The 25 greatest centers of all time

Not for nothing, but Bill Laimbeer might fit in the modern NBA better than some think. The physical center who often bent, and broke, certain on-the-court rules while winning a pair of rings with the "Bad Boys" Detroit Pistons was a four-time All-Star who was an underrated shooter from beyond the arc. He drained 202 three-pointers over his career during an era when big men didn't drop back as often as they do today. 

While Yao Ming was an eight-time All-Star named All-NBA on five occasions, he never neared his physical prime before injuries began to affect him ahead of his 26th birthday. Because of that, Ming is sometimes more remembered as a cultural phenomenon than somebody who could've taken the torch at the position from none other than Shaquille O'Neal. In 2016, Fansided's John Buhler compiled alternative Ming timelines, one of which includes the 7-foot-6 center remaining healthy through his 30s. Oh, what could have been. 

A national advertising campaign allowed Dikembe Mutombo's famous celebration to live on well past his playing days. Don't let that prevent you from appreciating his defensive excellence. The eight-time All-Star won Defensive Player of the Year on four occasions, made six All-Defensive teams and was a three-time blocks leader. Mutombo is second in career rejections and seventh all time in BPG. 

The opening half of Dan Issel's pro career sometimes goes unnoticed, since he spent his first five seasons (1970 through 1975-76) in the ABA. Numbers don't lie, and they count all the same in the record books. The one-time ABA champion was named to six ABA All-Star squads and became a one-time NBA All-Star with the Denver Nuggets in 1977. As of March, only 10 players in history have scored more career points (27,482) than the Hall of Famer. 

One of only 27 players to tally over 24,000 points (24,971), Artis Gilmore was the ABA's best rebounder four out of five seasons, from 1971 through the 1975-76 campaign, and he was named to five All-ABA First Teams. Gilmore joined the NBA via the Chicago Bulls following the '75-76 season, and he became a six-time league All-Star who led the NBA in overall field-goal percentage, two-point field-goal percentage and effective field-goal percentage four times. In combined numbers, nobody accumulated more defensive rebounds (11,514), and Gilmore sits fifth all time in total boards (16,330). 

Theoretically speaking, Alonzo Mourning appeared to have plenty left in the tank after eight seasons when it was learned in the fall of 2000 he was suffering from kidney disease. The seven-time All-Star who was a two-time reigning Defensive Player of the Year heading into the 2000-01 campaign led the NBA in blocks during each of the prior two seasons. His return to the court was admirable, and he won a title with the Miami Heat in 2006. Still, it's possible he would have been a top-15 or top-10 player at the position had he never dealt with a serious illness. 

Before Wilt Chamberlain starred for the Philadelphia Warriors, Neil Johnston served as the team's center from the start of the 1951-52 season through the end of the 1958-59 campaign. Johnston was a six-time All-Star who won every scoring title from 1953 through 1955, and he was named to five All-NBA teams. A knee injury prematurely ended the career of the man who is 10th all time in player efficiency rating. 

From the start of the 1973-74 season through the end of the 1975-76 campaign, nobody grabbed buckets better than Buffalo Braves center Bob McAdoo, the scoring champion across those three years. The five-time All-Star earned two All-NBA appearances during the '70s, and he won a pair of titles coming off the bench for the Lakers in the '80s. An unlucky run of injuries that began in the late '70s slowed him before the age of 30.

Robert Parish was the big man down low for those Boston Celtics teams that won three titles in the 1980s. While not as gifted as either Larry Bird or Kevin McHale, "The Chief" tallied nine All-Star and a pair of All-NBA appearances. Parish competed in three different decades, and he still holds the all-time record for most games played. 

"Nate the Great" made history in October 1974 when he became the first man to record a quadruple-double as a pro. That wasn't a one-off for Nate Thurmond, who consistently contributed at both ends of the court throughout the '60s and early '70s. The seven-time All-Star was named to five All-Defensive units, and he's 11th in career rebounds. 

Wes Unseld began his career with the Bullets during the 1968-69 campaign, and that's where he played for each of his 13 professional seasons. The five-time All-Star won Rookie of the Year and, later, the 1978 NBA Finals MVP award. Unseld led the league in rebounds only once (1974-75), but he's seventh all time in RPG (13.99) and 13th in career rebounds (13,769). As of March 2019, he holds franchise records in seven different categories, including games, minutes, rebounds and win shares. 

"Superman" aged, or was downed by Kryptonite, seemingly overnight, but there was a five-year period where Dwight Howard was a formidable center lingering on the cusp of competing for an MVP award. In fact, the eight-time All-Star named Defensive Player of the Year each season from 2009 through 2011 finished second in MVP voting behind Derrick Rose for the 2010-11 campaign. The five-time season leader in RPG sits ninth in career rebounds. 

Younger fans and basketball viewers know Bill Walton for his wild hairstyle back in the day and for his, um, unique color commentary. The two-time champion and 1977 NBA Finals MVP was the best player in the league the subsequent season, during which he won league MVP honors. It's possible no big before him was a better outlet passer. While he managed to win Sixth Man of the Year for the 1985-86 season, recurring foot injuries robbed him of what would have been a special prime. 

