NBA Greatest Centers Players: There has always been an abundance of exceptional basketball talent at the centre position in the NBA. The finest scorers, defenders, rebounders, and even passers the game has ever seen have held the position since the 1950s. In this article, you will get to know centres dominated every NBA basketball period.
Throughout the last 78 years, centers have seen a great evolution, led by George Mikan and Nikola Jokic. There’s no better way to pay tribute to the men who established the most significant position in basketball history than to rank the top 5 NBA greatest centers players in history by decade.
The 5 NBA Greatest Centers Players Of The 1950s
1. George Mikan
2. Bill Russell
3. Neil Johnston
4. Ed Macauley
5. Larry Foust
The first wave of NBA centres arrived in the 1950s and quickly overtook the league. George Mian, who spent seven seasons playing with the Minneapolis Lakers between 1949 and 1956, led this push. After going on to win five championships, three scoring crowns, four All-Star choices, and six All-NBA Team selections, Mikan was regarded as the NBA’s first real superstar. Mikan averaged 24.5 points and 14.2 rebounds per game on 40.5% shooting over the Lakers’ five championship campaigns.
Bill Russell is ranked second during the 1950s despite participating in just three of those seasons. In 1957 and 1959, Russell assisted in leading the Boston Celtics to two NBA titles. In three seasons, he averaged 16.1 points and 22.0 rebounds per game, and he was awarded MVP in 1958 as well. From 1952 until 1959, Neil Johnston spent eight seasons as a centre for the Warriors. Averaging 19.4 points and 11.3 rebounds per game over his career, Johnston would lead the Warriors to a 1956 championship, six All-Star choices, three scoring crowns, and five All-NBA Team selections.
Ed Macauley and Larry Foust are the final two centres in the top five for the 1950s years. Macaulay was a member of the Celtics and Hawks for ten of the decade’s seasons, 1950–59. In addition to seven All-Star choices and four All-NBA Team selections, he only won one NBA title in 1958. Regarding Foust, he never won an NBA championship but just missed induction into the Hall of Fame throughout his career in which he was selected eight times as an All-Star and twice as an All-NBA Team for the Pistons between 1951 and 1959.
The 5 NBA Greatest Centers Players Of The 1960s
1. Bill Russell
2. Wilt Chamberlain
3. Willis Reed
4. Nate Thurmond
5. Walt Bellamy
Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain are immediately associated with the basketball of the 1960s. In the 1960s, Bill Russell’s name was associated with success. Nine of Russell’s eleven NBA titles came during the 1960s when he guided the Celtics to seven straight from 1960 to 1966 and two more in 1968 and 1969. From 1960 through 1969, Russell would win four of his five MVP awards, ten All-Star choices, and nine selections to the All-NBA Team.
With seven scoring crowns, four MVP honours, an NBA championship in 1967, and other NBA records for scoring and playing time, Wilt Chamberlain dominated the statistics department. Between 1960 and 1969, Chamberlain averaged 34.4 points and 24.3 rebounds per game—a combination of stats unmatched previously or since seen in NBA history. With three All-NBA team choices, five All-Star appearances, and an average of 19.6 points and 13.7 rebounds per game from 1965 to 1969, Willis Reed secures the third position.
Walt Bellamy and Nate Thurmond complete our list of the best five centres of the 1960s. Between 1964 and 1969, Thurmond participated in six seasons of basketball, averaging 16.4 points and 17.9 rebounds per contest while being selected for four All-Star teams. Between 1962 and 1969, Bellamy participated in eight seasons, averaging 23.3 points and 15.0 rebounds per game on 51.8% shooting. She was named Rookie of the Year in 1962 and went on to win four All-Star selections.
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The 5 NBA Greatest Centers Players Of The 1970s
1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
2. Wilt Chamberlain
3. Willis Reed
4. Wes Unseld
5. Bill Walton
Throughout the 1970s, the centre position never let up on its supremacy. In 1970, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar made his NBA debut just as the decade was coming to an end. Over the following 1-0 seasons with the Bucks and Lakers, he would take the league by storm with 28.6 points, 14.8 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks per game. He was awarded Finals MVP in 1971 and led the Bucks to their first NBA title. In addition, he would win nine All-Star choices, ten All-NBA Team picks, eight All-Defensive Team selections, and five of his record six MVP trophies.
