Though there have been many centres throughout history that have truly dominated the paint from time to time, there were some who've had Short stints that didn't last long and ended up being role players and then there were some big who possessed flashes of potential but failed to make a name for themselves due to poor coaching, teammate chemistry or something else.
So here's a list of the top 10 centers to ever play the game of basketball. Now before we begin, let me clear out by saying this list consists only of true centers and not power forwards filling up the spot so there might be a chance you may end up disagreeing with us.If so, leave a comment as to which NBA player you think should replace the players in our list.
10. YAO MING:
The 'Great Wall of China', Yao Ming was a 7'6 Center that came to the NBA from the province ofChina. Standing at 7'6 with a wingspan of more than 2 meters, Yao Ming ended up being the3rd tallest player in NBA history, tying Shawn Bradley for the record.But Yao Ming wasn't just another bigman to protect the rim as he ended up being an 8 time all-star, 2 All NBA second time, 3 All NBA third team and the All NBA rookie team. He averaged19 PPG and almost 2 blocks per game for his career but his numbers do not do him justice. He Ended up forming up one of the most electrifying duo with Tracy McGrady in Houston and also took Houston to the playoffs.I had seen Shaquille O'Neal absolutely demolish players inside the paint and here came this skinny Chinese Rookie who was not only blocking Shaq's shots into the stands but also ended up scoring on The Big Diesel as well, and that too not accidentally.Yao knew how to post up, had a beautiful fadeaway and could also stretch the floor with his beautiful shooting stroke.But unfortunately he had to cut his career short due to multiple knee injuries which eventually led him into an early retirement. Otherwise he would've been much higher on this list.
9. Bill Walton:
Many would argue that Bill Walton does not deserve a spot on the list, many wouldn't even know who Bill Walton is but true NBA fans know what Walton was capable of.For today's NBA fans, Walton possessed the offensive and passing skills of Nikola Jokic and the interior defense of Rudy Gobert all the while being one of the most injury riddled player in NBAhistory and still being considered one of the best.If Walton's career wasn't robbed off injuries, he easily could've been in the top 5 Centers in history.Walton won one championship with Portland and one with Boston but what many do not know is that Walton could literally do it all on the court. Score, defend, pass the ball and space the floor.He even ended up playing with a completely broken leg hopped up on painkillers against theSeattle Supersonics which ended up being his last game in a Blazers jersey.Walton was a natural scorer and a tenacious rebounder with an array of moves in the post andthe agility of a forward to go along with it. If Portland had managed Walton's injuires in a better manner, who knows how history would have gone down then but for now he ends up as no. 9 on our list.
8. Patrick Ewing:
The 7 foot Center was drafted first overall by the New York Knicks in the 1985 draft. Ewing was truly a gifted scorer and an even better shooter. Not a lot of big men shot 3 pointers back then and Ewing was truly the first to ever do so. His signature corner 3 against the Celtics is still embedded in my mind which he even showed off in an NBA all-star game.Ewing is one of the most underrated big men and truly does not get enough credit for it.Ewing had a quick first step, unbelievable bounce for a 7 footer, could run the floor and jamdown filthy vicious dunks on other big men with a certain ease along with it as well.Ewing was the centerpiece of the 90's Knicks team that surrounded him. Even though Ewingcould never bring a title to New York, I feel as if he contributed more to the Knicks team thanWalt Frazier.Ewing leads the Knicks career leaderboard in games and minutes played, field goals, free throws, rebounds, steals, blocks and even points.Ewing was so good that even Jordan complimented him by saying "Even though he never won an NBA title, Partick always will have the heart of a champion."
7. David Robinson:
David Robinson or 'The Admiral', the nickname given to him for serving in the US Navy was drafted first overall in 1987 by the one and only, San Antonio Spurs.The Admiral was an 10 time all-star, 2 time NBA champion, NBA MVP and NBA defensive player of the year along with a string of multiple all NBA teams. But one thing his accolades won't tell you is David Robinson was one of the strongest Centers of his era and would easily come in the top 3 of this list.His swift footwork and agility, paired with a strong frame to push defenders away, Robinson's Highlight reels are full of him dunking on other 7 footers with monstrosity and fury.Robinson averaged 21 PPG, 10.5 RPG and 3.0 BPG respectively throughout his career. A pogostick would perfectly describe the way Robinson played on the floor. Constantly jumping and ipping loose balls in his favor, Robinson was later paired up with someone who would go down as the greatest power forward of all time, Tim Duncan. And they would go on to form the first twin towers with both players standing at 7 feet, being an absolute menace in the paint, having a block party of their own.Robinson went onto win 2 championships with Tim Duncan and the Spurs and would have definitely won more if he had opted to continue playing. Robinson easily is one of my personal favorites in this list because of the things he could do on the court and that too wearing a Spurs Jersey throughout his career.
6. Moses Malone:
Another sleeper on this list is Moses Malone being yet another underrated Center in NBA history. Moses started his career in the ABA and later on joined the NBA after the ABA-NBAmerger.Throughout his career, Moses ended up playing for 9 different teams which may have ended up hurting his legacy as one of the greatest as no single fan base could really call Moses a star for their team.His prime was mostly spent with the Houston Rockets where in 4 consecutive years he averaged 27.4 points per game, a staggering 15.1 rebounds per game and 1.5 blocks per game from 1979 to 1982, all the while shooting at a whopping 52% from the field, winning 2 MVP during these years topping off with a game wherein he pulled down 37 rebounds against theUtah Jazz. Moses, listed at 6'9 was an absolute worm for rebounds. He was a beast on the boards pulling down rebounds all night. And his niche was offensive rebounds in particular. Moses leads the NBA in career offensive rebounds with a 1500+ rebound differential between him and RobertParish who comes second in offensive rebounds which turns out are usually much harder to get and also stands on the 5th spot on the all time rebounds list.Though no single fanbase will ever count him in their all times but Moses definitely deserves a recognition on this list.
Check out the next article the list from 1-5... Best Centers in NBA history
