The 10 Greatest NBA Centers Of The 2000s

By the time the 2000s came along, it was considered a pretty weak era for bug men at the center position. Aside from one man being the most dominant player in the game, talent at the position was relatively sparse across the league. This isn’t a slight at the big men of the era, but you could see the game was beginning to change by the middle of the decade. No longer was the game being dominated in the paint but rather slowly making its way further and further from the basket until we reached where we are today.

This isn’t to say there weren’t some outstanding players manning the center spot in the NBA at the time. The consensus best player in the world from 2000 through 2004 was a center. Maybe the reason many feel this way about the era is that this aforementioned player was so dominant it made everyone else at the center position look worse. I should also note that many of the game’s greatest defenders were centers, as you will see below. Defense in the paint was still the most valuable thing in basketball at the time, so many may have a different view on the position due to their infatuation with an offense. Whatever the case, these 10 players were great for the 2000s, and today we celebrate their accomplishments.

These are the 10 greatest centers in the NBA for the 2000s.

10. Brad Miller

1999-00 to 2008-09 Accolades:

2x All-Star

Brad Miller is a curious case to start this list. Miller was a Swiss Army knife at the center position during the early 2000s. He could score and rebound, essential to success at center, of course. Miller was also one of the better passing big men in the NBA and got half of his scoring from being a spot-up shooter. He was effective from the mid-range shooting the ball and from the high-post as a passer with great vision. The only downsize to Miller was his size and strength on the defensive side of the ball.

Miller began the decade as a member of the Chicago Bulls and Charlotte Hornets. After a few productive seasons in Chicago, Miller was traded to the Pacers in 2002. In his only full season with the team in 2002-03, Miller became an All-Star for the first time averaging 13.1 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 2.6 APG. That summer, Miller was traded to the Kings, where he fit in perfectly with their system. Miller was once again an All-Star for the 2003-04 season averaging 14.1 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 4.3 APG, and 1.2 BPG. Miller retired in 2012 as a 2-time All-Star and one of the best big men in the decade.

9. Marcus Camby

1999-00 to 2008-09 Accolades:

1x Defensive Player Of The Year

4x All-Defensive Team Selection

Remember earlier when I said how valuable interior defense was in this era? Marcus Camby is one of the guys I was speaking about. Camby dominated the paint and made many superstars think twice before they entered the paint to challenge him at the rim. He was intimidating as a weak-side shot-blocker and used his size and length to control the game off the glass. His offensive game was far less polished, and although he was great for second chances on offensive rebounds, he rarely created his own shot.

After winning a blocks title in his second season with the Raptors, Marcus Camby left to join the New York Knicks for the turn of the decade. Camby became a double-digit scorer and game-changing shot-blocker. Camby parted for the Nuggets in 2003, where he really became the defensive mastermind he is known as today. Camby led the NBA in blocks for 3 straight seasons from 2006 through 2008 and averaged 3.3 BPG or better each year. He was named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2007 when he averaged 3.3 BPG and 1.3 SPG.

8. Vlade Divac

1999-00 to 2008-09 Accolades:

1x All-Star

Vlade Divac is another interesting choice for this spot, and really, it is only because he retired after 2005 that he is so low on this list. Divac was a solid rebounder and defender who had some of the most memorable moments of the decade going up against Shaquille O’Neal in the NBA playoffs with the Kings. Divac was one of the better all-around bigs in the 200s era but faltered a lot toward the end of his career. At the end of his career, Divac was one of only 3 players in NBA history to have totaled over 13,000 points, 9,000 rebounds, 3,000 assists, and 1,500 blocks.

Going to battle with Shaquille O’Neal for much of the early 2000s really helped most to understand just how tough he was on the court. Although, at the end of his career, he wasn’t exactly a pushover either, as he fought back more than once in the heated Kings-Lakers rivalry. He also made the only All-Star Game of his career in 2001 with the Kings when he averaged 12.0 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 2.9 APG, 1.1 SPG, and 1.1 BPG. Divac may even find his way onto our underrated list for the decade at some point.

