Holding record-breaking scoring stats over a player’s career is an extraordinary achievement. Only the best players of all time can achieve records that have truly stood the test of time. We have compiled a list of the best rebounders in NBA history, where players with a natural ability to read where the ball bounces off the rim found ways to accomplish spectacular showings on the stat sheets year after year. However, only the two leading players per position are considered to get an indication of the best players with spectacular rebounding talents.
- Point Guard – Jason Kidd
- Shooting Guard – Kobe Bryant
- Small Forward – Elgin Baylor
- Power Forward – Elvin Hayes
- Center – Wilt Chamberlain
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By gathering stats of the greatest rebounders in NBA history, we have collected the best players ever based on their total rebounds in the regular season while also taking into account that they will be distinguished by their positions. Some of these names will be easily recognizable because they are regarded as some of the greatest rebounders to ever play basketball. Here are the greatest rebounders in NBA history in terms of total rebounds in the regular season for players in each of the five positions.
Point Guard – Jason Kidd
Leader: Jason Kidd – 8,725 Rebounds (1,391 Games Played)
2nd Place: Oscar Robertson – 7,804 Rebounds (1,040 Games Played)
Jason Kidd is one of the very few point guards with legitimate triple-double ability. An incredible leader in terms of playmaking, Kidd also provided exceptional perimeter defense and rebounding ability as a 6’4” guard with a powerful frame. Weighing 205 lbs with strong shoulders and a solid center of gravity, Kidd was able to power to the rim and also grab rebounds at a high level. He finished his career with an average of 6.3 RPG, with his best seasons coming in 2007 (8.2 RPG) and 2008 (7.5 RPG).
The point guard clearly had a knack for using his size and elite basketball IQ to be a valuable rebounder on the floor, as he had 13 seasons of averaging at least 6 RPG. That gave him the number of rebounds to rank 1st all-time in rebounds by a point guard, even ahead of triple-double kings Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook. Speaking on the former, Oscar Robertson ranks 2nd all-time in rebounds by a point guard.
Oscar was a unique talent because, at 6’5” with elite athleticism and length, he could do everything on the floor at a very high level. He was the first one to ever average a triple-double in his career, doing so in 1962 when he averaged 30.8 PPG, 12.5 RPG, and 11.4 APG as a member of the Cincinnati Royals. Robertson also has 3 total seasons averaging at least 10 RPG and is one of the best rebounding guards of all time.
Shooting Guard – Kobe Bryant
Leader: Kobe Bryant – 7,047 Rebounds (1,346 Games Played)
2nd Place: Clyde Drexler – 6,677 Rebounds (1,086 Games Played)
It might seem shocking that Kobe Bryant leads all shooting guards for the most rebounds in the regular season by a shooting guard. The superstar player clearly played far longer than Michael Jordan, for example, playing over 300 games more and also getting the opportunity to grab more boards. But no doubt, in terms of raw all-around ability, Kobe is the only player to challenge Michael Jordan as being the greatest of all time in his position. Bryant is also the player with a very impressive 7,047 total rebounds over a 20-year career.
Bryant was never the biggest player on the court, but he had the athleticism in his younger days to sky over the rim to collect boards and kickstart the break. His best season, in terms of rebounding, came in 2003 with the Los Angeles Lakers at age 24 when he averaged 6.9 RPG. Kobe had 3 seasons averaging at least 6 RPG and averaged under 5 RPG only 3 times in his career (the first two seasons of his career and the last season of his career). Bryant leads Clyde Drexler who is in second place.
Clyde Drexler finished second all-time among shooting guards, even ahead of Michael Jordan. Drexler was a spectacular athlete because, at 6’7” and 210 lbs, he had the height and athleticism to get up in the air and collect boards at a high level. In over 1,000 games played, Drexler collected over 6,500 total rebounds. His best season came in 1989 when he averaged a very impressive 7.9 RPG for the Portland Trail Blazers. The Hall of Famer finished his career with an average of 6.1 RPG.
Small Forward – Elgin Baylor
Leader: Elgin Baylor – 11,463 Rebounds (846 Games Played)
2nd Place: LeBron James – 10,210 Rebounds (1,366 Games Played)
Even if he is known to be an all-time great scorer with tremendous offensive ability, Elgin Baylor has to go down in history as the greatest rebounding talent of all time at his position. Armed with some of the greatest ability to attack the basket and score from the perimeter, Baylor could generate easy points anytime he wants because he is a locomotive with the ball in his hands. But he was also an all-time great rebounder, ranking 1st all-time among small forwards in pulling down rebounds. Over his 14-year career, Elgin Baylor averaged a very impressive 13.5 RPG.
Obviously, Baylor has an amazing track record as a basketball talent because of his all-around ability. Year after year, Elgin was a massive factor in getting rebounds as he averaged under 10 RPG only three times in fourteen years. Incredibly, Elgin Baylor had seasons averaging 19.8 RPG, 18.6 RPG, 16.4 RPG, and 15.0 RPG. These numbers are incredible from a player who averaged 34.8 PPG, 38.3 PPG, 29.6 PPG, and 24.9 PPG respectively. Clearly, Baylor was a legendary rebounder regardless of position.
