The NBA Players With The Most Rebounding Titles

As NBA fans, we often get enamored by the best scorers, passers, and even the best defenders in basketball. What we rarely celebrate are the greatest rebounders that the sport has ever seen. That all changes today as we countdown the NBA players who have earned the most rebounding titles in their careers. To earn a rebounding title means that out of every big man in the league, these players stood alone at the end of the season as the ones that pulled down the most errant shots per game.

What we often forget as fans and analysts is that among the best interior defenders and scorers are the men who pulled down the most rebounds. For some reason, rebounding has become less and less considered a skill. That could not be further from the truth. In order to grab rebounds, you have to first out-battle and out-jump 4 or 5 other players that are fighting for the same basketball. Even though the ball can be unpredictable at times off of a missed shot, timing in a player’s jump is critical as well. The players you see on this list are the best in the world sat cleaning up on the glass.

Here are the NBA players with the most rebounding titles in history.

8T. Elvin Hayes – 2 Rebounding Titles

Years Won: 1970, 1974

Elvin Hayes is one of the greater rebounders in NBA history. He ranks 4th on the NBA’s all-time rebounds list with 16,279 total rebounds and his 12.49 career RPG ranks 14th on the all-time list as well. Hayes broke onto the scene in 1969 when he won the scoring title as a rookie with the San Diego Rockets. It would be the following season in 1970 that Hayes would win his first rebounding title with 16.9 RPG to go with his 27.5 PPG. Unfortunately, the Rockets would only win 27 games that season and miss the playoffs squandering Hayes’ incredible run.

Hayes would once again win the rebounding title in 1974, and this time he did so in a new uniform. Hayes was a member of the 1974 Capital Bullets under coach K.C. Jones. Hayes would win the rebounding title with 18.1 RPG, which was accompanied by 21.4 PPG and a staggering 3.0 BPG. The Bullets would win 47 games and take the Central Division crown. Hayes would also lead the playoffs in rebounding with 15.9 RPG but the Bullets would be eliminated in 7 games in the first round by the New York Knicks.

8T. Hakeem Olajuwon – 2 Rebounding Titles

Years Won: 1989, 1990

With his downright dominance of the interior during the late 80s and 90s, it is a bit of a shock that Hakeem Olajuwon only win 2 rebounding titles in his career. Hakeem ranks 14th all-time on the NBA’s rebounds list with 13,748 career rebounds. He won his first rebounding title in 1989 when he grabbed 13.5 RPG to go with 24.8 PPG, and 3.4 BPG. The Rockets would be swept in the first round of the playoffs, but Hakeem wasn’t done dominating the boards.

Hakeem would have an all-time great season in 1990 to follow his 1989 rebounding title. He led the league in rebounds once again with 14.0 RPG and also led the league in blocks with an astounding 4.6 BPG while playing all 82 games for Houston. The Rockets would finish with a .500 record at 41-41 and once again, they would be swept in the first round of the playoffs. Olajuwon would win the blocks title twice more in his career and go on to become a 2-time NBA champion and 2-time Finals MVP in 1994 and 1995.

8T. Dikembe Mutombo – 2 Rebounding Titles

Years Won: 2000, 2001

Dikembe Mutombo is widely regarded as one of the best interior defenders in basketball history. He was a 4-time Defensive Player of the Year and a member of 6 All-Defensive Teams in his career. Along with his great defensive abilities came a great rebounding prowess as well. Mutombo dominated the glass to the tune of back-to-back rebounding titles in 2000 and 2001. Mutombo averaged 14.1 RPG in 2000 with the Atlanta Hawks and added 11.5 PPG and 3.3 BPG to it. He was named an All-Star that season, but the Hawks would win just 28 games and miss the playoffs.

The following season, Mutombo was traded from the Hawks to the 76ers after 49 games. Mutombo was named Defensive Player of the Year that season and also led the league with 13.5 RPG. Mutombo’s acquisition by the Sixers helped to elevate their interior defense and rebounding all the way to the NBA Finals where they lost to the Lakers in 5 games. Mutombo ranks 20th all-time in total rebounds with 12,359 career boards.

8T. Ben Wallace – 2 Rebounding Titles

Years Won: 2002, 2003

Ben Wallace is yet another center on this list that can be considered for the title of greatest interior defender ever. Wallace is also a 4-time Defensive Player of the Year award winner as a member of the Detroit Pistons. In his first Defensive Player of the Year award-winning season, Wallace led the league in rebounds with 13.0 RPG and blocks with 3.5 BPG. Wallace played 80 games that season for the Pistons, who ended up winning 50 games and losing in the second round of the playoffs.