7. Dikembe Mutombo

1999-00 to 2008-09 Accolades:

1x Defensive Player Of The Year

3x All-Star

2x All-NBA Team Selection

2x All-Defensive Team Selection

Known as one of the greatest defenders in NBA history in the 90s, Dikembe Mutombo was still making a significant impact on teams during the early 2000s. Mutombo was an artist when it came to altering and blocking shots, and teams won many games due to his defensive prowess. He was a double-digit scoring threat whose money was made in the paint on both sides of the ball. There are only a few who have successfully climbed Mount Mutombo during their NBA career but many more who failed to reach the summit.

Mutombo started the 2000s as an All-Star with the Atlanta Hawks. He was traded midway through the 2001 season to the Philadelphia 76ers and was named Defensive Player of the Year for the 4th time in his career. He also helped anchor the defense as the Sixers advanced to the NBA Finals that season. In 2002, Mutombo made the final All-NBA team, All-Star Game, and All-Defensive team of his career with the Sixers. He retired in 2009 after 18 seasons in the NBA.

6. Amar’e Stoudemire

1999-00 to 2008-09 Accolades:

1x Rookie Of The Year

4x All-Star

3x All-NBA Team Selection

One of the most exciting centers to watch during the 2000s was Amar’e Stoudemire. He controlled his game with great speed and ferocious power as a member of the 2000s Suns, who broke records as an offense. Thanks to Steve Nash and Stoudemire’s high IQ, the Suns were one of the more successful and exciting teams of the 2000s. Stoudemire wowed audiences with his powerful slams and ability to put the ball on the floor and finish ferociously at the rim.

Stoudemire began his career as Rookie of the Year in 2002-03 with 13.6 PPG, 8.8 RPG, and 1.1 BPG. He was an All-Star by his 3rd season and an annual choice for the mid-season contest by 2007. Stoudemire peaked during the 2000s with the Suns in 2008, when he averaged 25.2 PPG, 9.1 RPG, and 2.1 BPG. Although he failed to get the Suns an NBA championship, he is highly regarded as one of the franchise’s best players due to his outstanding effort during the 2000s.

5. Alonzo Mourning

1999-00 to 2008-09 Accolades:

1x NBA Champion

1x Defensive Player Of The Year

3x All-Star

1x All-NBA Team Selection

1x All-Defensive Team Selection

Alonzo Mourning is one of those players we would be talking a lot more about today had he been able to remain healthy and not get sick. During the late 90s and early 2000s with the Miami Heat, Mourning was considered to be a Top 5 center in basketball. He was built like a steer and had the athleticism to match as he controlled the game with his defense and offensive abilities. Mourning got sick after the 2002 season with kidney disease that robbed all of us of so much more from him.

Mourning began the decade with a Defensive Player of the Year award as he led the NBA in blocks with 3.7 BPG. He also added 21.7 PPG and 9.5 RPG to an All-Star season. Mourning continued to be an All-Star and All-Defensive Player in 2001 when he averaged 13.6 PPG7.8 RPG, and 2.4 BPG. He was awarded his 3rd straight All-Star appearance in 2002 when he averaged 15.7 PPG, 8.4 RPG, and 2.5 BPG. His all-around game was still as impactful as it had ever been until he missed the entire 2003 season with his illness. It is sad to think what could have been if he had never lost the momentum he carried with him into the 2000s. He was able to finally strike gold in 2006 when he served as a great backup to Shaq for the 2006 NBA title with the Miami Heat.

4. Ben Wallace

1999-00 to 2008-09 Accolades:

1x NBA Champion

4x Defensive Player Of The Year

4x All-Star

5x All-NBA Team Selection

6x All-Defensive Team Selection

There may not have been more than 1 or 2 players at center who were more impactful for their team during the 2000s than Ben Wallace. He was never seen as an offensive threat, although he could finish at the rim. Wallace was seen as the best defensive big man in the game at the time and struck fear into any man’s heart when they decided to take it to the rim against the 2000s Detroit Pistons. Wallace is one of 2 players to win 4 Defensive Player of the Year awards in their career, with Dikembe Mutombo being the other.

