Over 100 Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of The Best White Centers Of All Time
Voting Rules
Vote up the best white Centers in NBA history.
Latest additions: Chris Kaman, Dave Cowens
Most divisive: Matt Geiger
Who is the best white Center of all time? When it comes to the best white Centers in NBA history, these skilled big men possessed great passing ability, smooth shooting strokes, and fancy post footwork. The best white NBA Centers are typically great at the fundamentals and deceptively quick, too. They could be considered some of the best NBA players of all time. Who are the best white Centers of all time? Which white NBA Centers do you love?
When it comes to the best white Centers in NBA history, Bill Walton should be high atop the list, having won two NBA titles and garnering an NBA Finals MVP in 1977. Recently, Nikola Jokić has challenged for the mantle, having won back-to-back NBA MVP awards. Then there's white NBA Centers like Bill Laimbeer, George Mikan, and Marc Gasol. Lest we forget the #2 overall 2022 NBA draft pick Chet Holmgren who is now in the mix of the best white NBA players and could grow into a great NBA player.
Vote up the best white Centers to ever play in the NBA. Help decide who is the best white Center basketball player out there!
Arguably the greatest center in modern-day basketball with the potential to become one of the greatest centers the game has ever seen, Nikola Jokic defied all the odds and expectations and became one of the best basketball players of all time. One of the, if not the, best passing big man the game has ever seen, Jokic takes and has complete control of the game at all times, and his ability to score, get his teammates open shots, and defend at an elite level makes him a nightmare for opponents. Jokic won back-to-back MVPs and has his Nuggets in contention every year.
Bill Walton was one of the greatest players the game of basketball. Putting up monstrous stat lines of 17.7 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game, Walton was a two-time All-Star, Rebounding Champ, Block Champ, All-Defensive player, MVP, NBA Champion, and Finals MVP all within his first four years in the NBA. However, injuries got a hold of Walton for a while after that. Just when his career looked over, Walton earned a second chance with the Boston Celtics, revitalized his career as a Sixth Man of the Year, and was able to win another title on one of the greatest teams of all time.
Birthplace: La Mesa, California
Team: Portland Trail Blazers, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Clippers
Hall of Famer and beloved Minneapolis Laker of the 40s and 50s, George Mikan was an electric and explosive scorer who could light up opposing defenses with extreme ease. Averaging 23.1 points and 13.4 rebounds per game throughout his 7-year career, Mikan would achieve true greatness, winning three scoring titles, an MVP, and five NBA Championships. Mikan was one of the first ever truly dominant big men that the league had ever seen up to that point.
One of the most brutal, hard-nosed, and tenacious competitors to ever play in the NBA, Bill Laimbeer garnered a reputation as a pest for the Bad Boy Pistons of the late 80s/early 90s. A phenomenal rebounding talent, Laimbeer did whatever it took to win, even if that meant bending the rules or throwing a few elbows when officials weren't looking. A heartbeat of the legendary Detroit Pistons squad, Laimbeer won back-to-back titles, and is one of the most beloved, and hated, players of all time.
Marc Gasol's hard work, masterful IQ, and defensive wizardry helped establish him as one of the best big man in the game for nearly two decades. A staple figure of the grit-and-grind Memphis Grizzlies, Gasol anchored the slow-paced, hard-nosed team, and was a tenacious force in the pain. Although he didn't have the speed, athleticism, or explosion of a great defender, he was always in the right place at the right time and won the 2012-13 Defensive Player of the Year. Later in his career, he would finally win the NBA championship with the Toronto Raptors.
One of the most dominant, skilled, and masterful overseas basketball players of all time, Arvydas Sabonis redefined what it meant to be a center, and winner, in professional sports throughout the 80s and 90s. While he would play professionally for 16 years, it wouldn't be until his 10th year that Sabonis would enter the NBA, firmly out of his prime, but still an incredible talent. A wonderful passer, tenacious rebounder, and master in the post, Sabonis was a key cog in the hyper competitive Jail Blazers squads around the turn of the millennium. Sabonis is the blueprint for the modern-day centers we see today, he just came 40 years earlier than the rest.
