Throughout NBA history, the center position has had zero shortage of elite basketball talent. Since the 1950s, the game’s best scorers, rebounders, defenders, and even passers the game has ever seen have occupied the position. Just as we have recently released the point guard, shooting guard, small forward, and power forward positions, it is time to reveal which five centers ruled every era of NBA basketball.
From George Mikan to Nikola Jokic, we have seen centers evolve tremendously over the last 78 years. What better way to honor the pioneers of arguably the most important position in the sport of basketball than to count down the greatest centers in NBA history by decade?
The 5 Greatest Centers Of The 1950s
1. George Mikan
2. Bill Russell
3. Neil Johnston
4. Ed Macauley
5. Larry Foust
The 1950s saw the first wave of NBA centers come in and Dominate the league right away. Leading this charge was George Mian who played a total of seven seasons with the Minneapolis Lakers from 1949 through 1956. Mikan was seen as the NBA’s first true superstar as he went on to capture five championships, three scoring titles, four All-Star selections, and six All-NBA Team selections. During the Lakers’ five championship runs, Mikan averaged 24.5 points and 14.2 rebounds per game on 40.5% shooting.
Despite playing just three seasons in the 1950s, Bill Russell gets the nod for second place during the decade. Russell would help lead the Celtics to two NBA championships in 1957 and 1959. He was named MVP in 1958 as well and averaged 16.1 points and 22.0 rebounds per game in three seasons. Neil Johnston played eight seasons at center for the Warriors from 1952 through 1959. During his career, Johnston would lead the Warriors to a title in 1956 as well as six All-Star appearances, three scoring titles, and five All-NBA Team selections averaging 19.4 points and 11.3 rebounds per game.
The final two centers in the top five for the 1950s are Ed Macauley and Larry Foust. Macaulay played all 10 seasons of the decade from 1950 through 1959 with the Celtics and Hawks. He earned one NBA title in 1958, seven All-Star appearances, and four All-NBA Team selections. As for Foust, he was never an NBA champion but he just missed the Hall of Fame in his career with eight All-Star selections and two All-NBA Team selections for the Pistons from 1951 through 1959.
The 5 Greatest Centers Of The 1960s
1. Bill Russell
2. Wilt Chamberlain
3. Willis Reed
4. Nate Thurmond
5. Walt Bellamy
When you think of 1960s basketball, the names Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell are synonymous with the era. Bill Russell is synonymous with winning during the 1960s. Russell led the Celtics to seven straight NBA championships from 1960 through 1966 as well as two more in 1968 and 1969, giving him nine of his 11 championships during the 1960s. Russell would earn four of his five MVPs, 10 All-Star selections, and nine All-NBA Team selections from 1960 through 1969.
Wilt Chamberlain dominated statistically with seven scoring titles, four MVP awards, an NBA championship in 1967, and NBA records for scoring and time spent on the court galore. Chamberlain averaged 34.4 points and 24.3 rebounds per game from 1960 through 1969, numbers the likes of have never been matched in NBA history before or since. Willis Reed takes the third spot thanks to his 19.6 points and 13.7 rebounds per game from 1965 through 1969 on top of three All-NBA team selections and five All-Star appearances.
Nate Thurmond and Walt Bellamy round out our top five centers for the 1960s. Thurmond played six seasons in the decade from 1964 through 1969 averaging 16.4 points and 17.9 rebounds per game with four All-Star selections. Bellamy played eight seasons from 1962 through 1969 averaging 23.3 points and 15.0 rebounds per game on 51.8% shooting with four All-Star selections and Rookie of the Year in 1962.
The 5 Greatest Centers Of The 1970s
1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
2. Wilt Chamberlain
3. Willis Reed
4. Wes Unseld
5. Bill Walton
There was no letting up on greatness from the center position during the 1970s. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar made his NBA debut as the decade arrived in 1970, taking the league by storm with 28.6 points, 14.8 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks per game over the next 1-0 seasons with the Bucks and Lakers. In 1971, he led the Bucks to their first NBA championship and was named Finals MVP as well. He would go on to add five of his record six MVP awards as well as nine All-Star selections, 10 All-NBA Team selections, and eight All-Defensive Team selections.
