Top 10 centres in NBA history

Bill Russel won titles, Wilt Chamberlain broke records and Kareem Abdul Jabbar, well, he did both.

The LA Lakers legend said it would be 'impossible' to name the greatest centre to ever play in the NBA. He would say that - he is a prime candidate for the description.

With six NBA titles and six MVPs, Abdul-Jabbar doesn't care whether anyone thinks he was the best to play his position. Or maybe he does. If he disagrees with this list, we may find out when he pays the UAE a visit.

Disclaimer: Before you read this list, you should know that Holding Court spent the 1990s glued to the TV watching NBA games on VHS. The '90s theme in the middle of the following list betrays this. Patrick Ewing almost made the top 10, for pete's sake.

Here are the top 10 centres in the history of the league, as picked by Holding Court.

10. Willis Reed (1964-74)
The 6ft 9in Reed is best known for his heroics in Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals. Injured and not expected to play for the New York Knicks, Reed emerged from the locker room moments before tip-off, sending a Madison Square Garden crowd into a frenzy that shocked the LA Lakers players. Reed scored the first two baskets of the game and didn’t score again, but his bravery inspired his team to the championship. One of two titles, he also won two MVPs in a glittering career.

9. Moses Malone (1974-95)
The first NBA star to enter the league straight from high school, Malone is the seventh-leading scorer and fifth-leading rebounder in NBA history despite spending the first two seasons of his career in the ABA. Malone won an MVP with the Houston Rockets and a championship with the Philadelphia 76ers.

8. Bill Walton (1974-87)
One of the NBA’s most skilled centres, Walton led the Portland Trail Blazers to the title in his third season in 1976-77 before breaking his foot. Injuries meant Walton was never the same player. He won a second title as a back-up with the 1984-85 Boston Celtics, earning the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award. Walton, who remains the only player to have won a Finals MVP, Sixth Man Award and regular season MVP, is the NBA’s great ‘what could have been’ case.

7. George Mikan (1946-56)
The first NBA superstar, the 6ft 10in Mikan played before the league was filled with seven-footers and scored at will over smaller opponents. His unstoppable hook shot with either hand led to the invention of the Mikan Drill, a practise tool still used today by young centres. Mikan won seven NBL, BAA and NBA championships and retired as the all-time leading scorer of a young NBA. His legacy includes the outlawing of ‘goaltending’ a shot above the rim, the widening of the lane under the basket and the introduction of the shot clock.

6. David Robinson (1989–2003)
An incredible athlete for someone standing 7ft, Robinson won two championships and an MVP award in a career that began after serving time in the US Navy. He recorded the most recent NBA “quadruple-double” of 34 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 blocks in 1994, a season in which he scored 71 points on the final day to secure the scoring title. ‘The Admiral’, as he was known, is the only player other than Abdul Jabbar to lead the NBA in scoring, rebounding and blocks during his career.

5. Shaquille O’Neal (1992–2011)
The last true great at the centre position, O’Neal was an unstoppable force at 7ft 1in and more than 300lbs. O’Neal used his huge stature, great strength and athleticism to dominate near the basket at both ends of the court. O’Neal won three titles with the LA Lakers and one with the Miami Heat, earning just one MVP but three NBA Finals MVPs. He is sixth in NBA career points, fourth in blocks and 14th in rebounds. His career field goal accuracy of 58.2 per cent is the second-highest in history.

4. Hakeem Olajuwon (1984-2002)
The greatest centre in history, according to one Michael Jeffrey Jordan. Olajuwon used incredible footwork to perform a dazzling array of offensive moves, including the unstoppable ‘Dream Shake’. The Nigerian-born legend holds the record for the most career blocked shots with 3,830, more than 600 more than his nearest rival. He won two titles with the Houston Rockets and became the only player in NBA history to win the NBA MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and Finals MVP awards in the same season

3. Wilt Chamberlain (1959-73)
The most dominant offensive force in NBA history, ‘Wilt the Stilt’ scored 100 points in a game in 1962, a season in which he averaged 50 points. He holds the record for the most rebounds in NBA history with 23,924 and once led the league in assists per game. Chamberlain wasn’t nearly as great a player on defence and won just two championships over his career, otherwise he would probably be considered the NBA’s greatest centre.

2. Bill Russell (1956-69)
The ultimate winner, Russell’s record of 11 championships in 13 years for the Boston Celtics will not be beaten. An excellent shot-blocker before it was a recorded statistic, Russell is one of the NBA’s greatest defenders, rebounders and leaders. Not a great scorer but a wonderful passer who choreographed the Celtics’ offence from the post. Russell became the league’s first black coach when he led the Celtics to two titles between 1966 and 1969.

1. Kareem Abdul Jabbar (1969-1989)
Whichever way you look at it, Abdul Jabbar is among the greatest players of any position in the NBA. He did it all, winning six NBA titles, six NBA MVP awards and two NBA Finals MVPs. He played in a record 19 All-Star Games and remains the all-time leading scorer in the NBA and its third-highest rebounder and shot-blocker. His trademark ‘Skyhook’ shot remains the most iconic in league history. Legendary coach Pat Riley said: ‘Let’s toast him as the greatest player ever’. We can at least toast him as the greatest centre.

Jamie Goodwin is gulfnews.com's Web News Editor and has been an NBA junkie for more than 20 years.