@@armandodelossantos736 and how many of those centers set the single season records for point and rebound averages? How many of those centers accomplished those feats a decade apart from another?
@@armandodelossantos736 oh I'm sorry I didn't realize Bill Russell's Celtics were a bunch of bums. Kareem Abdul Jabbar, that guy was a bum too. Wilt would destroy the NBA today. The last Center who came anywhere close to him was Shaq.
@@colinwhite9529 Wilt didn't play Kareem until he was already old and he needed to piggyback off Jerry West just to get his second ring! Bill Russell's Celtics are definitely scrubs compared to the players from the 80's and 90's like Magic, Isiah, Jordan, Pippen, Bird, Olajuwon!! You don't know shit about Wilt or Russell anyways, you just hear stories and believe it like a dumb kid believing in the Easter Bunny
I saw a game between the Warriors and the Celtics. Chamberlain and Russell. Russell played one of the greatest defensive games I've ever seen. He held Chamberlain to 65 points that night. Yes, Chamberlain was just that good.
If Olajuwon played for LA or Boston then he would get all the love and recognition he deserves. People act likes hes not a great player when in fact hes basically a guard in a big man's body.
Hakeem is the most skilled center with the best footwork ever... He also the 🐐 defender... Man really the only big man who's top 10 in freakin STEALS... He also arguably best 2way player ever, top 10 in 5 stats after he retired (scoring, shooting percentage, block, rebound & steal)
Hakeem had the best footwork of any big man ever. That Dream Shake was awesome. He basically used the footwork of guards and small forwards down on the block.
Olajuwon carried a team of role players, largely forgotten today, to the championship in 1994 and 1995 (the second year, Drexler was added late in the season). The second best player on those teams... was ?? ... Kenny Smith?
I recently found out that the NCAA and the NBA changed the free-throw shooting rules because Wilt was DUNKING his free throws as early as high school! Look it up.
WILT at #4 is PROPOSTORIOUS.In his first six years on the Warriors,he averaged 41.5pts &25.1rebs.Scored 50pts 131 times to Jordan's 31.Holds 72 N.B.A.records,68 by himself that will never be broken.
Spot on, whoever made this list was not even alive to see Wilt...I used to go to see him vs the Celtics at Philly Convention Hall, and later at The Great Forum in L.A. Philly GOAT!
When Wilt and Russell played, blocked shots were not included in the stat sheet. Russell actually invented the blocked shot while he and Wilt would contest every shot in the paint. Therefore when you consider the shot blocking numbers for those other centers, no one else can be ranked higher than #3 because the top two will always be Russell and Wilt. Furthermore, in 1961 Wilt averaged 50.4 points, 25.6 rebounds, on 50.6 shooting percentage while playing 48.5 minutes a game while scoring 100 in a game! Wilt averaged 30.1 points with a 54% field goal percentage, 22.9 rebounds, while playing 45.8 minutes FOR HIS CAREER! He lead the league in all time scoring while only playing 15 years including one in which he was injured. No one else has had his career numbers in a single season. You can debate that Russell was better but any list that has Wilt less that the second greatest player of all time (no I'm not putting Jordan #1), your list is flawed...PERIOD!!!
@@TheDarkKnight78 Wilt routinely blocked 20 shots a game. He'd have the record by a lot. Russell would probably be #2, by a mile. I saw Wilt block THREE Kareem sky hooks. That was near the end of his career, and near the beginning of Kareem's. Pure insanity. People have no clue how athletic Wilt was.
THESE POWDERPUFFS PLAYERS TODAY DON’T RESPECT THE PAST GENERATIONS OF PLAYERS. THEY ALL NEED A HISTORY CLASS. I AM WILLING TO ASK THEM WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE UP TEMPO IN TODAY’S GAME?
No center in the history of basketball was so technically good, so universal and as complete as Hakeem Olajuwon. This man had everything. No element of his game was weak.
Exactly! And like the 2 arguably best centers are Kareem and Hakeem but Kareem couldn’t shoot shots like hakeem could and no ones obviously seen the footage of them planning
@@cameronjackson2346 Hakeem couldn’t shoot hooks like Kareem. If he was so great why only 2 pro titles and no college title. He was good but not number 2. I don’t remember him ever leading the league in rebounding. In the top 10 yes but not #2.
@@ezekielspates5677 Ok he did in ‘89 and ‘90. He was a bad dude. A HOF. One of the greatest, but not the greatest. Not in the top 5. Definitely in the 10. I doubt if most General Managers or coaches will pick him ahead of Wilt, Kareem, Shaq, Russell or even a healthy Walton. He was probably flashier than any other center. That doesn’t mean your the best. Pistol Pete, Earl the Pearl and TMac were flashy but they weren’t the best.
@@rileymrr1 umm I think anyone would take Hakeem over Bill Walton and I don't think Hakeem's top 5 but he's definitely better than Bill Walton (healthy or not).
Nice list but Wilt has to be 2nd on the list, if not 1st. Wilt had a good supporting cast on his few teams but Kareem had much better supporting casts, which allowed him more Championships. Wilt averaged 50 points per game one season (60-61 I think) and the very next season (61-62) he averaged 40 points per game. And I've been a Celtics fan my entire life.
@@vicster1962 are you joking or did you forget Wilt played with Jerry West and Elgin Baylor. Three HOF on the same team. Two of the all time greats especially in those days.
The only thing that would need to change for Wilt to have more championships would have been his coach. Of the top-10 players, these were the coaches or team execs 9 of them played under: Phil Jackson, (Pat Riley), Riley, Red Auerbach, Riley, (Auerbach), Popovich, Jackson, Jackson. That's pretty much the Mt Rushmore of NBA coaches. The only top-10 player who did not have an all-time great coach for multiple seasons was Wilt. Give Wilt a Phil Jackson as his coach for 6-8 years and I expect he would have several more rings, probably taking some from Russell.
Hakeehm Olajuwon will score against anybody EVERY TIME if you do't have any help from your teammate!!! He is the fastest, most skilled center ever live!!!
