Fox Sports: Top 10 centers in NBA history

[bohica]

10.  Nate Thurmond (1963-77)



The top nine centers on this list each won at least one title. Among those who didn't, Thurmond edges out Patrick Ewing for the 10th spot in a close call. While Ewing was a superior scorer, Thurmond was the better rebounder, passer and defender. Built like granite, "Nate the Great" averaged a 20-20 (21.3 ppg, 22.0 rpg) in the 1966-67 and 1967-68 seasons and was the first NBA player to record a quadruple-double (22 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists, 12 blocks vs. the Hawks in 1974). He also did the little things that don't show up in a boxscore. When Thurmond set a screen, no defender could get through it without a forklift.

[bohica]

9.  Willis Reed (1964-74)



Reed's career stats (18.7 ppg, 12.9 rpg) are comparable to Ewing's (21.0 ppg, 9.8 rpg), but Reed did something Ewing couldn't — lead the Knicks to a championship. Twice, in fact, in 1970 and '73. That's not entirely fair to Ewing, who didn't have the luxury of playing with Earl Monroe, Walt Frazier and Dave DeBusschere. (Reed also didn't have the misfortune of playing against Michael Jordan.) But Reed's toughness and leadership were integral to those titles. Everyone's seen the grainy footage of Reed limping onto the Madison Square Garden court with a torn leg muscle in Game 7 of the 1970 Finals, scoring the first two baskets to spark a romp over the Lakers.

[bohica]

8.  David Robinson (1989-2003)



If anything, the Admiral was too nice. A fitness freak with incredible athletic ability for a 7-footer, he was a matchup nightmare for opponents and put up incredible numbers his first seven years in the league. Still, it wasn't until Tim Duncan (left) showed up in San Antonio that Robinson won his only two titles. That's because he didn't have the competitive fire to lead a team to a championship — or so his critics said. It's kinder to say that Robinson had the grace and humility to accept a secondary role in pursuit of a title. With Robinson, kindness is part of his legacy. After all, a mean streak might have made him a better player, but not a better person.

[bohica]

7.  George Mikan (1946-56)



To those who say Mikan wouldn't even make an NBA roster today, we say, "Of course. He died seven years ago!" But seriously, he should be judged by the standards of his era, which he dominated as much as Michael Jordan dominated his own. With his ambidextrous hook shot, the 6-foot-10 Mikan led the Minneapolis Lakers to the first NBA championship in 1950, then four more in the next five years. How good was he? The league widened the lane from six feet to 12 to keep him away from the rim. When he died, Shaquille O'Neal offered to pay for his funeral with this explanation: "Without number 99 (Mikan), there is no me."

[bohica]

6.  Moses Malone (1974-95)



Before KG, Kobe and LeBron made it commonplace, Malone was a rarity — a prep-to-pros superstar. The 6-foot-10 powerhouse from Petersburg, Va., played two ABA seasons, then 19 more in the NBA, and won three MVP awards. No one owned the offensive boards like Malone, who led arguably the greatest team in league history — the 1982-83 Sixers of Dr. J, Mo Cheeks and Bobby Jones — to a championship run that began with his famous playoff prediction, "Fo', fo' and fo." As it turned out, Philly needed four, five and four games to storm through its three series.

[bohica]

5.  Hakeem Olajuwon (1984-2002)



Most dominant NBA centers get respect from fans but not love, mainly because their size and power are hard to identify with. Not Olajuwon. With the athleticism of a soccer goalie (his first sport in Nigeria) and the graceful moves of a point guard (who didn't love his Dream Shake?), the Rockets center was always fun to watch. He outplayed the other great centers of his era — Patrick Ewing, David Robinson and a young Shaquille O'Neal — and led Houston to back-to-back championships in 1994 and '95.

