So, tonight let’s look at the NBA’s Fifty Greatest Players and analyze them by rebounds, both rebounds per game and career rebounds accumulated. Remember, this list was released by then NBA Commissioner David Stern in 1996, so none of today’s greats are on this list. Analyzing the NBA greats by rebounds really accentuates some different names among the NBA legends. We see some names near the top who are relatively unknown when compared to Michael, Wilt, Russell, Magic, Larry Legend, and, from today’s game, “King James.”
Some statistical comments on the list (my call sign is Stats, after all) follow. Remember, the left side of the table shows rebounds per game (RPG) while the right side of the table shows career rebounds.
- Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell totally dominate the rebounding statistics, both in RPG and career rebounds. The gap between these two players and the rest of the field is truly amazing. No one else comes close.
- I did not separate Offensive Rebounds out of the career rebounds for this analysis. However, suffice it to say that Moses Malone holds the NBA records for offensive rebounds in a career, season, and game. No one else comes close.
- Since Bob Petitt and Jerry Lucas both played significant amounts of time at center, the highest ranked forward in RPG is 6’5” Eligin Baylor at 13.5 RPG followed by Dolph Schayes at 12.1 RPG and Charles Barkley at 11.7 RPG .
- Oscar Robertson, a 6’5” point guard, is the highest ranked guard in RPG at 7.5 RPG followed by Magic Johnson at 7.2 RPG and Michael Jordan at 6.3 RPG. (Author’s note: Great three guard offense and defense here, as well as some rebounding power!)
RPG AVERAGES (Descending) CAREER REBOUNDS (Descending)
| # | Name | GP | RPG | # | Name | GP | Rebounds | |
| 1 | Wilt Chamberlain | 1045 | 22.9 | 1 | Wilt Chamberlain | 1045 | 23,924 | |
| 2 | Bill Russell | 963 | 22.5 | 2 | Bill Russell | 963 | 21,620 | |
| 2 | Bob Pettit | 792 | 16.2 | 2 | K. Abdul-Jabbar | 1560 | 17,440 | |
| 2 | Jerry Lucas | 829 | 15.6 | 2 | Elvin Hayes | 1303 | 16,279 | |
| 5 | Nate Thurmond | 964 | 15.0 | 5 | Moses Malone | 1329 | 16,212 | |
| 6 | Wes Unseld | 984 | 14.0 | 6 | Karl Malone | 1476 | 14,968 | |
| 7 | Dave Cowens | 766 | 13.6 | 7 | Robert Parish | 1611 | 14,715 | |
| 8 | Elgin Baylor | 846 | 13.5 | 8 | Nate Thurmond | 964 | 14,464 | |
| 9 | George Mikan | 439 | 13.4 | 9 | Wes Unseld | 984 | 13,769 | |
| 10 | Willis Reed | 650 | 12.9 | 10 | Hakeem Olajuwon | 1238 | 13,748 | |
| 11 | Elvin Hayes | 1303 | 12.5 | 11 | Shaquille O’Neal | 1207 | 13,099 | |
| 12 | Moses Malone | 1329 | 12.2 | 12 | Jerry Lucas | 829 | 12,942 | |
| 13 | Dolph Schayes | 996 | 12.1 | 13 | Bob Pettit | 792 | 12,849 | |
| 14 | Charles Barkley | 1073 | 11.7 | 14 | Charles Barkley | 1073 | 12,546 | |
| 15 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 1560 | 11.2 | 15 | Patrick Ewing | 1183 | 11,607 | |