@@aarondigby9859 yeah and what the Hakeem haters don’t realize is Hakeem didn’t even start playing basketball till he was 17. He was a soccer goalie. Google what Jordan, Shaq, Kobe, Reggie Miller and the rest of the greats that played with and against Hakeem, had to say about hiim. Hakeem was a monster, helped by Moses Malone.
Wilt is definitely a top 3 center of all-time if not the greatest. His numbers speak for themselves and he would even dominate today with his size and strength
Chamberlain was an awesome player, no doubt. Apparently with women, too, as he tells it. He dueled with Russell from 1959 to 1969, and his stats back up his greatness, all except one: Championships. Over those 11 (count 'em) years the Boston Celtics with Russell, two years with him as player/coach, won 10, while Philadelphia, with Chamberlain, won one. Who won head to head regular season games? They played 94, Russell's team won 57, Chamberlain's won 37 Now you say, "those are team stats, so they don't count." I beg to differ. At the time, I was there, Russell was known as a player who made his team better, Chamberlain was known as a player who collected stats. Russell was simply better at winning. I suppose it didn't hurt that Russell's coach was Red Auerbach. No matter how great Chamberlain was, and he was great, and in an era when centers were most important, Russell was better. It's only people looking at past stats alone that don't understand that. BTW. I admit to knowing little about Hakeem Olajuwon, but in 17 years his team won 2 Championships. I agree that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was probably the best, but even he only won 6 championships over 20 years.
@@ChimeraActual Bill Russell did not win those championships by himself. Even Michael Jordan needed to have strong supporting cast built up around him before he won a ring.
@@calguy3838 of course, I agree. But Championships should be in the mix I think. If for no other reason than over the 13 years his teammates changed. Seeing the Bob Cousey behind the back pass in the video reminded me of the early Celtic's vs the later ones. Russell was no match for Chamberlain physically, nobody ever was, but mentally? In how to win games? Russell was his better.
I was lucky enough to have seen all of these guys perform on the court, though I admit, Russel and Chamberlain were nearing the end of their careers respectively. I'm 64 yrs old... turning 65 in November. What's astonishing about these rankings is that omitted from them are other centers who also made their own mark on the court... like Boston's David Cowens, San Francisco's Nate Thurmond, the Knicks' Willis Reed and a host of others my generation enjoyed watching!
Exactly, George. I'm the same age and grew up watching all these guys. Big men like Thurmond, Reed, and Cowens don't get as much credit as they deserve because they were compared with Kareem and Wilt.
I agree 100% with both of you I`m 62 we were blessed to see many great players as kids and into our adult lives ! I cant speak for you , but I`m really into today's style of basketball ! I may know about a hand full players in today`s game. as a kid I almost knew every teams rooster . When we lost the Seattle Supersonic`s I didn't watch it as much as I use to ! Then after Kobe retired ! pretty much stopped...
I'm 70, and I have watched them all in their prime, beginning with Russell and Wilt, when I was eight or nine years old. The fact that they literally defined how the center position was played back in the early 60s, puts them 1&2 respectively. For those of us who really understand and appreciate how the post position was played, offensively and defensively before Kareem redefined it, any "Greatest List" ranking ANYONE else ahead of these top three, makes that list nothing more than an uninformed opinion.
@@darko714 you mention Thurmond, Reed and Cowens and call them big men… Can you please explain to me why people always talk down Wilts performances by saying he played little guys?
@@greatdane1991 He was way better than Bill. He had more moves and skills than Wilt and Bill combined. This was a good compilation. The only center that I would pick over Hakeem in the prime would be Kareem. That is it. They both not only had power and agility but true skills.
@@kave4602 that's actually a lie at 50 wilt was benching 500 shaq couldn't get to 500 his whole career he only did 450 and also Wilt was still getting nba contracts at 50 years old don't let Wilt fool you
@@kellonnettles7427 I believe plays are getting better and better over time because new generations learn from the elders and all the nutrients plays get.
Hey, I love Kareem, and I'm a Celtics fan so Russell ranks in the top three, but knowing what Chamberlain did there's really no one who comes close. He's the ONLY player ever to not only average 30 / 20 in a single season but over an entire career!!! Chamberlain holds 72 NBA records, 68 by himself. Among his records are several that are considered unbreakable, such as averaging 22.9 rebounds for a career or 50.4 points per game in a season, scoring 100 points or 55 rebounds in a single game, scoring 65 or more points 15 times, 50 or more points 118 times. I could go on, but you get the point
There were a lot more possessions and nobody could shoot or dribble. No shit there are going to be more rebounds. Look at how many times Wilt catches his own missed post shot upwards of 2 times before finally scoring because nobody else has a chance of getting it. Guys dribbled with one hand while looking down at the ball. The league was a joke when Wilt was putting up those numbers. He never faced anything like the centers of the 80s and 90s.
Bill Russell, Nate Thurmond (who should be on the list) Walt Bellamy, Jabar, Artist Gilmore (who I would take over Matumbo in a heart beat) Bob Lanier (who would be on the list if not for the bad knees. Probably still should be), Wes Unseld, Willis Reed, Elvin Hayes (I know, everyone thinks he was a forward but was basically unstoppable in the paint) All monsters. All of them. And all lined-up against Wilt.
@@joema669 Average centre height back then was only half an inch shorter. Average nba player height only an inch shorter. You're not a clown, you're the entire circus.
@@shatondamoorehead3733 yeah, wilt was a bettter overall plyer(points, blocks, assists, rebounds) hakeem could shoot the midrange and was better defensively, bill russell is debatable, and kareem had more points, and a much longer and fuller career.
Stats and impact place Wilt at the top, by far. People forget Wilt's utter dominance at his position; his strength, his varieties of attack, his stamina. Strange biases are held against him.... Not only the greatest center, but also the GOAT.
Wilt is not top 4 he’s easily beat center all time in one season he averaged 50 points, 20 rebounds and is one of the best shot blockers ever. And don’t forget the 100 point game
When Wilt Chamberlin was an old man he gave everybody he played a fit, so go back, and look who he played against, and you will see he shouldn't be ranked where you've got him; he was the best I've ever seen!!!