Wilt Chamberlain finishes second in this decade having played four seasons from 1970 through 19074 for the Lakers. During that time, Chamberlain helped deliver an NBA title to L.A. as well as earned Finals MVP in 1972. He added three All-Star selections as well while averaging 16.7 points and 18.7 rebounds per game. Willis Reed gets the third spot as well for his role in delivering two championships to the Knicks in 1970 and 1973. Reed was named Finals MVP both times as well as MVP in 1970 averaging 17.4 points and 11.7 rebounds per game in the decade.
Wes Unseld and Bill Walton bring up the rear for the 1970s. Both centers would lead their teams to NBA championships while winning Finals MVP during the 1970s. Walton led the Trail Blazers to their first and only championship in 1977 and then also captured MVP in 1978. Unseld would lead the Bullets to their only championship in team history in 1978, capturing Finals MVP honors to go with 10.8 points and 13.9 rebounds per game in the decade.
The 5 Greatest Centers Of The 1980s
1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
2. Moses Malone
3. Hakeem Olajuwon
4. Robert Parish
5. Patrick Ewing
The 1980s saw the center position bring a new wave of centers that helped carry the position into the future. Still leading the way was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar though as he and the Los Angeles Lakers would go on to capture five NBA championships from 1980 through 1989. During this time, Kareem would be named MVP once again in 1980 as well as Finals MVP in 1985. Abdul-Jabbar would also go on to break the NBA’s scoring record and averaged 20.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game from 1980 through 1989.
Moses Malone and Hakeem Olajuwon make up the rest of the top three centers in the 1980s. Malone would win back-to-back MVP awards in 1982 and 1983 while also leading the 76ers to an NBA championship during the 1983 season. Malone added Finals MVP to his resume as well for that series and would average 24.5 points and 13.2 rebounds per game for the decade. Hakeem Olajuwon was already the best defender the league had ever seen in the 1980s. In five seasons from 1985 through 1989, he averaged 23.0 points, 12.1 rebounds, 1.9 steals, and 3.1 blocks per game.
The last two spots in the top five belong to Robert Parish and Patrick Ewing. Parish helped the Celtics win three NBA championships in 1981, 1984, and 1986 averaging 17.9 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game for the decade. Patrick Ewing played just four years with the Knicks from 1986 through 1989 but averaged 21.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 2.8 blocks per game to steal a top-five spot.
The 5 Greatest Centers Of The 1990s
1. Hakeem Olajuwon
2. David Robinson
3. Shaquille O’Neal
4. Patrick Ewing
5. Alonzo Mourning
The 1990s would be another elite run for players at the center position. We start things off with the leader of the decade, Hakeem Olajuwon. During the 1990s, Olajuwon would lead the Rockets to back-to-back NBA championships in 1994 and 1995. He would be named Finals MVP twice, win an MVP award in 1994, and back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year awards in 1993 and 1994. From 1990 through 1999, he averaged 24.3 points, 11.8 rebounds, 1.8 steals, and 3.5 blocks per game.
David Robinson rivaled Olajuwon for many years during the 1990s. From 1990 through 1999, Robinson was named Rookie of the Year in 1990, Defensive Player of the Year in 1992, and MVP in 1995. In 1999, he helped the San Antonio Spurs win their first NBA championship in team history. Shaquille O’Neal was not yet the dominant force he was during the 2000s but he still had a spectacular decade with 27.1 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game from 1993 through 1999.
Patrick Ewing was close to championship glory in the 1990s but came up just short in 1994 and 1999. Ewing would still average 24.1 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks per game during the 1990s. Alonzo Mourning completes the decade with four All-Star selections and a Defensive Player of the Year in 1999 averaging 21.0 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks per game from 1993 through 1999.