| 16 | Hakeem Olajuwon | 1238 | 11.1 | 16 | Elgin Baylor | 846 | 11,463 | |
| 17 | Dave DeBusschere | 875 | 11.0 | 17 | Dolph Schayes | 996 | 11,256 | |
| 18 | Shaquille O’Neal | 1207 | 10.9 | 18 | David Robinson | 987 | 10,497 | |
| 19 | David Robinson | 987 | 10.6 | 19 | Dave Cowens | 766 | 10,444 | |
| 20 | Bill Walton | 468 | 10.5 | 20 | Dave DeBusschere | 875 | 9,618 | |
| 21 | Billy Cunningham | 654 | 10.1 | 21 | Larry Bird | 897 | 8,974 | |
| 22 | Karl Malone | 1476 | 10.1 | 22 | Willis Reed | 650 | 8,414 | |
| 23 | Larry Bird | 897 | 10.0 | 23 | John Havlicek | 1270 | 8,007 | |
| 24 | Patrick Ewing | 1183 | 9.8 | 24 | Oscar Robertson | 1040 | 7,804 | |
| 25 | Robert Parish | 1611 | 9.1 | 25 | Scottie Pippen | 1178 | 7,494 | |
| 26 | Paul Arizin | 713 | 8.6 | 26 | Kevin McHale | 971 | 7,122 | |
| 27 | Oscar Robertson | 1040 | 7.5 | 27 | Clyde Drexler | 1086 | 6,677 | |
| 28 | Kevin McHale | 971 | 7.3 | 28 | Michael Jordan | 1072 | 6,672 | |
| 29 | Magic Johnson | 906 | 7.2 | 29 | Billy Cunningham | 654 | 6,638 | |
| 30 | Julius Erving | 836 | 6.7 | 30 | Magic Johnson | 906 | 6,559 | |
| 31 | Rick Barry | 794 | 6.5 | 31 | Paul Arizin | 713 | 6,129 | |
| 32 | Scottie Pippen | 1178 | 6.4 | 32 | Hal Greer | 1122 | 5,665 | |
| 33 | John Havlicek | 1270 | 6.3 | 33 | Julius Erving | 836 | 5,601 | |
| 34 | Michael Jordan | 1072 | 6.2 | 34 | Jerry West | 932 | 5,366 | |
| 35 | Clyde Drexler | 1086 | 6.1 | 35 | Rick Barry | 794 | 5,168 | |
| 36 | Walt Frazier | 825 | 5.9 | 36 | Lenny Wilkens | 1077 | 5,030 | |
| 37 | Jerry West | 932 | 5.8 | 37 | Bill Walton | 468 | 4,923 | |
| 38 | Bob Cousy | 924 | 5.2 | 38 | Walt Frazier | 825 | 4,830 | |
| 39 | James Worthy | 926 | 5.1 | 39 | Bob Cousy | 924 | 4,786 | |
| 40 | Hal Greer | 1122 | 5.0 | 40 | James Worthy | 926 | 4,708 | |
| 41 | Sam Jones | 871 | 4.9 | 41 | Sam Jones | 871 | 4,305 | |
| 42 | Lenny Wilkens | 1077 | 4.7 | 42 | George Mikan | 439 | 4,167 | |
| 43 | George Gervin | 791 | 4.6 | 43 | John Stockton | 1504 | 4,051 | |
| 44 | Pete Maravich | 658 | 4.2 | 44 | George Gervin | 791 | 3,607 | |
| 45 | Bill Sharman | 711 | 3.9 | 45 | Isiah Thomas | 979 | 3,478 | |
| 46 | Dave Bing | 901 | 3.8 | 46 | Dave Bing | 901 | 3,420 | |
| 47 | Isiah Thomas | 979 | 3.6 | 47 | Earl Monroe | 926 | 2,796 | |
| 31 | Earl Monroe | 926 | 3.0 | 31 | Bill Sharman | 711 | 2,779 | |
| 49 | John Stockton | 1504 | 2.7 | 49 | Pete Maravich | 658 | 2,747 | |
| 50 | Nate Archibald | 876 | 2.3 | 50 | Nate Archibald | 876 | 2,046 |
BILL HARVEY, Call Sign “Stats”, is the Editor of Hoops Business. He is a former basketball player, basketball referee, Army officer, and college instructor in technical writing with a public relations and journalism background. He is also the editor of the Net Set blog at http://thenetsetblog.com. BA degree from Xavier University and MA degree in Information Management.
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