He played against one guy who belongs on this list which is Kareem and Kareem was better than him the moment he stepped onto an NBA court. Wilt is mostly myth. Watch actual clips of Wilt playing. Hakeem would cook him easily.
His number shots per game high compared to other centers, thus scoring average. More shots went up so more chances for rebounds. The game has changed. He was great just the same - a great all around athlete who carried a chiseled body and passion for getting to the basket. He was physically very strong.
@@KyleHurd Wrong. He not only played against Russell, but also Thurmond, Reed, Bellamy, and Lanier, all of whom are better than any center in the league today. Even Wes Unseld, who was considered very short for a center in the 60's is the same height as Ben Wallace, and in fact a better all-around player than Wallace. "Grandpa" Wilt also faced Artis Gilmore, and of course Kareem.
Skill-wise I think Hakeen was the most complete center of all the centers in this list. Being so dominant defensively and offensively with so much grace and style is a tremendously hard feat to accomplish. The fact that he still teaches some of the best players in the league in the art of the low-post just goes to show how honed his skills are.
@@kingt2olase94 That’s because you were too young to know how good Moses Malone was back then. I have known Moses Malone since I was a child, in 1975. If you weren’t born in the 60’s like me then you have no idea how good Moses was in the low post. Moses ran summer camps in Houston and one of his protégés was Hakeem Olajuwon. Look it up.
@@tppwttiger2244 look man I get it, Moses was all time great. But Moses didn't teach Hakeem those moves. Moses wasn't doing no half-spin, fadeway pump fake into a dunk. That was all the Dream. Nobody could do the Dream Shake like the Hakeem, before or after him.
@@rickycole6327Bill was 1st gen and Moses was 2nd generation of same basketball soul. Wilt was Gen 1 and Shaq Gen 2. Kareem and Hakeem are similar in same way. Maybe? Just having more fun with hypotheticals like all sport debates are.
@Jimmy Poe And because there was no 3-point line, why would they shoot from far out? Even though they could. It was all inside, around the key play back then. And they they changed all that, because of Chamberlain too! He'd swat today's NBA aside like a fly.
Brian Fergus - Then you are a blind, because Wilt's game were great by two factors. 1- His talent and his body. 2 - There weren`t a lot of rules, I think Wilt would dominate at this league, but he wouldn't so dominant like his time. His offense and defense would decrease with the current rules.
I am “a blind” (LOL OK). But seriously, you make no sense, since Wilt had to operate within the goaltending rules. It’s not like they just made that rule up. And you saying that most of Wilts blocks were goaltending is just a load of bs.
Wilt is ranked too low. In his prime, there was no one more versatile, more athletic and more powerful. Had he played for Boston instead of Russell, he's have 15 rings. That said, his lesser-talented teams were never far from the Celts at the end of the day -- because they had him! Like he said, the NBA changed the rules to help Jordan's game. The changed the rules to hurt his. GOAT.
1. Wilt (most dominant player ever) 2. Kareem (leads all time points scored) 3. Russell (best defender ever, won 11 titles) 4. Hakeem (was elite all-round) 5. Shaq (dominated for most of his career) 6. Moses (was elite all-round) 7. Robinson (was elite all-round) 8. Ewing (was elite all-round) 9. Nate Thurmond (one of the best defenders of all time) 10. Dikembe (best shot blocker of all time)
+melokid99 Hakeem may lead in blocks all time, but he definately could not match dikembe in pure shot blocking ability. If I were to choose one player to guard the paint I would choose dikembe over hakeem
+Oscar Burke I respectfully disagreee, Hakeem exerted more energy doing other things like scoring, steals, assisting, and defending. He wasn't able to just focus on blocking shots like Dikembe who was less than average when it came to score. Hakeem was the focal point of his team carry the bulk of the load for his team. Dikembe was a great shoot blocker but he didn't possess the athlethicism and footwork as Hakeeem. This is why Hakeem is the all time leader of block shots.
@@Godisa10 Jimmy the basketball youtuber makes a good GOAT case for WIlt Chamberlain. He shows that there were 6'11" or taller centers to guard Wilt on every team in the league, including 2 on one team. And he still dominated guys his own size.
"He was the only player in NBA history to record 40 points and 20 rebounds in a game at least 4 times" Except, Wilt averaged that, for a season, 3 times. "The only player to win the scoring title without making a 3 point field goal" Except every player who did that prior to the rule being instituted. "the only player to score 60 points and 20 rebounds in a game" Except Wilt, who did it 23 times and, Elgin Baylor who also did it once. It's so ludicrous to make things up when he was a decent enough player without lying about it. By the way, had blocks and steals been stats when Wilt and Russell played, Wilt's number would look even more ridiculous than they are. This list is laughable at it's rankings and blatant lies. Keeping Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain out of the 1 and 2 spot shows your generational bias.
I agree. I tend to laugh at any list that doesn't have Russell at #1. He was the most important player on teams that won 11 titles in 13 seasons (13 in 15 if you add in NCAA). Chamberlain was a beast though. Imagine what his point total would be if he could shoot FTs. I understand how someone could rank Jabbar #1, though I don't agree with it. Olajuwon was a great player, but he wasn't Russell or Chamberlain.
Back in Wilt's day people thought it was somehow unfair to be that big. Some didn't like the fallaway shot. There was an article about him "nobody roots for Goliath". Not the best liked but easily the best center ever was Wilt. I like Hakeem second. If Chamberlain had better teammates and a coach like Red Auerbach he would have had more rings.
I'm an old man, 63, I've seen all the best centers. Now one man that needs mentioning is Robert Parish. A center myself, 3 years in the NBA...I played against this man. Important- for every move, he did, and is covered, he had a second move to get a open shot, hook, or dunk. Footwork of a point gaurd, touch of a shooting gaurd, soft hands, stronger than anyone.... overshadowed by bird, McHale, u need to understand how greatness is measured!
Parish was a great player. Good hands and ran the floor like a deer. Amazing that Kareem was able to dominate him and the Celtic Frontline in 1985 at 38 years of age.
