and has absolutely no weakness in his game.

4. Bill Russell

   

   William Felton "Bill" Russell was an American professional basketball player. He played center for the Boston Celtics in the National Basketball Association from 1956 to 1969. Russell was an 11-time NBA champion and a five-time MVP, widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the... read more

   Russell should be #1 because he was way more committed to the game than Wilt and Shaq ever will be. His defense would slaughter Kareem and would match up well with Hakeem. He was a very elite defensive leader and, unlike Shaq and Wilt, cared more about his team than the media. Russell wasn't known for his offense but could score in the post if he wanted to.

   You people underestimate the skill of Bill Russell. He was the best shot-blocker in NBA history and he has the most rings in NBA history. He is so much better than Kareem and Shaq. Russell should be in the top three.

5. Shaquille O'Neal

   

   Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal, known widely as Shaq, is a retired American professional basketball player. He currently works as a sports analyst on the television program Inside the NBA. Renowned for his dominant presence on the court and his charismatic, approachable personality, O'Neal remains one of the... read more

   If every NBA player in their primes lined up, and you could get the first pick to put one person on your team, you'd be a fool not to pick Shaquille O'Neal. No better teammate in the history of basketball. Who would you be more comfortable hitting the court with and being yourself, playing your game, knowing a guy like Shaq has your back... Nobody.

   If Shaq played in the bad boys era or earlier, he probably would have legally taken out a few people on the court. Not to mention, he was so dominant they started allowing zone defense. Without zone defense, he would have been even more dominant!

6. David Robinson

   

   David Maurice Robinson is an American former professional basketball player who played center for the San Antonio Spurs in the National Basketball Association for his entire career. Nicknamed The Admiral due to his service in the U.S. Navy, he is a two-time NBA champion, a 10-time NBA All-Star, and an... read more

   David Robinson was so amazing. Now, this guy has the heart of a true champion. There's been just a handful of people that can carry their team on their shoulders, and David is most known to have done that throughout his career. Very successful person, high achiever, left a big hole in the NBA when he retired.

   More speed and agility than people gave him credit for. Absolutely dominant on both ends of the court. Excellent on and off the court.

   Love his game, and I'm not even a Spurs fan! No one brings up his name in conversation when debating the best bigs of all time. Such a shame!

7. Moses Malone

   

   Moses Eugene Malone was an American basketball player who competed in the American Basketball Association and the National Basketball Association from 1974 to 1995. A dominant center, he was named the NBA Most Valuable Player three times, selected as a 12-time NBA All-Star, and earned eight All-NBA honors... read more

   His only issue was that he played on so many teams, so he doesn't get much credit. The man finished in the top ten in scoring seven times and in the top ten in rebounds ten times. He was simply a consistent machine.

   Moses Malone is one of the greatest to play in the NBA.

8. Patrick Ewing

   

   Patrick Aloysius Ewing is a Jamaican-American former professional basketball player and coach, born on August 5, 1962. He had a Hall of Fame career in the NBA, most notably with the New York Knicks. Ewing later served as the head coach of the Georgetown University men's basketball team from 2017 to 2023... read more

   I have to say, this guy has a good three-point shot that was pretty much accurate. He's just missing a championship ring, but he was so close against Olajuwon in 1994. He was owned by the Dream Shake.

   Ewing was awesome. Very underrated. Carried a very offensively mediocre team on his back for 15 years. Took the Knicks to the second round or further nine years in a row (maybe 10).

   Very productive big and I liked his jumper! It was probably the best from a center. He played with the Knicks and never won a title, which prevents him from being in the top five in most people's eyes.

9. George Mikan

   

   George Lawrence Mikan Jr., nicknamed Mr. Basketball, was an American professional basketball player. He played for the Chicago American Gears in the National Basketball League before joining the Minneapolis Lakers. Mikan became a dominant center during the 1940s and 1950s and was instrumental in popularizing... read more

10. Tim Duncan

    

    Timothy Theodore "Tim" Duncan is a retired American professional basketball player. He played his entire 19-season career with the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association. Duncan won five NBA championships, earned two MVP awards, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest power forwards... read more

    In the discussion for G.O.A.T.! A career and approach to the game that may never be matched by a player of the same position.

The Newcomers
11. ?

    Bob McAdoo

    

    Robert Allen McAdoo Jr. (born September 25, 1951) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he was a five-time NBA All-Star and was named the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 1975.... read more

    A legacy in greatness: Buffalo Braves, 1975 NBA MVP, 1975 All-NBA First Team.

    With the New York Knicks, he averaged 26.5 points per game in 1977-78 and led the team to the playoffs.

    For the Los Angeles Lakers, he helped lead the team to 2 NBA Championships.

    Its Joeysworld

12. ?

