A player must have accomplished something spectacular to have career-long statistical totals that broke records. Records that have actually endured the test of time can only be attained by the most consistent players of all time. We have compiled a list of the best shot-blockers in NBA history, where players with a natural ability to get to shooters and scorers to come up with monster blocks while occupying the all-time blocks rankings. However, only the two leading players per position are considered to get an indication of the best players with spectacular shot-blocking talents.
- Point Guard – John Wall
- Shooting Guard – Michael Jordan
- Small Forward – Andrei Kirilenko
- Power Forward – Tim Duncan
- Center – Hakeem Olajuwon
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By gathering stats of the greatest players in NBA history as it pertains to blocking shots, we have collected the best players ever based on their total blocks in the regular season while also taking into account that they will be distinguished by their positions. It will be amazing to see some non-big men occupy the top spots in the rankings because the majority of them were larger, more dominant, longer, and simply better at coming up with blocks. Without further ado, here are the greatest defenders in NBA history in terms of total blocks in the regular season for players in each of the five positions.
Point Guard – John Wall
Leader: John Wall – 427 Blocks (614 Games Played)
2nd Place: Jason Kidd – 425 Blocks (1,315 Games Played)
It might be surprising to see John Wall rank 1st all-time in blocks. There were a couple of reasons why Wall managed to accumulate over 420 blocks over 10 seasons. The major reason was that Wall was adept at using his elite speed and athleticism to get to shots. Of course, John Wall had an extremely high basketball IQ that he used to anticipate when the ball was going his way before taking advantage of that to run the fast break with his teammates trailing him. In terms of foot speed, Wall is one of the greatest ever.
But John Wall also had an understanding of how players were going to attack the rim and used his anticipation skills to time his leaps. John currently has a career average of 0.7 BPG and his best season came in 2018 when he posted 1.1 BPG to go along with 1.4 SPG as well. The explosive point guard was always able to explode off his feet and get to opponents well, especially in his prime. With the Los Angeles Clippers, Wall has a chance to keep building the rather small distance he has from Hall of Famer Jason Kidd in terms of total career blocks.
Jason Kidd is one of the very few point guards with legitimate lockdown defensive ability when it came to defending opposing point guards and shooting guards. An incredible leader in terms of playmaking, Kidd was also able to use his frame to bang opposing players and come up with blocks. Weighing 205 lbs with a powerful build and elite quickness, Kidd was able to stand his ground against offensive players and also block shots at a high level. He finished his career with an average of 0.3 BPG, with his best season coming in 2009 (0.5 BPG) while also averaging 0.4 BPG in 6 different seasons.
Ranking second all-time in blocks behind John Wall, the point guard clearly had a knack for blocking the ball from the opposition although his averages were never spectacular. The legendary point guard played in 19 seasons in the NBA which gave him enough time to accumulate over 420 blocks in his career. Kidd was athletic in terms of strength and speed, but he did not have an elite vertical which is why it took him nearly two decades to accumulate that many blocks.
Shooting Guard – Michael Jordan
Leader: Michael Jordan – 893 Blocks (1,072 Games Played)
2nd Place: Vince Carter – 888 Blocks (1,541 Games Played)
Michael Jordan might be the most dominant defensive shooting guard of all time considering what he did in that position for the majority of his career. Even when playing alongside other elite defenders in Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman, Jordan was often tasked with defending the opposing team’s best guard and primary ball-handler. Thanks to his elite quickness and explosiveness at 6’6”, Michael was also able to get up in the air and get to shots well enough to accumulate blocked shots.
Michael ranks 1st all-time in blocks among all guards, an incredible achievement. Jordan averaged a career 0.8 BPG, a very high figure, and he also managed to average an incredible 1.6 BPG during the 1988 season. While chipping in a league-leading 3.2 SPG, Jordan also ended up winning Defensive Player of the Year during the season. No doubt, in terms of coming up with blocks, there might never be another shooting guard on Jordan’s level. We are already used to saying that when it comes to Jordan in any attribute relating to basketball or mental intangibles.
It might seem shocking that Vince Carter is second among shooting guards for the most blocks in the regular season by a shooting guard. Sure, Carter is regarded as one of the most iconic offensive players in NBA history because his ability to get in the air and dunk the ball was spectacular to witness. But the superstar shooting guard used his athleticism to block shots as well, not to mention the fact he played in 22 seasons which gave him time to accumulate blocks. Carter had a very strong 0.6 BPG over his career, a number which is far more impressive considering he was not the main man for defending the opposing player’s best player.
Carter was never the primary defensive guard for his team, but he had the basketball IQ to make the right plays whenever he saw an avenue to come up with blocks. His best season, in terms of blocking the ball, came in 1999 with the Toronto Raptors as a rookie when he averaged 1.5 BPG. Vince also averaged at least 0.6 BPG for 8 seasons of his career, solid numbers for the player with the most blocked shots ever by a guard. Vince also managed to edge out Dwyane Wade who had 885 blocked shots with a career average of 0.8 BPG.
Small Forward – Andrei Kirilenko
Leader: Andrei Kirilenko – 1,461 Blocks (797 Games Played)
2nd Place: Julius Erving- 1,239 Blocks (1,243 Games Played)
Even if he is known to be a great defender in his prime, Andrei Kirilenko was surprisingly impactful as a player who blocks shots. Armed with some of the greatest intangibles and length, Kirilenkocould read the offense with ease because he was defensively inclined and had a very high basketball IQ. But he was also a great player at coming up with blocks, ranking 40th all-time among all players in racking up blocks. Over his 13-year career, Andrei averaged a very impressive 1.8 BPG.