The Chief has 4 rings and was one of the best running centers in the league . Yet they have Mutumbo , Ewing and Unseld ranked . Pitifully ignorant of NBA history!!!
RainyTV only because blocks weren't counted back when Russell and Wilt played. Refs, announcers, and sports writers all say that they averaged around 10 blocks per game.
Sorry, but game footage doesn’t lie. You can look at them play and instantly tell that bill and Hakeem are in different leagues when it comes to offensive skill set- if you tell me that dikembe mutubo was on that Celtics team doesn’t come close to the success they had with bill, I’d think your crazy
@@jeremiecollier-freed3170 bills game wasn't offensive no body is saying he is an offensive demi God, but on defense he is the goat and there is no debate, in 13 seasons he has a combined 130 defensive win shares (11x leader) in 20 years with the spurs dynasty tim duncon no.2 in defensive winshares only has 100 that is an insane difference, no one had better defensive iq then bill russel he had actual control over the shots he blocked as his blocking and passing the ball. He had insane leaping ability and just from clips you can see his not fouling his man to block his shots his doing it extremely clean. There is no one in nba history able to replace bill russel on defense it's complelty dumb to say that. No disrespect to dekembe but his gonna be sitting on the bench with a broken leg if his playing in the 60s. Hakeem was better in offense and offensive moves, but bill russel was better rebounder,shot blocked,defensive iq,defensive skill set,leader,play off preformer,game 7 performer and playmaker
Wilt never followed out of a game. Greatest record in NBA history. Used to watch him play volleyball in Santa Monica, near the pier. He'd come over with friends (and his two great danes) when the weather was bad, so no one would bother him. Retired, 50+, and still agile as hell.
AwildGoonch he was probably the best athlete of all time and there might never be anyone as athletic as him but he didn’t have enough skill I don’t think
@@joelopez9762 Zelmo Beaty, Nate Thurmond, Willis Reed, Walt Bellamy, Bob Lanier, Jerry Lucas, Wes Unseld, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Lou Alcinder at the time) - Those are just the Hall of Fame centers he played against back when there was less than 14 teams in the league
You forgot to mention Wilt won two titles, which were among two of the best teams ever in a single season. He probably has the most blocks ever because they didn't keep the stat til late. He is on film with 26 in one game versus Detroit. Wilt is the best, period.
Today's athletes and the style of dribbling makes the modern day teams more difficult to play against. Also, the available training aids and medical advances have created athletes that the early players couldn't stack up with.
Wilt was without question the GOAT whose records dwarf all others. He averaged 50 points, 25 rebounds and scored 100 points in a game in the 1962 season, please.
Call him the GOAT if you want, but if I was a player I'd much rather have won 11 championships. That is the goal with team sports...to win it all, not worry about your stats. I mean come on, Wilt was more concerned at the end of games about fouling out rather than winning the game. Sure he dominated games but I think Shaq could have done the same if he played in Wilt's era.
@@krisharkleroad8 I'll agree with you if we can stop the foolishness then about trying to call Jordan or James the GOAT as clearly they don't have enough titles to be in Russell's class. Otherwise, you're just wrong.
Artis hahaha no bro, Dekembe was a beast for his entire career and was the 2nd greatest blocker of all time. Artis had one really good mvp season but he aint no Dekembe
@@jeremycoughtrees7831 bruh, there's so much footage online 😂 anyways what type of stupid argument is that😂😂 I've never seen mj play live but I can still stay he's the goat. Personally I've watched atleast 20 hours of wilt footage on my free time and I personally have him 3rd all time
They played in a faster paced league with inferior athletic ability overall to future eras. And the key thing is there was no 3pt line in their era. Hakeem #1
Wilt is always number one he had the speed, the strength, the athleticism, and height to be a great player. Then he dominated the nba and had to have rules made to make it harder for him to play so take that into account
@@anjr9915 without wilt,jerry west, Bill russel, Larry bird,Kareem etc just stfu and yeah some of them didn’t play in the same era but they were still dominant back in the “Weak era”
Bill and Wilt played in another basket era when the centers dominated since there were no 3pts shoot and dunks were dangerous. As impact and winning mentality Bill was dominant with an alien team, but " Big Dipper" imho was the goat center. Maybe only Hakeem was the most complete. So: 1 Chamberlain 2 Hakeem+Russell 3 Kareem 4 Shaq
Not saying he’s in the top 10, but let’s give some love to “The Chief” Robert Parish! He went toe to toe with the beat on this list. He was an Ironman playing 21 seasons and his rainbow jumper was all style.
I'd take Parrish over Mutombo. I think the gap between Parrish on offense is greater than Mutombo's advantage on defense. Parrish would've been 20-10 career player on a bad team.
Who ever said that Kenny Smith is a hall famer don't know basketball at all and sam cassell was not an all star in 1994 all you have to do is look it up . know your basketball !!
I feel like Dave Cowens should have at least gotten an honorable mention on this list. He was as good or better than Wes Unseld. Cowens was on two NBA championship teams with the Celtics, won Rookie of the Year, MVP in 1973, and was an eight-time allstar.
No. He was good, not great. I'd put him in the same category as Parrish, Gilmore, Chambers - somewhere in that 12-20 range. he also had the benefit of playing on great teams.
@@MuckBulligan I think he was very good. There are very few players who put as much heart into their game as he did. I just wish he could have played a few more years with Bird. They were so similar in temperament and commitment to the game. In his mid/late-20s, he could handle any center in the league. I'd say he definitely helped make his teams great.
@@johnfox4446 My God, does Shaq have that many enemies? He certainly deserves a mention, Not questioning your comment, but the story and all the comments!
Wilt averaged 30 ppg, 22.9 rpg and 4.4 assists for his career. How is he not the best center ever? Kareem had an unstoppable shot, but he was not as dominant as Wilt. My list is: 1. Chamberlain 2. Jabbar 3. Russell 4. Olajuwon 5. O'Neill 6. Malone 7. Robinson 8. Ewing 9. Walton 10. Mikan -They invented the 24 second shot clock because of this guy and widened the lane.