Wilt Chamberlain, who played for the Lakers for four seasons from 1970 to 1974, comes in second this decade. During that period, Chamberlain won Finals MVP in 1972 and assisted L.A. in winning an NBA championship. At 16.7 points and 18.7 rebounds per game, he averaged three selections to the All-Star team. Third place goes to Willis Reed as well, who helped the Knicks win two titles in 1970 and 1973. In addition to winning MVP honours in the Finals both times, Reed also averaged 17.4 points and 11.7 rebounds per game during the 1970s.
Bill Walton and Wes Unseld trail behind for the 1970s. In the 1970s, both centres won Finals MVP and helped their teams win NBA titles. In addition to winning MVP in 1978, Walton guided the Trail Blazers to their first and only title in 1977. Unseld, who averaged 10.8 points and 13.9 rebounds per game in the decade, won Finals MVP honours and guided the Bullets to their lone title in their history in 1978.
The 5 NBA Greatest Centers Players Of The 1980s
1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
2. Moses Malone
3. Hakeem Olajuwon
4. Robert Parish
5. Patrick Ewing
A new generation of centres emerged in the 1980s, helping to sustain the centre position going forward. But Kareem Abdul-Jabbar continued to lead the way, winning five NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers between 1980 and 1989. Kareem would win MVP honours twice during this period: in 1980 and 1985 for the Finals. In addition, Abdul-Jabbar broke the scoring record in the NBA by averaging 20.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks in each game between 1980 and 1989.
Hakeem Olajuwon and Moses Malone round out the top three centres from the 1980s. Malone led the 76ers to an NBA title in 1983 and went on to earn back-to-back MVP honours in 1982 and 1983. Malone finished that series as the Finals MVP and went on to average 24.5 points and 13.2 rebounds per game for the next ten years. In the 1980s, Hakeem Olajuwon was already the greatest defender the NBA had ever seen. He averaged 23.0 points, 12.1 rebounds, 1.9 steals, and 3.1 blocks per game over the course of five seasons, from 1985 to 1989.
Robert Parish and Patrick Ewing occupy the final two positions in the top five rankings. Parish finished the decade averaging 17.9 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game to help the Celtics win three NBA titles in 1981, 1984, and 1986. Despite spending just four seasons (1986–1989) with the Knicks, Patrick Ewing managed to sneak into the top five with averages of 21.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 2.8 blocks per game.
The 5 NBA Greatest Centers Players Of The 1990s
1. Hakeem Olajuwon
2. David Robinson
3. Shaquille O’Neal
4. Patrick Ewing
5. Alonzo Mourning
For players in the centre position, the 1990s would be yet another era of greatness. Hakeem Olajuwon, the decade’s leader, is our first guest. Olajuwon led the Rockets to consecutive NBA titles in 1994 and 1995 during the 1990s. In addition to winning two MVP titles in the Finals, he also won back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year titles in 1993 and 1994. He averaged 24.3 points, 11.8 rebounds, 1.8 steals, and 3.5 blocks per game between 1990 and 1999.
Throughout the 1990s, David Robinson and Olajuwon were frequent rivals. Robinson won three awards between 1990 and 1999: MVP in 1995, Defensive Player of the Year in 1992, and Rookie of the Year in 1990. He was a part of the San Antonio Spurs’ historic first NBA championship in 1999. Even though Shaquille O’Neal was not as dominating as he was in the 2000s, he still had a fantastic decade from 1993 to 1999, averaging 27.1 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game.
In the 1990s, Patrick Ewing came dangerously close to winning championships in 1994 and 1999. Throughout the 1990s, Ewing continued to average 24.1 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks per game. With four All-Star selections and a 1999 Defensive Player of the Year award, Alonzo Mourning ends the decade averaging 21.0 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks per game from 1993 to 1999.