One of the game’s best players and a star who is easily a top-10 player of all time, LeBron James has been a sensational player over his career. A versatile all-around player with an innate ability to attack the rim, James has proven to be unstoppable when he gets ahead of steam, especially during his prime. Of course, he often dominates opposing players and it is always enjoyable to watch it happen because The King is capable of doing spectacular plays on offense through dunks and exciting layups. But scoring and athleticism isn’t the only thing LeBron does at a superstar level.
Over his career which has spanned over 1,300 games, James is averaging 7.5 PPG which eventually led him to accumulate over 10,000 rebounds in his career. At 6’9” and 250 lbs, James obviously has the size to pull down rebounds although his athleticism and explosiveness made him an even greater threat around the rim. His best seasons came in 2017 (8.6 RPG) and 2018 (8.6 RPG) when he was competing with the Cleveland Cavaliers. James has only averaged under 6 RPG once in his career, and that came in his rookie season at 19 years old. No doubt, The King is a very strong rebounder who has been consistent in that regard over his Hall of Fame career.
Power Forward – Elvin Hayes
Leader: Elvin Hayes – 16,279 Rebounds (1,303 Games Played)
2nd Place: Tim Duncan – 15,091 Rebounds (1,392 Games Played)
Unsurprisingly, Elvin Hayes headlines the list of all the great rebounders in NBA history as a power forward. The superstar power forward was one of the most unstoppable rebounders ever when combining size and basketball IQ. In 1,303 total games played, The Bionic Man accumulated over 16,000 rebounds which are ahead of a ton of all-time great players from his position including Tim Duncan, Karl Malone, and Kevin Garnett. Hayes also ranks 6th all-time in total rebounds among a host of centers including Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Moses Malone, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Artis Gilmore.
Hayes also led the NBA in rebounds on two occasions, once in 1970 (16.9 RPG) and the other time in 1974 (18.1 RPG). The superstar power forward Hayes averaged under 10 RPG only 4 times in 16 years, an incredible achievement. Whether he was playing for the San Diego Rockets or the Washington Bullets, Hayes was always a threat to rebound the basketball in the paint at a superstar level. He even managed to accumulate more rebounds than The Big Fundamental, Tim Duncan.
Tim Duncan is one of the greatest paint enforcers in NBA history, using his size and elite basketball IQ to grab rebounds off the rim year after year heading into his late 30s. Amazingly, Duncan was a below-the-rim player but still managed to haul rebounds at a very high level. Over his 19-year career, Duncan only averaged under 10 RPG 6 times over his career. The Big Fundamental had his best season in 2003 when he posted 12.9 RPG, ahead of his average of 12.7 RPG the prior year.
Even as Duncan aged, he was able to haul rebounds for the San Antonio Spurs. He had a powerful lower body which allowed him to box out players to grab boards the right way, through fundamentals rather than explosiveness. Year after year, Duncan was a threat to haul in at least 10 RPG and he made it look so effortless. We have yet to see a power forward dominate multiple areas of the game like Duncan did as the greatest power forward of all time, and the Spurs legend ranks 2nd all-time among power forwards in total rebounds in a regular season career.
Center – Wilt Chamberlain
Leader: Wilt Chamberlain – 23,924 Rebounds (1,045 Games Played)
2nd Place: Bill Russell – 21,620 Rebounds (963 Games Played)
Wilt is the most dominant physical specimen of all time, once scoring 100 points in a single game and also grabbing 50 rebounds in a single game. While these are alarming achievements that will never happen again, Chamberlain reportedly made it look somewhat natural. After all, Wilt never averaged under 18 RPG in a single season. The dominant center averaged a career-high in 1961 when he posted 27.2 RPG as a member of the Philadelphia Warriors. The year prior, Wilt averaged 27.0 RPG as a member of the Philadelphia Warriors as well. He did it while playing an extraordinary number of minutes.
Chamberlain clearly benefited by being the biggest and most athletic player of his time, because he could haul down almost every rebound that came off the rim. He could leap and use his length to have a ridiculous advantage, and whatever little footage we have will show this to be reality. Ranking 2nd all-time in points scored by a center, Wilt ranks 1st all-time in rebounds by a center. Obviously, these are numbers that will place Chamberlain among the top-ten players that ever played the game.
In second place is 11-time NBA champion, Bill Russell. The late and great Russell was a fantastic defensive player who preferred to play defense and rebound the ball instead of focusing on the offensive end of the court. Bill played with a host of talented offensive players over his career, so he realized being the vocal leader and go-to rebounder would give his Boston Celtics teams the best chance to win year after year. Winning 11 NBA championships in 12 years is a clear indication that this strategy worked.
The Boston Celtics legend finished his career with an average of 22.5 RPG, and never averaged under 18 RPG in a single season. Playing in 13 seasons, Bill Russell had his career-high in 1964 when he posted 24.7 RPG for the Celtics, a year before he posted 24.1 RPG. Russell was not as large as Wilt because he was 6’10” and not a 7-footer, but he had elite length and the ability to read the game in terms of where the ball bounces off the rim. Accumulating 21,620 rebounds also means that Bill Russell ranks 2nd all-time among players of all positions behind Wilt Chamberlain.