@@KyleHurd Silly comment. Wilt had the size, but he also had athleticism, strength, endurance, and speed. Hakeem might contend with Wilt, but to say he would dominate Wilt is a nonsense statement.
@@KyleHurd Hakeem was just about identical to Bill Russel in size and athleticism. Hakeem was better offensively, but Bill was better defensively. Bill won 11 championships with the Celtics. Case closed.
True for the most part; although a few industry old-schoolers (e.g. Kareem) pick Bill Russell. While I think everyone agrees that Bill probably couldn't handle Wilt 1-on-1, it's hard to think of a more valuable 5-on-5 player than Bill. While dominant individual stats get more attention, dominant team leadership counts! (Btw, I'm only 51; didn't get to see Wilt play; for me personally, it's Olajuwon all day...)
@@Nkosinati I did see Wilt play in his last 4 seasons and he was a great team player. Wilt was a better passer than Russell and played tenacious defense just like Bill. The ONLY weakness in Wilt's game was his FT shooting.
Wilt averaged 50 points and 27 blocks in a season. He had 40pt 50pt 60pt and 100pt games. He also had literally hundreds of games between 40 and 100pts that’s right. Hundreds. He had 55 rebounds in a single game against Bill Russel another record. He lead the league in assist one season. He was the strongest man in NBA history by far. He holds the record for having the most records!! Nobody comes close!! I can’t believe the comment that he was only tall and long. He ran a 40 yard dash the same time as LeBron. 4.6 the list needs work for sure. Research required.
He was the second best college player ever. If he had won that 3rd championship he would be # 1. He did have the single best Final Four game ever. So he’s 99.99 to Alcindor’s 100.
Bill is the second greatest college basketball player of all time he is also the second greatest UCLA Hoops player of all time and he will tell you that.
@@bobbybarker3782 wilt is my favorite center of all time with shaq so I know him better than you and nobody in the NBA history has the skills of jordan. He did everything. And now lebron who is 6'9 and 250 pounds play every position. Wilt is top 5 players of all time. 1 Jordan 2 lebron 3 kobe 4 wilt 5 kareem
I knew Hakeem would get much love in the comments. He wasn't American, or Christian, but the best. Glad to see him get the love he deserves. My favorite! Kareem was my 1st favorite player, Wilt was exceptional, but Hakeem Olajuwan was absolutely AMAZING!!!
Well said about the dream. And let me know if I’m wrong, but at the time when he won his 1st championship he was the only player to win it with nothing but role players around him. Dirk being the next guy to do so. Everyone else had at least an all star as a team mate. He did it with out one. Say sum!!!!!
To piggy back off what your saying I can't put Lebron in top 5 category simply his terrible finals record all the teams been all first ballot hall of famers he still can't produce I'm sorry what OLAJUWON did was incredible if he had at least two or three more rings then their be no question of his dominance ever player seeks his training on low post play.
You guys really need to consult with people who saw the centers from the Sixties play. I've been watching the NBA since 1964 and I've never to the day seen better centers than Russell and Chamberlain. the gap between them and everyone else is significant, and I think Russell was the greatest winner in the history of the game. He simply refused to lose. He wasn't as big as Chamberlain, but he was quicker, and was the best defensive player, best shot blocker, and best rebounder of all time. The only player that I've seen that had the same fire in his belly was Michael Jordan. I would love to have seen the two of them go against each other. The immovable object and the irresistible force. I'm not sure which team would win. It is absurd putting Chamberlain fourth and Russel anywhere but first. In fact, the two greatest players I've ever seen were Michael Jordan and Bill Russell. You question his athleticism, but in fact he was the most athletic center of all time. He was easily the strongest player in the history of the NBA, but he was also the fastest, with close to sprinter's speed. He was a highly successful sprinter in the AAU, though he was slowed down by knee problems. But watch film of his from his early years. He could sprint down the court faster than anyone else. He was able to bench press over 600 pounds, and several NBA players say taht Wilt sometimes would lift them up and move them over dead lifting them with just his arms. When he would shoot free throws the camera would shot a close up,, and you simply couldn't believe how massive his deltoids were. He had skinny legs, but was barrel chested. He also was a great leaper (before his knees started wearing down) and had a bizarre wing span. He would have eaten alive all the players in this list except Russell and to some degree Kareem. Initially when they played, Lew Alcindor (he hadn't changed his name yet) was better than Wilt, but that made Wilt mad and he went on to hold his own despite his age, and often absolutely dominated Kareem. I remember one sequence in a playoff game where Wilt blocked Kareem on three straight shots, one of them a sky hook and another a dunk that Kareem launched after dribbling the length of the court. To add insult to injury, Wilt not only blocked Kareem's dunk, but Kareem was called for charging. This was despite Wilt's aching knees. He was the only player I ever saw block the sky hook, but it was crystal clear watching the two going against each other that Wilt was better than Alcindor. The third best center that I ever saw play was Bill Walton his first two seasons in the NBA. Unfortunately, he broke a bone in his foot, and he was plagued by foot injuries for the rest of his NBA career. He ended up as a very successful bench player for Boston, but it was sad compared to the player he had been . Kareem is NOT the best center. I must have seen him in 100 games and he was not in Chamberlain and Russell's class. He was never the rebounder that Chamberlain and Russell were. I would drop Shaq a couple of spots and move Moses Malone up a bit. I would not have David Robinson on the list, and I'm not sure Mutumbo should be. Who should take their place? Artis Gilmore is one and perhaps Willis Reed. Also, Bill Lanier, someone who is nearly forgotten today, but who was the first NBA center with a great outside jump shot. He shot a soft left-handed jump shot that he could hit all day long at the top of the key. Unfortunately his career was spent in small markets. But the man was definitely a beast. He played a long time, but like others his knees slowed him down. Also, Dave Auerbach was better than at least one center on your list, though I would put him in my own top 10. A Top 15, maybe, but not a Top 10. Also, Walt Bellamy was a tremendous center in the fifties who put up tremendous numbers against several of the centers on this list. And I would take Nate Thurmond over Mutombo. Thurmond was as good as Russell and Chamberlain, only he wasn't the scorer that they were. But one huge difference between Russell, Thurmond, Bellamy, and Chamberlain and Kareem is that they played in the Golden Age of Centers. Kareem, however, played during a time when there were very, very few decent centers. So he was able to pad his stats by player shorter players. Wilt, on the other hand, had to go up against a huge number of massive centers in the Sixties. Also, the league expanded hugely in the Seventies, which watered down the talent. The teams of the Seventies, Eighties, and the Nineties (except for Detroit and Chicago). Also, the three point line stretched the defenses. Anyway, I would gut the list and start over.