Wallace won back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year awards in 2002 and 2003 and again in 2005 and 2006. Perhaps his most impactful year was in 2004, when he lost out on the award but came out with something much more precious. The 2004 Pistons were known as one of the best defensive teams in basketball, thanks to the job Wallace was doing in the paint. In the playoffs that year, Wallace recorded 10.3 PPG, 14.3 RPG, and 2.4 BPG. His job on Shaq in the NBA Finals is legendary, and he aided the Pistons in winning their first title since 1990. For the defensive juggernaut he was, Wallace has a case to be Top 3 on this list but falls to 4, which is still admirable.

3. Yao Ming

1999-00 to 2008-09 Accolades:

7x All-Star

6x All-NBA Team Selection

Yao Ming is another player whose career left us wanting as NBA fans amid untimely injuries that robbed us of his and the Houston Rockets’ full potential. Yao’s size and skill mixed together were overwhelming for most that opposed him in the paint. He had hands that were comparable to an NFL receiver and possessed a smooth shooting stroke away from the basket. His instincts and awareness on defense allowed Houston to emerge as a formidable opponent during the 2000s until injuries derailed them almost every year.

Call it his fans in the Far East or the skill he displayed every night, but Yao Ming was an All-Star every season of his career aside from 2010 when he was sidelined. His peak can be considered as from 2006 through 2008. During that time, Yao averaged 23.0 PPG, 10.2 RPG, and 1.9 BPG over the 3-year span. The Rockets made the playoffs 4 times with ming at the center of it, but once again, he was rarely available for the big games. Who knows what could have happened if he had remained healthy, but when he was, he was one of the best.

2. Dwight Howard

1999-00 to 2008-09 Accolades:

1x Defensive Player Of The year

3x All-Star

3x All-NBA Team Selection

3x All-Defensive Team Selection

The 2nd-most dominant big man of the 2000s was Dwight Howard. Known as Superman due to his unbelievable hops and the incredible power he displayed on the court, Howard took the league by storm during the late 2000s. He was virtually unstoppable on both sides of the ball and was paramount to success every time he stepped on the court. Howard led the Magic to an improbable 2009 Finals appearance and made an impact on a franchise that had been reeling since the departure of their last dominant big man.

Howard became an All-Star during the 2007 season, and once he did, it didn’t stop until 2014. Howard led the NBA in rebounds 3 times during the 2000s and twice in blocked shots. He peaked in the 2000s during the 2009 Finals season when he averaged 20.6 PPG, 13. 8 RPG, and 2.9 BPG. In the playoffs, Howard led the Magic to their first Finals since 1995, averaging 20.3 PPG, 15.3 RPG, and 2.6 BPG. Although they lost the Finals, Howard led an era of Magic basketball that can not or will not be forgotten.

1. Shaquille O’Neal

1999-00 to 2008-09 Accolades:

4x NBA Champion

3x Finals MVP

1x MVP

8x All-Star

3x All-star Game MVP

8x All-NBA Team Selection

3x All-Defensive Team Selection

The most dominant player I have ever seen with my own two eyes was Shaquille O’Neal during the 2000s. There was nothing anyone could do to stop him or slow him down, even if they sent him to the foul line constantly. Shaq dominated opponents in the paint with his superhuman strength and power in the post. Shaq used his large frame and strong hips to throw opponents around like paper in the paint. He helped power 4 different championship runs at his peak and went down as a Top 5 center in NBA history.

Shaq ushered in the 2000s with nearly the perfect season. He was named MVP, All-star Game MVP, and Finals MVP all in the same year as he bulldozed his way through the competition. He would do the same over the next 2 seasons, only losing 1 game in the 2001 playoffs and steamrolling everyone in 2002. After a very public feud with Kobe Bryant, Shaq moved on to the Miami Heat in 2005, where he almost won MVP in his first season. He earned his 4th NBA title in 2006, this time as a second option to Dwyane Wade in Miami. Shaq’s run atop the NBA will forever be remembered as one of the most dominant stretches by a player ever.

We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.

Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.

Next

The Greatest Center From Every NBA Team

The 10 Greatest NBA Point Guards Of The 2000s

2000s Superteam vs. 2010s Superteam: Kobe And Shaq Against LeBron, Durant And Curry

Every NBA Team’s Best Player In The 2000s

The 10 NBA Players Who Scored The Most Points In The 2000s: Kobe Bryant Was The Only One With Over 20K Points