The players of today break all kinds of records, Stephen Curry just passed Ray Allen in most made three-pointers last season. Every generation, players are inspired by those that came before and improve as much as they can. And this ability comes from an innate sense of confidence that they can be the best at something, better than anyone before has been.
One stat that is difficult to top for any modern player, though, is rebounding. Basketball was the big man’s game for decades, and the greats of yesteryear posted numbers that make the mind boggle. Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell both averaged higher than 22 rebounds per game their entire career, which is simply ridiculous to think about.
But there are rebounders since then that have come close, considering the era. Names like Dennis Rodman, Charles Barkley, and Dwight Howard ring out as players that were elite rebounders. They never approached Wilt-like numbers, but they were still vastly impressive. And another who’s put up incredible stats in the category is Andre Drummond.
He seems to think highly of himself as well, making a statement in an interview with CT Insider suggesting that he may already be the best rebounder in history.
“I think I’m already there,” Drummond said. “I’m on my way. By the time I retire, I’ll go down as the best rebounder ever — if not already.”
This is a bit of a ridiculous statement since he doesn’t even have 10,000 career rebounds yet. Drummond has a career average of 13.3 boards per game, though, which does qualify for 11th all-time. Still, the stats would suggest that his image of himself is perhaps a little inflated.
Things aren’t likely to get all that much better either, Andre’s minutes and games played have gone down significantly since the 2019-20 season. He has been a part of 4 different teams since he left the Detroit Pistons, which isn’t a good sign. But hopefully, he can add some more rebounding achievements to his career before it ends that can make his claim sound a little better.