Don't disagree too much, just a little. Anyway, it was Bob Lanier who you were referring to not Bill. Lanier was the best center the Pistons ever had and was an all-star. Great soft touch from 16-20 feet as you said. Hated that he went to play for the Bucks. The biggest argument that I have with you is that you said Thurmond was as good as Russell and Chamberlain. There is no way he measured up. He was very good but not in their stratosphere.
As a 90s kid it's nice to hear stories about past era's. I always considered MJ the GOAT, but that was probably because I grew up in the 90s. I've now looked back at past players and their accomplishments and athleticism and I recently changed my mind on who the GOAT is, I say it's Wilt Chamberlain. He's superhuman, he's stronger than Shaq, sub 11 second 100m, 4.6 second 40 yard, sub 50 second 400 meter, and jumps higher than Jordan. In terms of rebounding, Bill Russel is like a taller Dennis Rodman (or Dennis Rodman is a shorter Bill Russel). Rodman was AMAZING for his size, he could even shut Shaq down, now imagine if he was gifted with more height, yet lost no speed or athleticism, that's Bill Russel. I guess for you, you don't have to imagine, you saw it xD
Wilt didn't BULLY his way to the rim...( well , most of the time anyways , lol ) , He was more of a finesse player than anything else. He wanted to show his skill & He said " Ya dont do that by dunk'n the ball" , or something similar.
I agree Wilt most of the time was a finesse player. If he gotten mad or had a temper egads. He was so athletic. Artis Gilmore to me was a lot more physical then Wilt going to the rim. Wilt was strong , fast , and recreated himself many times.
@@darlaevitts3459 agree'd. He had heard so much about Russ & the Celt's that he changed his entire game to play like him & STILL gets shit on all the time. He musta thot , most of his life...WTF do I have to DO ... to get a little respect?? Sheesh!
Could you imagine if hakeem played his entire career with either the big O and Magic at the point? All of these other centers had a legit second man. A Robin to batman. YES, Drexler was a huge factor in the second title, but he was 34 and declining (obviously with gas still in the tank). Olajuwon never had the luxury of playing alongside another star. He didn't have prime kobe, prime Wade, prime Cousy, prime Havlicek, prince West...and the sentence continues. Somethings are not arguable they are factual. Kareem had the greatest longevity of any big man who has ever played the game. Hakeem, however, possessed the most complete package ever displayed by a center. There was not a single thing he could not do. Every center had a weakness besides him. This is undeniable.
Carl D'Angio Hakeem was definitely top three of all time, and the fact that he was really only 6-9 1/4, and not the 7 feet that he was listed as makes him even more impressive, considering that others such as Wilt, Kareem, Robinson, Ewing, and Shaquille were all legitimate 7 footers or more. But having said that I have to take just a little umbrage with you. First of all Drexler was 32 for the entire 94-95 season not 34. He was born on 6/22/1962, which means that he turned 33 a week after the '95 NBA finals ended on 6/14/1995. Furthermore he averaged 21.4 PPG with the Rockets after coming over from the Blazers halfway through the season. And in his final season in the league in 1998 he averaged 18 PPG. And also Hakeem did play three years with Ralph Sampson, who was very young at the time and very much in his prime. And remember that they did go to the NBA finals together in 1986 before losing to a great Celtics team. Had Sampson not gotten injured so often they might have won a championship in the 80's. Sampson's career was hampered by multiple serious injuries which led to early retirement in 1992.
@@Gsmooth10455 Well done, sir. You are correct, he was indeed 32. Now, please know that I made sure to state Clyde was still a very, very good player. But let's be honest with ourselves. He wasn't prime drexler. He was Kevin Garnett on the celtics. Hakeem never had a prime guy like a Kobe or Wade who played their best years with him. Like Jordan did Pippen. Anybody who thinks jordan has 6 rings without him is crazy. True they had sampson with him for a couple years, and they got to the finals with 10 warm bodies. I'll tell you this my friend, if hakeem had Kobe or Wade for the duration of his career, he would have won 5 or 6 rings as well.
@@Gsmooth10455 and good research by the way. Here is the real question...what Iif the rockets had accepted the blazers trade proposal in 1984. They offered a second year clyde drexler and the third pick of the draft (the rockets have said numerous times they would have taken Jordan there) for ralph sampson, who was coming off a rookie of the year season. Hakeem, drexler, and jordan all in their first and second year together....OMG.
,Olajuwon beat the breaks off of Shaq head to hear in the playoffs. Shaq wouldn't even be top 10 if he wasn't so big and strong. Hakeem much better skill wise.
Three centers better the Wilt Chamberlain is insane. In head to head competition Wilt beat Russell in scoring and rebounding. No way anyone was better than Chamberlain.
The only stats that matter are Wilts playoff stats against Bill. Bill made Wilt a less effective less efficient player in the playoffs and has the rings to show for it.
Of course great players will not do as well against other great players. Wilt still badly beat Russell in every category. To pretend that the championships made him a better player, even though he was being comprehensively beaten in every way possible by the guy he was guarding is towering nonsense.
@@Nagy50Magyar ruclips.net/video/V8r-WSWJM0M/видео.html pay attention to 2:25 and 3:30 but really this a subjective arguement. Still, I'll take an all world facilitator over an all world scorer especially of that facilitator is the scorers kryptonite.
@@Nagy50Magyar stats from that era are a joke. There were a million possessions per game and nobody could shoot or dribble. The offensive skillset of a center hadn't been invented yet. Watch the old clips. Wilt could not do that shit against any star center of the 80s/early 90s. It was considered fancy when Elgin dribbled between his legs. Players were putting up garbage set shots. Wilt had no competition other than undersized Bill. Olajuwon would cook him.