    Alperen Sengun

    
The Contenders

13. Dwight Howard

    

    Dwight David Howard is an American former professional basketball player. He was an eight-time NBA All-Star, three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, and an NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020. In 2025, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

14. Bill Walton

    

    William Theodore Walton III was an American basketball player and television sportscaster. He won two NCAA championships with UCLA, one NBA title with the Portland Trail Blazers in 1977, and another with the Boston Celtics in 1986. After retiring from professional basketball, he became known for his... read more

    Injuries (foot) were the bane of this phenom. Kareem once referred to him as Dr. Scholl.

15. Dikembe Mutombo

    

    Defensively, he was a god, like Hakeem and Bill Russell!

    Four-time defensive player of the year, baby!

    He was a beast in his prime but not that good afterward.

    He is #2 on the all-time blocks list!

16. Yao Ming

    

    Yao Ming is a retired Chinese professional basketball player and a prominent basketball executive. He played for the Shanghai Sharks in the Chinese Basketball Association and for the Houston Rockets in the National Basketball Association. After retiring in 2011, he took on leadership roles in Chinese... read more

    Yao Ming is such a great player. See him play against other tall centers, he can dominate.

    Seriously? He should be on the top-10 list! He shut down Shaq in their every matchup.

17. Nikola Jokic

    

    Nikola Jokić is a Serbian professional basketball player who plays for the Denver Nuggets in the National Basketball Association. He was drafted by the Nuggets in 2014 and has since become one of the league's top players. Jokić won the NBA Most Valuable Player award in both 2021 and 2022.

18. Robert Parish

    

    I see five or six guys listed ahead of Chief that should not be. He was a champion more often than most of the centers listed ahead of him. He may have been the third option on offense but made big contributions during the years the Celtics won titles. He faced many of the top centers in history when he played and held his own.

    The Chief did everything well. Great at the goal, defender, and was a dependable scorer in the post. Would have had better stats if not for Bird and McHale. He made the perfect Celtic.

19. Alonzo Mourning

    

    Because he's behind players like Tyson Chandler, Yao Ming, and Bill Walton? Those guys aren't better than Zo. Nor are they better than Dikembe.

20. Ben Wallace

    

    Ben Camey Wallace is a retired American professional basketball player. A native of Alabama, Wallace attended Cuyahoga Community College and Virginia Union University. He signed with the Washington Bullets as an undrafted free agent in 1996.... read more

21. Nate Thurmond

    

    Nathaniel Thurmond was an American basketball player who spent the majority of his 14-year career in the National Basketball Association with the Golden State Warriors. He played the center and power forward positions. Thurmond was a seven-time NBA All-Star and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of... read more

    As of this comment, Big Nate ranks #48, which is absolutely ridiculous. Nate was listed as one of the top 50 players of all time about 20 years ago.

    Not saying he's the greatest center ever, but he's definitely in the top 10.

    Could be the #3 shot blocker of all time, behind Wilt and Bill Russell.

22. Artis Gilmore

    Top 10 center who unfortunately had the misfortune to play against, and be compared with, old Wilt and young Kareem. In retrospect, he was huge and awesome.

    A-Train was very good on both ends of the floor. Jabbar always says he played him the toughest. Great that he finally made the Hall of Fame.

23. Joel Embiid

    

    Joel Hans Embiid is a Cameroonian professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association. He was born on March 16, 1994, and played college basketball for the Kansas Jayhawks before being drafted third overall in the 2014 NBA Draft. Embiid was named the NBA Most... read more

24. Bob Lanier

25. Bob Pettit

    

    Robert Lee Pettit Jr. is an American retired professional basketball player. He played 11 seasons in the NBA, primarily with the Milwaukee and St. Louis Hawks. Pettit was the first recipient of the NBA Most Valuable Player Award and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1970... read more

    One of the earlier stars, Russell had placed him on his all-time team.

26. Willis Reed

    

    Willis Reed Jr. (June 25, 1942 - March 21, 2023) was an American professional basketball player, coach, and general manager. He spent his entire ten-year professional playing career (1964-1974) with the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA).... read more

    Seeing him in his prime against the top centers (whether in playoffs or not) should convince anyone of his greatness.

27. Arvydas Sabonis

    

    Arvydas Romas Sabonis, born on December 19, 1964, is a retired Lithuanian professional basketball player and businessman. He played as a center both in European leagues and for the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers from 1995 to 2001 and again in the 2002-2003 season. Sabonis has been inducted into both the... read more

    Greatest center of all time.

    Best passing big ever, excellent shooter, killer post-game and oh yeah, he was 7'3".

    A shooting guard in the body of a center. Best center to ever step out of Europe.

    If not for the Cold War and injuries, he would have been the best of the best.