Greatest NBA centers of all time
The center position has long been the anchor of championship basketball, home to some of the most dominant and transformative players the sport has ever seen. From rebounding titans to unstoppable scorers, these big men have shaped the game's history and defined entire eras. Who do you think deserves the crown as the greatest NBA center of all time? Cast your vote and make your case!
What counts: Seeded with approximate real-world figures — the crowd's votes decide the order from here.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar▲ Rising
Six rings, six MVPs, and a record 38,387 points scored with a shot — the skyhook — that was functionally unblockable for two decades across two different dynasties in Milwaukee and LA. He's the connective tissue between eras, dominant against Wilt-adjacent bigs in the 70s and still anchoring Showtime alongside Magic in the 80s, which is the strongest longevity argument in NBA history.
Titles: 6PPG: 24.6
added by IJRin 7 rankingsKareem Abdul-Jabbar
68
Bill Russell▲ Rising
Eleven championships in thirteen seasons is a number so absurd it reads like a typo, built on defense and rebounding in an age before shot-blocking was even tracked, turning the Celtics into the sport's first true dynasty. He redefined what winning meant at the position — never the best scorer on his own team, yet unarguably the greatest winner basketball has produced, which is why banners, not stats, make his case eternal.
Titles: 11PPG: 15.1
added by IJRin 10 rankings
41
Shaquille O'Neal▼ Falling
He didn't just dominate the paint, he broke rims and bent the rules around hand-checking and zone defense just to survive him, capping it with a 2000 Finals MVP run so physically overwhelming Kobe was reduced to a co-star. Three straight titles with the Lakers and a Finals gimmick where 'Hack-a-Shaq' entered the lexicon prove he's the most unstoppable force ever to play the five, even if the motor came and went.
Titles: 4PPG: 23.7
added by IJRin 6 rankingsShaquille O'Neal
2
Wilt Chamberlain▼ Falling
100 points in a single game, 50.4 a night for an entire season, 55 rebounds in one outing — Wilt's stat lines aren't records so much as statistical fiction that happened to be real, forcing the league to widen the lane and outlaw offensive goaltending just to contain him. Four MVPs and two titles undersell a man who was so physically dominant the sport had to legislate around his existence, making him the ultimate what-if of pure, unfiltered dominance.
Titles: 2PPG: 30.1
added by IJRin 7 rankingsWilt Chamberlain
-14
Nikola Jokić▼ Falling
A three-time MVP who plays center like a point guard trapped in a 7-footer's body, threading no-look bounce passes and pulling off deadeye jumpers while still bullying smaller defenders on the block, he dragged Denver to its first title in 2023 while racking up a Finals stretch of near-quadruple-doubles. He's rewritten the modern blueprint for what a center can be offensively, and his case only strengthens with every ring and assist title he adds.
Titles: 1PPG: 21.3
added by IJRin 3 rankingsNikola Jokić
-33
Hakeem Olajuwon▼ Falling
The Dream Shake wasn't just a move, it was a full offensive language — spins, fakes, footwork borrowed from soccer that turned a 7-footer into the league's most unguardable scorer, culminating in back-to-back titles in '94 and '95 with an MVP and two Finals MVPs sandwiched in. He's the patron saint of footwork for every post player since, the guy Shaq himself sought out to learn from, and that endorsement alone cements his spot among the all-time greats.
Titles: 2PPG: 21.8
added by IJRin 6 rankingsHakeem Olajuwon
-39
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Comments (6)
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Put some respect on the defensive end of this argument.
- BBruno JohnsonJul 29, 2026
No debate for me — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at the top is exactly right.
Rings aren't everything, look at the supporting casts.