Great list. I've long believed that a case can be made for Chamberlain not only being the greatest center of all time but also the greatest NBA player of all time ... definitely, the most dominant.
That is because the stat box wasn’t created yet. Another example Oscar Robinson average to triple double for the first seven seasons that he played but they didn’t officially start making it a statline for triple double that’s her after his eighth season
@@mikes.johnson204 but they kept track of all the components of a triple double. For a long time steals and blocks were not officially recorded. Same with offensive rebounds.
Obito ... Hakeem may be the only center who actually may be a little quicker than the Big Dipper. Best leg-work of ANY center. But when you look at ALL the skills of centers thru-out NBA history... no 1 can touch Wilt !
Olajuwon was the best center of all time!!! All these old timers need to get the fuck out of here! Olajuwon played in a harder era and was the most versatile center in history of the nba! And olajuwon didnt have a super team like all these old timers did
Where is George Mikan? He has 7 pro titles and 1 college title. 6 titles with the Lakers. That’s one more than Magic or Kobe have with the Lakers. He also helped to integrate the NBA. And he was the main reason the 24 second clock came into being.
Mikan did not integrate anything; the Celtics signed the 1st black player. Mikan won his rings in Minnesota in an all white league. Great player, for sure, maybe #9 or 10.
@@truthkeeper9959 What does that even mean. He still won all those titles. Will the guys who are playing now be able to go head to head with players 50 years from now?
Wilt: the greatest basketball player of all time. No question, the people that he played against will tell you that NO ONE is even a close second to Wilt. How many have averaged 50 points a game with two and three people hanging all over him? Hard to figure how anyone can ignore his physical abilities but many on this page do. Russell was not even a close second to him. It was Wilt against three Celtics and Russell against only Wilt. Check - out many times Wilt out scored, out rebounded, and out played Russell and everyone else until the end of his career when the Lakers said they needed rebounds and not points from him.
People don't get it because there isn't ESPN reporting it. The NBA decided that only stuff after 1985 should be highlighted. That's hilarious because any one of Wilt's peers look at the game all the way up to today and say he would destroy anyone with ease!
@@FuShengAlex No one is talking about rings... He's talking about the fact that Wilt stands alone as easily the most dominant player, not only to play center, but in the NBA... PERIOD.
@@anthonym2504 yeah so "dominant" he put up a lousy 11.7ppg in the 69 NBA finals. THE worst FT shooting C in history. 30ppg reg season to 22ppg in the playoffs which includes a paltry 18ppg Finals average. Kareem, Hakeem and Shaq were better offensively in the playoffs than him. Not the most dominant C in NBA history
@@FuShengAlex what, a player can't have a bad game? No one in the history of the NBA ever had a bad game? The focus of the finding the greatest players relies on stats and longevity. Which is why Wilt still owns over 70 NBA records most of which will never be touched. He's second or third in another 70 or so categories. Besides that, they changed many rules to try and limit his greatness. He also did all of this in only 14 years compared to the rest. You better find another hobby, because arguing isn't your strong suit.
![Ice On My Teeth - ATEEZ エイティーズ 에이티즈 [Music Bank] | KBS WORLD TV 241115](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/c-n92OgbbwA/mqdefault.jpg)
They used to ask about a player, "Is he any good?" The response would be, "He's good, but he's no Wilt Chamberlain!"
And as of today there's been at least 5 different centers that can make Wilt look like a #4 center of all time
@@armandodelossantos736 and how many of those centers set the single season records for point and rebound averages? How many of those centers accomplished those feats a decade apart from another?
@@colinwhite9529 against bums idiot! Most of those centers would've done the same thing playing in Wilt's inflated stats league
@@armandodelossantos736 oh I'm sorry I didn't realize Bill Russell's Celtics were a bunch of bums. Kareem Abdul Jabbar, that guy was a bum too.
Wilt would destroy the NBA today. The last Center who came anywhere close to him was Shaq.
@@colinwhite9529 Wilt didn't play Kareem until he was already old and he needed to piggyback off Jerry West just to get his second ring! Bill Russell's Celtics are definitely scrubs compared to the players from the 80's and 90's like Magic, Isiah, Jordan, Pippen, Bird, Olajuwon!! You don't know shit about Wilt or Russell anyways, you just hear stories and believe it like a dumb kid believing in the Easter Bunny
I saw a game between the Warriors and the Celtics. Chamberlain and Russell. Russell played one of the greatest defensive games I've ever seen. He held Chamberlain to 65 points that night. Yes, Chamberlain was just that good.
Chamberlain is THAT GREAT......
Who won the game?
Wilt never scored 65 against Russell.
Bill Russell and wilt Chamberlain played in a time were there were very few great players.. I would like too see them play during the 80s teams..
@@krisharkleroad8 you're right.... Wilt scored 62 on Jan. 14 1962. The Celtics won the game.
If Olajuwon played for LA or Boston then he would get all the love and recognition he deserves. People act likes hes not a great player when in fact hes basically a guard in a big man's body.
He's not even close to Kareem tho?
@thenewshmoo I mean he learned the skyhook because they changed the rules because nobody could stop him SMH?
@thenewshmoo I'm just saying if you are building a team and you had to take one of them Kareem would be the pick.
@thenewshmoo he didn't have half the career Kareem did but ok smh?
1. Wilt 2. Hakeem 3. Russell 4. Kareem 5. Shaq
Hakeem is the most skilled center with the best footwork ever... He also the 🐐 defender... Man really the only big man who's top 10 in freakin STEALS... He also arguably best 2way player ever, top 10 in 5 stats after he retired (scoring, shooting percentage, block, rebound & steal)
I agree ! But Wilt was even better!
Hakeem had the best footwork of any big man ever. That Dream Shake was awesome. He basically used the footwork of guards and small forwards down on the block.
Clutch City In Here
Olajuwon carried a team of role players, largely forgotten today, to the championship in 1994 and 1995 (the second year, Drexler was added late in the season). The second best player on those teams... was ?? ... Kenny Smith?