The 5 Greatest Centers Of The 2000s
1. Shaquille O’Neal
2. Dwight Howard
3. Yao Ming
4. Ben Wallace
5. Alonzo Mourning
Rarely in NBA history have we ever seen an NBA center dominate the entire league like Shaquille O’Neal did during the 2000s. From 2000 through 2002, O’Neal would lead the Lakers to three straight NBA championships. During this stretch, he won an MVP award in 2000 as well as all three Finals MVP awards. In 2006, he added a fourth NBA title with the Miami Heat and averaged 23.2 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game from 2000 through 2009.
Dwight Howard was a man-possessed during the late 2000s. In five seasons from 2005 through 2009, he averaged 17.3 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game. He took home the 2009 Defensive Player of the Year award and led the Magic to their only Finals appearance in the last 25 years. Yao Ming would have been slid in at the second spot had injuries not killed his career. Still, from 2003 through 2009, Yao was an All-Star every season averaging 19.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game.
Ben Wallace is one of the greatest interior defenders ever. During the 2000s, he won four Defensive Player of the Year awards while also anchoring a Pistons defense to a championship in 2004. Alonzo Mourning was also an elite center during this time, winning the 2000 Defensive Player of the Year award as well as an NBA title in 2006. He averaged 12.5 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game from 2000 through 2008.
The 5 Greatest Centers Of The 2010s
1. Dwight Howard
2. DeMarcus Cousins
3. Rudy Gobert
4. Marc Gasol
5. Al Horford
Dwight Howard continued his domination of the late 2000s into the early 2010s. Howard would 17.4 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game for the decade while also taking home two more Defensive Player of the Year awards, five All-Star selections, five All-NBA Team selections, and three All-Defensive Team selections from 2010 through 2019.
DeMarcus Cousins was putting up video game-like numbers during the 2010s with the Kings and Pelicans. Before suffering an Achilles injury, Cousins was averaging 21.2 points, 10.8 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game during his career. He earned six All-Star selections during the decade as well as two All-NBA Team selections. Rudy Gobert dominated the 2010s defensively, winning back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year awards in 2018 and 2019. He also averaged 11.1 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game in six seasons.
Marc Gasol is another former Defensive Player of the Year from the 2010s. He became the Grizzlies franchise GOAT during this era and would also go on to help the Raptors win an NBA title in 2019. The final member of the top five centers for the 2010s is Al Horford. In 10 seasons for the Hawks and Celtics, he averaged 14.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game with four All-Star selections as well.
The 5 Greatest Centers Of The 2020s
1. Nikola Jokic
2. Joel Embiid
3. Rudy Gobert
4. Bam Adebayo
5. Domantas Sabonis
With the 2020s half not even halfway over, the center rankings do not seem to be changing anytime soon, especially at the top. Comfortably in the first spot is Denver’s Nikola Jokic. Since 2020, Jokic has won two MVP awards, led the Nuggets to their first NBA championship, and captured Finals MVP honors in the process. He has averaged 24.6 points, 11.6 rebounds, 8.3 assists, and 1.3 steals per game during this four-plus-year stretch.
Joel Embiid is just behind Jokic in the rankings for the decade. So far in the 2020s, Embiid has won an MVP in 2023, two scoring titles, and has averaged 29.6 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game. Rudy Gobert has staked his claim as one of the best of the decade as well with Defensive Player of the Year in 2020 and once again returning to that form in 2023-24.
Bam Adebayo has helped the Miami Heat advance to two NBA Finals series since 2020 while also becoming one of the elite all-around weapons in the game. Since 2020, he has averaged 18.7 points, 9.6 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game with two All-Star selections and four All-Defensive Team selections. Domantas Sabonis concludes the list so far this decade. He has averaged 19.2 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game on 56.8% shooting since 2020 with the Kings and Pacers.