The 5 NBA Greatest Centers Players Of The 2000s
1. Shaquille O’Neal
2. Dwight Howard
3. Yao Ming
4. Ben Wallace
5. Alonzo Mourning
Shaquille O’Neal’s dominance over the whole NBA, like he did in the 2000s, has seldom been witnessed in NBA history. O’Neal would lead the Lakers to three consecutive NBA titles from 2000 to 2002. He received all three Finals MVP honours during this time, in addition to the 2000 MVP trophy. Between 2000 and 2009, he averaged 23.2 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game. He gained a fourth NBA title with the Miami Heat in 2006.
That late 2000s Dwight Howard was a guy possessed. Between 2005 and 2009, he played in five different seasons, averaging 17.3 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game. Earning the title of 2009 Defensive Player of the Year, he guided the Magic to their lone Finals trip in the previous 25 years. If Yao Ming’s career hadn’t been ended by injury, he would have taken the second place. Nevertheless, Yao was an All-Star in every season from 2003 to 2009, averaging 19.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per contest.
One of the best inside defenders of all time is Ben Wallace. He led the Piston’s defence to a 2004 title and won four Defensive Player of the Year honours in the 2000s. During this period, Alonzo Mourning was another outstanding centre. He won an NBA championship in 2006 and the 2000 Defensive Player of the Year award. From 2000 until 2008, he scored 12.5 points, grabbed 6.6 rebounds, and blocked 2.6 shots per game on average.
The 5 NBA Greatest Centers Of The 2010s
1. Dwight Howard
2. DeMarcus Cousins
3. Rudy Gobert
4. Marc Gasol
5. Al Horford
Early in the 2010s, Dwight Howard carried on with his dominance from the late 2000s. From 2010 to 2019, Howard won two additional Defensive Player of the Year titles, five All-Star choices, five All-NBA Team selections, and three All-Defensive Team selections. He also averaged 17.4 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game throughout the decade.
In the 2010s, while playing for the Kings and Pelicans, DeMarcus Cousins was putting up stats straight out of a video game. Throughout his career, Cousins averaged 21.2 points, 10.8 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game before sustaining an Achilles injury. Throughout the decade, he was selected for six All-Star teams and two All-NBA Team selections. Rudy Gobert was the defensive standout of the 2010s, earning the title of Defensive Player of the Year in both 2018 and 2019. In six seasons, he also averaged 11.1 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game.
Another past 2010s Defensive Player of the Year is Marc Gasol. In this era, he became the Grizzlies franchise’s greatest player, and in 2019, he helped the Raptors win an NBA championship. Al Horford is the last player among the top five centres for the 2010s. He averaged 14.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game while playing for the Hawks and Celtics for ten seasons. He was also selected for four All-Star teams.
The 5 NBA Greatest Centers Of The 2020s
1. Nikola Jokic
2. Joel Embiid
3. Rudy Gobert
4. Bam Adebayo
5. Domantas Sabonis
The 2020s half is not yet halfway done, so there is little indication that the centre rankings, particularly at the top, will be shifting very soon. Nikola Jokic of Denver is positioned comfortably in first place. In the two years since 2020, Jokic has led the Nuggets to their first NBA title, earned two MVP awards, and been named Finals MVP. Over these more than four years, he has averaged 24.6 points, 11.6 rebounds, 8.3 assists, and 1.3 steals per game.
Jokic is ahead of Joel Embiid in the standings over the past ten years. Embiid has won two scoring titles, an MVP in 2023, and an average of 29.6 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game in the 2020s. Rudy Gobert has further cemented his status as one of the finest players of the decade by winning Defensive Player of the Year in 2020 and reproducing that success in 2023–2024.
In addition to developing into one of the best all-around players in the league, Bam Adebayo has assisted the Miami Heat in going to two NBA Finals series since 2020. In the two years since 2020, he has averaged 18.7 points, 9.6 rebounds, 1.2 steals, 1.0 blocks, and four choices to the All-Defensive Team and two All-Star teams. Domantas Sabonis rounds out this decade’s list. During 2020, he played for the Kings and Pacers, averaging 19.2 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game on 56.8% shooting.
