The best rebounders in NBA history are those star players who dominated in the rebounds department during their long and successful careers in the National Basketball Association over the years. Parked squarely under the net, these best NBA rebounders snagged the ball after a missed shot to give their team the possession, a scoring opportunity and in some cases the momentum to pull out a huge victory.
Holding NBA records for total rebounds and rebounds per game, it's hard to claim anyone other than Wilt Chamberlain is the best NBA rebounder of all time. Over the course of 1,045 NBA games, Chamberlain averaged 22.9 rebounds per game for a whopping 23,924 over his career. Even in many more games, no one else in the history of the league has come close to that number.
Besides Chamberlain, there are numerous others who are remembered for their rebounding skills. Dennis Rodman, Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Elvin Hayes, Moses Malone and Karl Malone are just a few of those and all have their names in the NBA record books for their impressive rebounding stats. That's not to say that many current and up and coming players do not have the potential to be remembered the same way. Dwight Howard, Tim Duncan, and Kevin Love all fall into that category as among the best rebounders currently in the NBA and the best current NBA players in general.
These best rebounders in NBA history are not just the best to pull the boards but also many of the best to ever play the game. Vote for the players you think are the best NBA rebounders ever, add any not listed then come by and vote for the best NBA players of all time too.
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3,076816Dennis Rodman
Small forward, Power forwardAge: 58
Birthplace: Trenton, New Jersey, United States of America
Teams: Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls
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1,356348Bill Russell
CenterAge: 85
Birthplace: West Monroe, USA, Louisiana
Teams: Boston Celtics
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1,809534Wilt Chamberlain
CenterAge: Dec. at 63 (1936-1999)
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Teams: Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers, Philadelphia Warriors, San Francisco Warriors
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717221Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
CenterAge: 72
Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States of America
Teams: Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks
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485124Andre Drummond
Power forward, CenterAge: 27
Birthplace: Mount Vernon, New York
Number: 1
Teams: Cleveland Cavaliers
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774257Hakeem Olajuwon
CenterAge: 56
Birthplace: Lagos, Nigeria
Teams: Houston Rockets, Toronto Raptors
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949371Charles Barkley
Small forward, Power forwardAge: 56
Birthplace: Leeds, Alabama, United States of America
Teams: Phoenix Suns, Philadelphia 76ers, Houston Rockets
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864337Moses Malone
Power forward, CenterAge: 64
Birthplace: Virginia
Teams: Washington Wizards, Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, Buffalo Braves, Houston Rockets
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727284Shaquille O'Neal
CenterAge: 47
Birthplace: Newark, New Jersey, United States of America
Teams: Phoenix Suns, Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat
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619240Ben Wallace
Power forward, CenterAge: 45
Birthplace: White Hall, Alabama
Teams: Washington Wizards, Orlando Magic, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls
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631232Tim Duncan
Power forward, CenterAge: 44
Birthplace: Christiansted, United States Virgin Islands
Number: 21
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427204Dikembe Mutombo
CenterAge: 53
Birthplace: Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Teams: Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets
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454183David Robinson
CenterAge: 54
Birthplace: Key West, Florida
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440220Dwight Howard
Power forward, CenterAge: 34
Birthplace: Atlanta, Georgia
Number: 12
Teams: Los Angeles Lakers
15
286158Wes Unseld
CenterAge: 73
Birthplace: Louisville, Kentucky
Teams: Washington Wizards, Baltimore Bullets
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356187Karl Malone
Power forwardAge: 56
Birthplace: Summerfield, Louisiana, United States of America
Teams: Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Lakers
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359178Kevin Garnett
Power forwardAge: 43
Birthplace: Greenville, South Carolina, USA
Number: 5
Teams: Boston Celtics, Minnesota Timberwolves
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21670Patrick Ewing
CenterAge: 57
Birthplace: Kingston, Jamaica
Teams: Orlando Magic, Seattle Supersonics, New York Knicks
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233144Elvin Hayes
Power forward, CenterAge: 74
Birthplace: Rayville, Louisiana
Teams: Washington Wizards, Baltimore Bullets, Houston Rockets, San Diego Rockets
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290172Nate Thurmond
Power forward, CenterAge: 78
Birthplace: Akron, Ohio, United States of America
Teams: Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, San Francisco Warriors, Chicago Bulls
21
203103DeAndre Jordan
CenterAge: 32
Birthplace: Houston, Texas
Number: 6
Teams: Brooklyn Nets
22
210149Willis Reed
Power forward, CenterAge: 77
Birthplace: Hico, Louisiana, United States of America
Teams: New York Knicks
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192127Charles Oakley
Power forward, CenterAge: 56
Birthplace: Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America
Teams: Washington Wizards, Houston Rockets, Toronto Raptors, New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls
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15257Anthony Davis
Power forward, CenterAge: 27
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois
Number: 3
Teams: Los Angeles Lakers
25
165119Jerry Lucas
Power forward, CenterAge: 79
Birthplace: Middletown, Ohio
Teams: Cincinnati Royals, New York Knicks, San Francisco Warriors
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