The following season was yet another Defensive Player of the Year award-winning season for Wallace. He led the league in rebounds with 15.4 RPG and helped lead the Pistons to the Eastern Conference Finals where they lost in 4 games to the New Jersey Nets. The following season in 2004 is one of the greatest title runs ever as Wallace and company won the NBA championship over the powerhouse Los Angeles Lakers. Wallace was recently inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame and we remember the seasons he led in rebounds that helped get him there.

8T. DeAndre Jordan – 2 Rebounding Titles

Years Won: 2014, 2015

DeAndre Jordan is the first active player to make our list for his work with the 2014 and 2015 Los Angeles Clippers. Jordan earned his first rebounding title in 2014 when he averaged 13.6 RPG. Jordan was the interior workhorse for the Lob City Clippers as Blake Griffin and Chris Paul garnered all the attention. He earned them possession after possession with his rebounding, which led to many fast breaks and show-stopping moments in the Clippers’ favor. The Clippers finished with 57 wins that season.

The following season is when Jordan would take home his second and last rebounding title. This time, he averaged 15.0 RPG, 1.0 SPG, and 2.2 BPG. His efforts were rewarded with an All-Defensive First Team selection and an All-NBA Third Team selection. The Clippers would win 1 less game than in 2014 with 56 wins. Jordan is the Clippers’ all-time leader in games played, rebounds, and blocks as it stands today. He is a long way away from his days with the Clippers, but no one can forget just how valuable he was to their core and their success.

6T. Kevin Garnett – 4 Rebounding Titles

Years Won: 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007

During the mid to late 2000s, Kevin Garnett was easily the best rebounder in basketball. He won 4 straight rebounding titles from 2004 through 2007 and averaged a total of 13.3 RPG over that time. Garnett’s rebounding is probably the least celebrated part of his career, but it is a big part of what makes him so great. He was an elite scorer and versatile for his size while also being one of the best all-around defenders in the league at the same time. Garnett averaged exactly 10.0 RPG for his career and people really started to take note of his skill in 2004.

The 2003-04 season marked the first and only MVP award of Kevin Garnett’s career. It was also the first time he led the NBA in rebounding with 13.9 RPG to go with 24.2 PPG, 5.0 APG, 1.5 SPG, and 2.2 BPG. He led the Timberwolves to the Western Conference Finals that season where they fell in 6 games to the Los Angeles Lakers. He would win 3 more rebounding titles in a row with 13.5 RPG, 12.7 RPG, and 12.8 RPG, respectively. Garnett ranks 9th on the career rebounds list with 14,662 career rebounds.

6T. Andre Drummond – 4 Rebounding Titles

Years Won: 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020

It is pretty clear that Andre Drummond’s best attribute that he brings every night on the floor is his rebounding. Drummond won 4 rebounding titles in 5 seasons from 2016 through 2020 with both the Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers. Drummond won his first rebounding title in 2016 with the Pistons when he also earned his first All-Star selection. He averaged 16.2 PPG to go with his 14.8 RPG while also earning a selection to the All-NBA Third Team. It would be the only All-NBA selection of his career thus far.

The next time Drummond would win a rebounding title, he wouldn’t relinquish it until 2021. In 2018, he averaged 16.0 RPG to go with 15.0 PPG and his 2nd All-Star selection. During these 5 seasons that Drummond led the league in rebounds 4 times, he averaged 15.0 RPG and 15.9 PPG while playing 32.5 minutes per night. Drummond hasn’t neared these rebounding numbers over the past 2 seasons, but things could change once again as he begins a new chapter with the Chicago Bulls.

4T. Bill Russell – 5 Rebounding Titles

Years Won: 1957, 1958, 1959, 1964, 1965

Bill Russell mastered the art of two things during his 13-year NBA career. He mastered the art of winning championships with 11 rings in 13 years. He also mastered the art of rebounding, winning 4 rebounding titles and ranking second on the NBA’s all-time rebounds list with 21,620 career rebounds. Russell averaged a staggering 22.5 RPG for his career and should be considered the best rebounder to ever live.

In 4 out of the 5 seasons that Russell won a rebounding title, the Boston Celtics were rewarded with an NBA championship. From 1958 through 1967, Russell averaged 23.3 RPG and never averaged less than 20.0 RPG in those 10 seasons. He won his first 3 rebounding titles in the first 3 seasons of his career and added his final 2 in both 1964 and 1965. His 22.5 RPG ranks 2nd all-time behind the man that sits at No. 1 on this list today, but we will get to that in just a little bit.

