NBA’s greatest rebounders in history
Catching rebounds and scoring is one of the most important things in basketball. Throughout NBA’s history there have been tremendous legendary players who have caught countless rebounds and have led their team to glorious victory. Basically, there are two types of rebounds; offensive and defensive.
Most of the well-known rebound catchers have been players who played the centre but over the year’s basketball playing strategies advanced, providing us with rebounders from different positions.
Below is a list of the top rebounders in NBA history.
1. Legendary Wilt Chamberlain, an 11 time NBA rebounding champion from 1960-1963, 1966-1969 and 1971-1973, is unquestionably the most dominating player under the rim. His highest rebound average was 27.2 rebounds per game, which even the Texas Sharpshooters can’t manage getting close to. Chamberlain dominated both in offense and defence zones and caught rebounds 8 times more than Bill Russell. He retired with 23,924 rebounds with an average of 22.8rpg.
2. Bill Russell still holds the record of winning the most NBA championship rings; an astounding total of 11. Bill legacy remains in the Boston Celtics, as he helped the team establish a name in the league. Thanks to him, Celtics is still considered one of the best teams. He is blessed with an amazing set of skills, was Wilt’s biggest rival and out rebound him many times. Rebounding was one of his fortes and his rebound catching dexterity earned him the title of being one of the best-ever in NBA history. He retired with a huge number catching; 21,620 rebounds throughout his career.
3. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is amongst the top legends of NBA. He entered NBA in the 60’s and dominated his way through the game by winning 6 Championship titles. Although he achieved only one NBA rebound title; he managed to make it to the NBA All-Defensive First Team 5 times. Kareem has undoubtedly owned basketball ever since he stepped on the court; he not only established himself to be one of the most talented but also the most recognized figures in the history of NBA. One of his most signature moves is the skyhook, which now considered as an extremely lethal offensive move. He had quite the intellect as a rebounder and managed to catch 17,440 balls before retiring.
4. Hall-of-Fames Moses Malone’s versatility made him the highlight of every team he joined. The 6 feet 10 inch Moses played as a centre and power forward. The three-time MVP managed to end up in the list of NBA’s 50 greatest players along with several other titles. Before joining NBA he played for the American Basketball Associations (ABA). Soon ABA ceased its operations and Malone switched to NBA and started playing for the Buffalo Braves, now known as Los Angeles Clippers. All through his professional career, Malone managed to keep a high average of 20 points per game. Besides being an avid scorer he managed to retire with 17,834 rebounds and 29,580 points.
5. Dennis Rodman might be the odd one out of the list because of his small size, standing 6 feet 6 inches above the ground; his huge leaps have made him one of the best rebounders of the 90’s. The pre-conceived notion of centres being the best rebounders was re-thought when he revolutionized the small forward position by catching rebounds over and over again. Dennis Rodman had a high average of 18.7 rebounds per game in 1991-92 season and 18.3 in the 1991-92 season. Rodman is a player whose career points are much lower than his rebounds, he has won the NBA rebounding championship seven times. The player retired with a career score of 6,683 points and 11,954 rebounds with 1,600 assists.
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