Andrei Kirilenko has to be one of the most impactful wing defenders even if he did not receive credit for being so. The Russian-born star had multiple seasons averaging at least 2.0 BPG, and had two seasons posting 3.3 BPG and 3.2 BPG. A wing player that stood 6’9” and 220 lbs, Andrei Kirilenko was a stalwart for the Utah Jazz year after year. It is time to put more recognition on “AK47”s name because it was always difficult to score on the player in any situation.
One of the game’s best players and a star who is easily a top-20 player of all time, Julius Erving had been a sensational player over his career. A versatile all-around player with an innate ability to read the opposing team and come up with blocks, Erving proved to be unstoppable when he got ahead of steam to come up with blocks. Of course, he is considered one of the best players of all time in terms of all-around impact including scoring, rebounding, and playing defense. At 6’7” and 210 lbs, Dr. J was a force on defense at times.
Over his career which has spanned over 836 NBA games, Erving averaged 1.5 BPG which eventually led him to accumulate over 1,200 blocks in his career. Erving obviously has the size to put pressure on opposing players and block shots at times. But his greatest gift was his athleticism, because he was always able to leap in the air with relative ease and get to shots from behind or when exploding off the floor. His best season in terms of blocking shots came in 1980 when he averaged 1.8 BPG for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Power Forward – Tim Duncan
Leader: Tim Duncan – 3,020 Blocks (1,392 Games Played)
2nd Place: Kevin Garnett – 2,037 Blocks (1,462 Games Played)
Tim Duncan is one of the greatest defensive players in NBA history, using his size and elite basketball IQ to average at least 1.0 BPG year after year heading into his late 30s. Amazingly, The Big Fundamental still managed to accumulate blocks at a very high level considering he was a below-the-rim star. Over his 19-year career, Duncan averaged at least 1.9 BPG 15 times over his career. The San Antonio Spurs legend had his best season in 2003 when he posted 2.9 BPG for the Spurs competing in the Western Conference.
Even as Duncan aged, he was able to accumulate blocks for his side. He had a powerful lower body which allowed him to bang down low and poke the ball away. But the main reason Duncan managed to lead all power forwards in blocks was that he played at a very high level for 19 years and had solid length at 6’11”. The Big Fundamental has to go down in history as one of the best all-around bigs because he ranks 5th all-time in total blocks behind four other centers in the rankings.
Amazingly, Kevin “The Big Ticket” Garnett is second on the list of all the great players when it came to coming up with blocks in NBA history as a power forward. The superstar power forward was one of the most unstoppable players even when taking into account his skill set and basketball IQ. In 1,462 total games played, The Big Ticket accumulated over 2,000 blocks which is ahead of a ton of all-time great players from his position including defensive monster Tim Duncan. Garnett also ranks 18th all-time in total blocks and finished with a solid career average of 1.4 BPG. His best seasons came in 1997 and 2004 when he posted 2.1 BPG and 2.2 BPG respectively for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Garnett was extremely dominant at the power forward spot for the Minnesota Timberwolves in his prime, dominating multiple areas of the floor including playmaking, scoring, rebounding, and playing defense. The Big Ticket had the athleticism at 6’11” which meant he had the ability to hang with opposing bigs and poke the ball away from them. KG was also very solid at playing defense in the post by getting to opposing players’ shots using his length and athleticism. KG gets more credit for being an on-ball defender instead of a shot-blocker, but he still managed to block enough shots.
Center – Hakeem Olajuwon
Leader: Hakeem Olajuwon – 3,830 Blocks (1,238 Games Played)
2nd Place: Dikembe Mutombo – 3,289 Blocks (1,196 Games Played)
In first place is 2-time NBA champion, Hakeem Olajuwon. The all-time leading scorer in Houston Rockers history was a fantastic offensive player who dominated the game thanks to his undeniably great footwork and low-post skills. But “The Dream” was also a very dominant defensive player, dominating the game with his shot-blocking ability. Standing 7’2”, the superstar center had the size to read the floor as one of the largest players on the court night after night. Of course, he was a terrifying shot-blocker and paint protector who won 2 Defensive Player of the Year awards.
Hakeem Olajuwon led the league in blocks 3 times with his best season coming in 1990 when he averaged 4.6 BPG and had 9 seasons posting at least 3.0 BPG for the Houston Rockets. Olajuwon was great at defending the rim, intercepting passes, and playing passing lanes. But in terms of shot-blocking, Hakeem ranks 1st all-time among all players with 3,830 blocked shots and finished with a career average of 3.1 BPG. His worst season came at age 39 in his final season with the Toronto Raptors, posting 1.5 BPG.
Dikembe Mutombo is one of the most dominant shot-blockers of all time, once winning the Defensive Player of the Year award. Dikembe was an incredible defender, using his size at 7’2” and 245 lbs to punish opposing players by lifting his arms high and exploding to get to shots. After all, Robinson averaged at least BPG in a single season 8 times. The dominant center averaged a career-high in 1996 when he posted a very solid 4.5 BPG as a member of the San Antonio Spurs. No doubt, Mt. Mutombo had a very high defensive basketball IQ.
But Mutombo also benefited by being one of the biggest and tallest players of his time, because he would use his advantages to deter opponents from scoring easily at the basket. He could stand tall and use his length to have a ridiculous advantage, and his blocks numbers are a testament to that. Ranking 2nd all-time in blocks accumulated by any player, Mutombo and his famous finger-wagging taunts were always game-changing points when the big man played. Capturing 4 Defensive Player of the Year awards, Mutombo finished his career as a Hall of Famer because of his dominant defensive ability.