4T. Dwight Howard – 5 Rebounding Titles

Years Won: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013

At the peak of his career with the Orlando Magic, Dwight Howard was the most unstoppable force in the NBA. He was an athletically gifted big man, built like some sort of superhero that had come to life. Howard was the best defender in basketball, taking home 3 Defensive Player of the Year awards in the early 2010s. He won three straight rebounding titles with the Magic from 2008 through 2010 and over that time, averaged 13.7 RPG while leading the Magic to the 2009 NBA Finals.

Howard would again lead the NBA in rebounds in his final year as a member of the Orlando Magic with 14.5 RPG. As the final year in Orlando came to a close, the sweepstakes for his services were high and he ultimately landed with the Los Angeles Lakers. Despite his time in L.A. being a giant disappointment, Howard led the NBA in rebounds with 12.4 RPG. The chemistry was horrible, however, and Howard would be excused from the Lakers the following season. It is tough for people to remember just how dominant Howard was at his very best, and I hope this reminded fans everywhere of that.

3. Moses Malone – 6 Rebounding Titles

Years Won: 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985

What would any sort of NBA rebounds list be without ‘The Chairman of the Boards’? Moses Malone is outrightly one of the most underrated players in NBA history. Malone grabbed his 6 rebounding titles in a 7-year stretch from 1979 through 1985 with both the Houston Rockets and Philadelphia 76ers. During this time, he also netted himself 3 MVP awards, the first of which is the first season he led the league in rebounds in 1979 with 17.6 RPG. Over this 7-year stretch, Malone averaged 25.9 PPG, 14.8 RPG, 1.0 SPG, and 1.6 BPG.

In 1982, Malone would be rewarded with his 2nd MVP award in a season that saw him average 31.1 PPG and 14.7 RPG. it would be his last season as a member of the Houston Rockets before moving on to Philadelphia with the Sixers. In 1983, Malone would have the season of his life averaging 24.5 PPG and 15.3 RPG, winning his 3rd MVP award. He then went on to lead the Sixers to a 4-game sweep of the Lakers in the NBA Finals. He was rewarded with the Finals MVP award with averages of 25.8 PPG and 18.0 RPG.

2. Dennis Rodman – 7 Rebounding Titles

Years Won: 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998

For the entirety of the 1990s, there was no better man at rebounding the ball than Dennis Rodman. He was considered one of the better hustle players in basketball and excelled at every skill that involved hustle there is. He was an elite defender who won 7 straight rebounding titles with 3 different teams from 1992 through 1998. Rodman was already a 2-time Defensive Player of the Year and 2-time NBA champion with the Pistons when he began to take over the NBA as its best rebounder and loudest personality.

Rodman won his first two rebounding titles in 1992 and 1993, his final 2 seasons with the Detroit Pistons. He averaged over 18.0 RPG in those 2 seasons before moving on to San Antonio. In San Antonio, his rebounding greatness didn’t let up as he led the NBA twice more with averages of 17.3 RPG in 1995 and 16.8 RPG in 1995. His final 3 rebounding titles came as a member of the 1996 through 1998 Chicago Bulls dynasty. In those 3 seasons combined, he averaged 15.3 RPG and helped the Bulls to 3 straight NBA championships. You can say all you want about his character flaws, but on the court, Rodman gave everything he had to the teams he played for.

1. Wilt Chamberlain – 11 Rebounding Titles

Years Won: 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1973

Sitting at No. 1 on our list of NBA players with the most rebounding titles in NBA history is none other than Wilt Chamberlain. The almost mythical human being that is Wilt Chamberlain is both the NBA’s all-time leader in total rebounds with 23,924 rebounds and rebounds per game with 22.9 RPG. Chamberlain is the most statistically dominant NBA player ever with his outrageous scoring outbursts and nights where it seemed nobody could grab rebounds with him on the floor. Most nights, he was playing every minute of every game, so rebounds were scarce for anyone he went up against.

Chamberlain’s rebounding dominance began in his rookie season when he grabbed 27.0 RPG and won the first of 4 straight rebounding titles. Over these 4 years, Wilt averaged 26.0 RPG. For the first 10 seasons of his career, Wilt averaged 20.0 RPG or better every one of those seasons. He would again win 4 straight rebounding titles from 1966 through 1969 as a member of the 76ers and Lakers. During this time, Chamberlain averaged 23.4 RPG and won a championship in 1967 with Philadelphia. He won his last 3 rebounding titles from 1971 through 1973 with the Lakers as he averaged 18.7 RPG over those 3 seasons. Chamberlain secured his final championship in 1972 with L.A. and won Finals MVP as well. Wilt ranked second all-time in playoff RPG as well with 24.5 RPG in postseason play for his career. 

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