Walt Bellamy was rare in that his best season was his debut campaign when he tallied 31.6 PPG and 19 RPG while winning Rookie of the Year for 1961-62. A lack of a championships affects his standing in such lists, but he notched over 20,000 points and over 14,000 rebounds. Only 11 men have grabbed more boards than Bellamy as of March 2019. 

Casual fans probably know Willis Reed as the two-time champion and two-time NBA Finals MVP who famously limped on and then off the court during the 1970 Finals. Reed meant so much more to the Knicks and the history of the league. The seven-time All-Star made five All-NBA teams, won league MVP honors for the 1969-70 campaign and averaged a double-double in each of his first seven seasons. 

As a rookie during the 1970-71 campaign, Boston Celtics center Dave Cowens averaged 17 points and 15 rebounds per contest. That began a run of eight straight seasons during which Cowens, a champion in 1974 and 1976, averaged a double-double. The eight-time All-Star earned a reputation for playing tenacious defense, and The Boston Globe's Dan Shaughnessy once wrote Cowens "might be the most unappreciated superstar in Celtics history." Only Gar Heard had a higher defensive rating (95.52). 

The greatest center to never win a championship, Patrick Ewing was, for many, the face of the New York Knicks from the late 1980s through the majority of the '90s. The 11-time All-Star with seven All-NBA and three All-Defensive appearances couldn't lead the Knicks past Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls in the East or the Houston Rockets in the 1994 NBA Finals. Nevertheless, Ewing holds franchise records for win shares, defensive win shares, blocks, blocks per game, total rebounds, steals, converted field goals, minutes played and games. 

Before playing committees altered rules because of Shaquille O'Neal and Wilt Chamberlain, George Mikan forced the NBA to widen the lane via what became known as "The Mikan Rule." The biggest reason the three-time scoring champion who won five titles, BAA included, isn't higher on the list is because there's literally nobody to compare him to from 1948 through 1954. Per the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Mikan, the first player to notch 10,000 career points, was voted the Associated Press' "greatest player in the first half century." 

As Jack M. Silverstein of the Chicago Tribune wrote that only two players in history have won Defensive Player of the Year and a scoring championship: Michael Jordan and David Robinson. Robinson, the 1990 Rookie of the Year, added a league MVP to his personal trophy case in 1995, and the 10-time All-Star who was one of the best defenders of the 1990s was named to 10 All-NBA and eight All-Defensive teams. "The Admiral" still sits fourth in both career defensive rating and career defensive box plus/minus . His two championships represent the beginning of the San Antonio Spurs' dynastic run. 

The phrase "journeyman Hall of Famer" isn't one in many active vocabularies, but it's fitting for Moses Malone, as he made nine different stops throughout his 21-year career. The 13-time All-Star was arguably the league's best overall player from 1973 through the spring of 1983, and he won three MVP trophies over that period. By far the most successful offensive rebounder in history , Malone won 1983 NBA Finals MVP as part of the Philadelphia 76ers side that swept the Los Angeles Lakers. He also sits second in career converted free throws. 

"The Dream" was arguably the preeminent center of the '90s, using his trademark Dram Shake to take home one regular-season MVP Award, two NBA Finals MVPs while making 12 All-NBA Teams over the course of 18-year career. Olajuwon was known best for his defense, and was named Defensive Player of the Year twice while making nine NBA All-Defense teams. 

Under the current rules and nature of the sport, it appears there will never again be as dominant a center as Shaquille O'Neal. In his prime and before he was slowed by injuries, the four-time champion, three-time NBA Finals MVP with 15 All-Star appearances, 14 All-NBA nods and two scoring titles forced opponents into "Hack-a-Shaq" mode that directly resulted in rule changes. That version of Shaq, one fully healthy and fully motivated, could win league MVP in 2019. 

Knock the competition Wilt Chamberlain faced during his career all you want. As with George Mikan and Shaquille O'Neal, the league changed rules in attempts to limit Chamberlain's dominance, per ESPN.com news services. The four-time league MVP with seven scoring titles, 13 All-Star and 10 All-NBA appearances to his name won two championships, and he sits first through fourth and also sixth in single-season records for PPG. "Wilt the Stilt" also holds career records for total rebounds, minutes per game and rebounds per game. Take it from here, Phil. 

To steal a line often used by New York Yankees fans: Count the rings. Nobody will ever remember Bill Russell as the league's greatest scorer, but his 11 championships aren't only the most in history. It seems downright impossible anybody will ever come close to flirting with reaching that mark again. The five-time league MVP, 12-time All-Star with 11 All-NBA nods is still first in career defensive win shares by a wide margin; as in nobody is ever getting close to it. With the result of a single basketball game determining your fate, is there anybody else you'd want playing down low in your lineup? 

Six league MVP awards, the most in history. A six-time NBA champion and two-time NBA Finals MVP. First in career points, career offensive win shares, career overall win shares, career field goals and career minutes played. A 19-time All-Star named All-NBA 15 times who made 11 All-Defensive units. Responsible for maybe the most unstoppable offensive move in basketball history. Those of us who think the G.O.A.T. debate begins and ends with a Michael Jordan vs. LeBron James argument need to show respect and start adding Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to the discussion.