We have reached the final installment of our build series, where we build the perfect basketball player from different NBA legends’ best skills. The final installment means we are at the center position, where there is stiff competition from some of the greatest players in NBA history. The center position boasts some of the best rebounders, defenders, and scorers in NBA history from the past while mixing in some amazing playmaking and handles from the modern-day NBA. When we say perfect, we mean perfect when it comes to the players we build.
- Scoring – Wilt Chamberlain
- Passing – Nikola Jokic
- Handles – Nikola Jokic
- Hustle – Bill Russell
- Mentality – Bill Russell
- Basketball IQ – Bill Russell
- Shooting – Karl-Anthony Towns
- Defense – Hakeem Olajuwon
- Finishing – Shaquille O’Neal
- Athleticism – Wilt Chamberlain
- Clutch – Nikola Jokic
- How Would This Player Perform On The Court
The center position is easily the position with the most depth in NBA history. When we speak about the Top 10 centers of all time, the arguments and debates can last for days, weeks, and months. They are the giants on the court both physically and with their skills dedicated to rebounding, shot-blocking, gaining a position in the paint for easy shots, and so much more. What we have done today is taken the best centers in NBA history, rolled them up into one, and created one of the greatest basketball players to ever walk the Earth, figuratively speaking, of course.
This is how to build the perfect all-time NBA center.
Scoring – Wilt Chamberlain
When it comes to the center position, there is no better scorer in NBA history than Wilt Chamberlain. Wilt was an athletic freak far ahead of his time, and his play on the court showed it. Whether it was off offensive rebounds, set positions in the post, or on fast breaks with Wilt striding down the court like a gazelle, there were very few who could stop Wilt from putting the ball in the basket. With 7 scoring titles and some of the game’s most unbreakable records, Wilt was an athlete like we have never seen.
Wilt earned each of his 7 career-scoring titles during the first 7 seasons of his career. Over that time, he averaged 39.6 PPG on 51.1% shooting. Chamberlain owns the Top 4 highest scoring seasons in NBA history and 5 of the Top 6. He is the only player in NBA history to average over 35.0 PPG more than once in a season and owns the 2nd-highest PPG average for a career with 30.01 PPG. When it comes to scoring at the center position, the only selection for our player is Wilt Chamberlain.
Passing – Nikola Jokic
There have been very few centers in NBA history who can be considered elite playmakers. There are even fewer who have done it at the level that Nikola Jokic has and currently is in the NBA. Jokic is a threat to hit any pass at any moment during a game. His cross-court vision is impeccable, and he consistently finds his open teammates on the perimeter with perfect passes. He is a threat to hit any pass from the high post as well and is even a threat in transition to find teammates for easy opportunities.
The current all-time leader for assists by a center is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, with 5,660 assists during his 20-year career. At age 27 and in just his 8th season, Nikola Jokic has already recorded 3,572 career assists meaning if he can maintain his health and his production, he should shatter Kareem’s record in the next 5 years. Jokic is currently averaging 9.4 APG in 2022-23, which would break the record for APG in a season by a center set by Wilt Chamberlain. Adding the passing of Jokic to the scoring of Wilt has gotten us off to the perfect start in building our center.
Handles – Nikola Jokic
Having great ball-handling skills as a center in the NBA is not only rare, but it is completely unnecessary. Centers are usually the biggest men on the court, with way more in their job description than handling the ball in different situations. However, centers in today’s NBA have spread the floor unlike anything the NBA has ever seen before, creating their own shots and taking defenders to the basket from further out than ever.
Nikola Jokic is a perfect example of this. Jokic can put the ball on the floor whenever he wants to and get by defenders who have been forced to respect his outside shot. We have also seen, on more than one occasion, that he can take the ball coast-to-coast and finish the play himself or drop one of those beautiful dimes we discussed previously. Having handles as a center is the least important trait on our list, but with Nikola Jokic’s added to our player, it remains a perfect build.
Hustle – Bill Russell
There are many things that Bill Russell accomplished on and off during his 13-year NBA career and beyond. One of those on-court accomplishments was that he is widely known as the greatest rebounder in NBA history. In one of the most physically demanding parts of the game, Russell excelled above all else at corralling errant shots, which isn’t necessarily a skill as much as it is about one thing, hustle.
During a time in which the game was played at the fastest pace in history, Bill Russell was a blur on the court who was in constant motion and could out-pace anybody with which he shared the floor. On the defensive side of the ball, Russell was a workhorse as well, unafraid of any and all matchups he was set to take on. If there is one big man’s motor from NNBA history that we can choose from, Bill Russell’s is the only correct choice.
Mentality – Bill Russell
There have been many NBA players who have been elevated to near-mythical status due to their mentality on the court and sheer will to win. One of the players who gets overlooked in that discussion is the late Bill Russell. Bill Russell revolutionized defense in the NBA during his 13 seasons in the league and wanted nothing more than to lead his team to victory, which he did, winning 11 NBA championships in 13 seasons of play.
Russell has always said over the years that he could shoot, dribble, and pass at a high level which was true when watching old films. It is what made him the greatest Boston Celtics player of all time. He sacrificed big numbers and scoring outbursts in order to focus on the two best parts of his game, defense and rebounding. That is exactly what he did; changing the way the center position can impact a game for the rest of NBA history. Any player who knows he can dominate offensively but chooses to sacrifice that for winning is the mentality we must choose to build the perfect big man.
Basketball IQ – Bill Russell
The third trait that we are taking from Bill Russell to add to our player is his basketball IQ. Russell made a legendary career out of mastering the art of the intangibles, such as his defense, rebounding, and overall playstyle. What made Russell develop these skills at an elite level were his natural instincts and the way he soaked the game up like a sponge displaying one of the highest basketball IQs in history.