[bohica]

4.  Shaquille O'Neal (1992-2011)



Could Shaq have had a better career? Sure. If he'd gotten along with Kobe Bryant (left), if he'd kept himself in better shape, if he could make a damn free throw. But no player in league history (other than Wilt Chamberlain, perhaps) has been as physically dominant as O'Neal was at the peak of his powers, during his three title runs with the Lakers from 2000-2002. At 7-foot-1 and well over 300 pounds, he overpowered opponents for most of his career and isn't going away any time soon, thanks to his new TNT gig. After all, his personality, like his body, is larger than life.

[bohica]

3.  Wilt Chamberlain (1959-73)



If these rankings were based solely on statistics, there'd be no doubt who belongs on top. Individually, no one has dominated the game like Wilt, whose season and career stats are almost beyond comprehension. Some of the highlights: 50.4 ppg in 1961-62, 27.2 rpg in 1960-61, and even 8.6 apg in 1967-68. But the man who once scored 100 in a game only won two championships, or 15 fewer than the top two guys on this list. That's not to say he was a loser. It's simply an acknowledgement that basketball is a team game, and other centers in NBA history ultimately created more team success.

[bohica]

2.  Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1969-89)



He played for so long — 20 NBA seasons — that many fans only remember "Old Kareem," the Yoda-faced giant still tossing in sky hooks in his early 40s but playing a secondary role on the Showtime Lakers. What's easy to forget is how remarkably fit, agile and athletic Abdul-Jabbar was for the majority of his career. When he entered the league in 1969, he had a mighty Afro and a different name (Lew Alcindor). By the time he left in 1989, he had six MVP awards, six championships and the most points in NBA history (38,387).

[bohica]

1.  Bill Russell (1956-69)



In the annals of American sport — and where do they keep those annals, anyway? — there's never been a winner like Bill Russell. He played 13 NBA seasons. He won 11 NBA championships. Sure, he had great teammates and a great coach, but Bob Cousy and Red Auerbach didn't win a title until the big man showed up in Boston. A 6-foot-11 lefty, Russell controlled games on defense with his shot-blocking, rebounding and outlet passes. He could score, too, but more than anything he did whatever it took to win, including leading the C's to a Finals upset of the Lakers in his last season as player-coach. The year after he retired, Boston went 34-48.

[Itachi101]

walang mali dito sa list ng best center
agree ako

[tonistork]

If I'm from Fox Sports, I'll put Patrick Ewing at No. 10, those moving Thurmond to No. 9 and Reed to No. 8. I'll remove David Robinson from this list because for me, he is the epitome of 'SOFT'. He was totally outplayed by Hakeem in 1995 Western Finals and that year he was the league MVP, those critics labelled him as a 'SOFTIE'.

[Itachi101]

If I'm from Fox Sports, I'll put Patrick Ewing at No. 10, those moving Thurmond to No. 9 and Reed to No. 8. I'll remove David Robinson from this list because for me, he is the epitome of 'SOFT'. He was totally outplayed by Hakeem in 1995 Western Finals and that year he was the league MVP, those critics labelled him as a 'SOFTIE'.

hindi ako agree wala kasing championship ring si ewing sayang nga

[tonistork]

hindi ako agree wala kasing championship ring si ewing sayang nga

Malone is rated as the 2nd best power forward, eh wala ring NBA ring ito. In fairness kay Patrick Ewing, he was a 2-time Olympic gold medalist (1984 - with an all collegiate line-up with Michael Jordan, Chris Mullin, Sam Perkins as his  notable teammates & 1992 - with the Original Dream team).

Robinson leads the US team in 1988 Olympics to a measly 'bronze', losing to the rugged USSR team in the semis. It only shows that when the going gets tough, he cannot lead his team to victory. Kung hindi pa dumating si Tim Duncan sa Spurs, di hindi nakatikim ng championship ito.

Ewing lead his team to NBA finals in 1994 with a supporting cast of role players and castoffs but unfortunately, bowed to the greatness of Hakeem Olajuwon and the Rockets. And he was also in an era of the raging Chicago Bulls lead by the great Michael Jordan.

[tonistork]

Parang nawala dito si Bill Walton, a champion with Portland & Boston.

He is a great defensive center and got above-average offensive skills as well.