There is no statistic that accurately measures one’s basketball IQ, but there were ways Russell showed it effortlessly. Russell was an underrated passer, but his bread and butter were his quick and precise outlet passes. This allowed Boston to outrun every opponent put before them on their way to 11 NBA championships, with Russell at the center of it. His willingness to give up the attractive scoring numbers in order to win is only something possible because of the way he understood the game.
Shooting – Karl-Anthony Towns
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkXufgKX7Kg
I know it seems a bit out of place to have a current player such as Karl-Anthony Towns amongst all these all-time greats and giants of the game, but there is a skill he possesses that we want. Towns has the natural ability to shoot the ball well from most anywhere on the court, especially beyond the arc. A center that can shoot 3-pointers at a high clip is rare and a coveted piece to make our player as perfect as possible.
For his career, Towns shoots 39.3% from beyond the arc on 4.1 attempts per game on average. His career-high from beyond the arc is 422.1% on 3.5 attempts in 2018, but his career-high in attempts from three is 7.9 in 2020, when he shot 41.2% as well. Historically, centers are not shooters, so it makes sense that a modern-day big would make their way onto this list, no matter how out of place they may be.
Defense – Hakeem Olajuwon
As for our defensive selection, there are more than a few correct choices we could have made here. Bill Russell could have taken his 4th category on our list, while Ben Wallace, Dwight Howard, Dikembe, Mutombo, and Wilt Chamberlain are also viable choices. However, our selection is someone who, at their absolute best, very few dared to challenge him in the paint or at the rim. Hakeem Olajuwon has a case to be the greatest defender ever, and for that, his selection is warranted.
Olajuwon is a 3-time blocks champion and has averaged more than 3.0 BPG in 10 out of his 18 seasons. Olajuwon was an offensive opponent’s nightmare with his ability to block and alter shots from any angle he needed to. Olajuwon was named Defensive Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons in 1993 and 1994. Over the span of those 2 seasons, he averaged 1.7 SPG and 3.9 BPG. He also held a career playoff average of 1.7 SPG and 3.3 BPG.
Finishing – Shaquille O’Neal
The center position is also very loaded throughout history when it comes to the finishing category. Finishing is being able to finish offensive plays at the rim, whether it means throwing down nasty dunks or having the touch to finish with a soft layup or floater. For this category, we have selected Shaquille O’Neal because, while at his peak, he absolutely dominated opponents at the rim at a historic rate.
In 9 out of his 19 seasons, Shaquille O’Neal was the NBA’s leader in field goal percentage because of his ability to score in the paint. He finished shots at a 50.9% rate from 0-3 feet from the basket for his career and was a career 58.3% shooter inside the 3-point line. O’Neal used his giant frame to seal opponents off and finish with ferocity at the rim from the moment he broke the NBA ranks, and as for centers, there is no other pick for our perfect build.
Athleticism – Wilt Chamberlain
The stories of Wilt Chamberlain’s athletic feats are borderline those of Greek Myths told throughout history. Wilt was a superb athlete aside from his days on the basketball court. He was an accomplished sprinter and high jumper in college. He ran the 100-yard dash at Kansas university in an incredible 10.9 seconds. His bench press record is reported to be above 500 pounds as well, making for a scary matchup on the basketball court.
His leaping ability led him to 7 scoring titles and numerous rebounding titles as well, with no one really able to outjump the athletically gifted big man. On top of everything else Wilt accomplished that we have mentioned, one thing stands out above all else, Chamberlain owns the highest vertical leap in NBA history at 48 inches. At 7’1, this means Wilt could effortlessly graze his fingers across the top of backboards across America during his prime.
Clutch – Nikola Jokic
Being clutch as an NBA player is one of the more sought-after traits that a player has. The ability to knock down shots with the game on the line or not choke at the rim like a big man should be able to is priceless for an NBA center (Sorry, Patrick Ewing). The NBA player we have selected for this trait is Nikola Jokic, who has arguably been the most clutch center since he entered the NBA in the 2015-16 season.
Since coming into the league in 2015-16, no one in any position has been more clutch. He shoots 50.0% with the game on the line, 8.8% higher than the player in second place. Jokic also has the propensity to make the right pass for game-winning opportunities in the clutch. With his IQ and playmaking abilities, it is safe to say that Nikola Jokic is the most lethal center in NBA history when it matters most. This is saying a lot, considering the tremendous talent there has been in his position for the last 76 years.
How Would This Player Perform On The Court
I would like everyone to stop and really take in the NBA player we have laid out before you in the preceding words. No disrespect to Michael Jordan or LeBron James, but this perfect NBA center would shatter the NBA GOAT debate, much to the delight of NBA fans everywhere who are sick of it. On offense, this player has the scoring ability of Wilt, the passing of Jokic, and the shooting of Karl-Anthony Towns. He also has the athleticism of Wilt and the IQ of Bill Russel, making him the most dangerous player to ever walk the planet. His final offensive stat line would be somewhere around 60.0 PPG, 25.0 RPG, and 11.0 APG.
On defense, this player is just as dangerous as he is on offense. With the athleticism of Wilt Chamberlain and the defensive abilities of Hakeem Olajuwon, there is no telling the havoc our player would wreak on the league. When you add in the hustle and overall instincts of the pioneer of defense at the center position, Bill Russell, this player is the greatest all-around player in NBA history by a country mile. His final defensive line would look something like 3.0 SPG and 6.0 BPG with every Defensive Player of the Year award as long as he plays.
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