So what you are saying is, he is better than Shaq AND Wilt?! AND HES NOT EVEN AA CENTER!!! HES A POWERFORWRD
G turbo did you just say that Hakeem was a power forward???? are you stupid?? and yes he is a much better all around center than shaq and wilt
Philly Sports In 1984 he moved to power forward...THE YEAR HE WAS DRAFTED!!
I recently found out that the NCAA and the NBA changed the free-throw shooting rules because Wilt was DUNKING his free throws as early as high school! Look it up.
also widened the lane because of his dominance. Hands down #1 center on my list.
@@timhanna4700 and 5 other rule chnages on top of that
oh and they changed /made special rules for jordan to make it EASIER for him
Moses Malone is one of the most underrated legends ever
by far
YES
+MJ sure is, rip
W
Alberto Mahía Also Patrick Ewing
WILT at #4 is PROPOSTORIOUS.In his first six years on the Warriors,he averaged 41.5pts &25.1rebs.Scored 50pts 131 times to Jordan's 31.Holds 72 N.B.A.records,68 by himself that will never be broken.
Spot on, whoever made this list was not even alive to see Wilt...I used to go to see him vs the Celtics at Philly Convention Hall, and later at The Great Forum in L.A. Philly GOAT!
When Wilt and Russell played, blocked shots were not included in the stat sheet. Russell actually invented the blocked shot while he and Wilt would contest every shot in the paint. Therefore when you consider the shot blocking numbers for those other centers, no one else can be ranked higher than #3 because the top two will always be Russell and Wilt. Furthermore, in 1961 Wilt averaged 50.4 points, 25.6 rebounds, on 50.6 shooting percentage while playing 48.5 minutes a game while scoring 100 in a game! Wilt averaged 30.1 points with a 54% field goal percentage, 22.9 rebounds, while playing 45.8 minutes FOR HIS CAREER! He lead the league in all time scoring while only playing 15 years including one in which he was injured. No one else has had his career numbers in a single season. You can debate that Russell was better but any list that has Wilt less that the second greatest player of all time (no I'm not putting Jordan #1), your list is flawed...PERIOD!!!
@@TheDarkKnight78 agree with you guys-if Wilt is not number !-maybe number 2
@@TheDarkKnight78 Wilt routinely blocked 20 shots a game. He'd have the record by a lot. Russell would probably be #2, by a mile. I saw Wilt block THREE Kareem sky hooks. That was near the end of his career, and near the beginning of Kareem's. Pure insanity. People have no clue how athletic Wilt was.
THESE POWDERPUFFS PLAYERS TODAY DON’T RESPECT THE PAST GENERATIONS OF PLAYERS. THEY ALL NEED A HISTORY CLASS. I AM WILLING TO ASK THEM WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE UP TEMPO IN TODAY’S GAME?
No center in the history of basketball was so technically good, so universal and as complete as Hakeem Olajuwon. This man had everything. No element of his game was weak.
Exactly! And like the 2 arguably best centers are Kareem and Hakeem but Kareem couldn’t shoot shots like hakeem could and no ones obviously seen the footage of them planning
@@cameronjackson2346
Hakeem couldn’t shoot hooks like Kareem.
If he was so great why only 2 pro titles and no college title. He was good but not number 2. I don’t remember him ever leading the league in rebounding. In the top 10 yes but not #2.
@@rileymrr1 he led the league in rebounds twice
@@ezekielspates5677
Ok he did in ‘89 and ‘90. He was a bad dude. A HOF. One of the greatest, but not the greatest. Not in the top 5. Definitely in the 10. I doubt if most General Managers or coaches will pick him ahead of Wilt, Kareem, Shaq, Russell or even a healthy Walton. He was probably flashier than any other center. That doesn’t mean your the best. Pistol Pete, Earl the Pearl and TMac were flashy but they weren’t the best.
@@rileymrr1 umm I think anyone would take Hakeem over Bill Walton and I don't think Hakeem's top 5 but he's definitely better than Bill Walton (healthy or not).
R.I.P wilt Chamberlain
Hakeem one of the most well rounded centers
Nice list but Wilt has to be 2nd on the list, if not 1st.
Wilt had a good supporting cast on his few teams but Kareem had much better supporting casts, which allowed him more Championships.
Wilt averaged 50 points per game one season (60-61 I think) and the very next season (61-62) he averaged 40 points per game.
And I've been a Celtics fan my entire life.
I agree Wilt no#1
Wilt has to be #1, could you imagine all the Championships he would have had if he had a supporting cast?
@@vicster1962 are you joking or did you forget Wilt played with Jerry West and Elgin Baylor. Three HOF on the same team. Two of the all time greats especially in those days.
Should be
Wilt, hakeem, russel, kareem, moses, shaq, unseld, robinson, mikan,parish
The only thing that would need to change for Wilt to have more championships would have been his coach. Of the top-10 players, these were the coaches or team execs 9 of them played under: Phil Jackson, (Pat Riley), Riley, Red Auerbach, Riley, (Auerbach), Popovich, Jackson, Jackson. That's pretty much the Mt Rushmore of NBA coaches. The only top-10 player who did not have an all-time great coach for multiple seasons was Wilt. Give Wilt a Phil Jackson as his coach for 6-8 years and I expect he would have several more rings, probably taking some from Russell.
"The Dream" is my favorite!
My favorite is ''the sky hook"
MANCHESTER UNITED F.C stfu basketball is better
The dream had that falsetto lol
Shaq at 5 bruh
@MAN UTD why you watching basketball then
Nice to see Hakeem gets credits he deserves.
Shaq is also 1st in total backboards broke
that's not a stat
+HitStick Robbie Dude... It's a joke
+HitStick Robbie rofl
Swoosh I know
Actually i think he might be tied with dawkins.
This video finally does Justice with Hakeem, great vid I love your channel and keep up the good work
Hakeehm Olajuwon will score against anybody EVERY TIME if you do't have any help from your teammate!!! He is the fastest, most skilled center ever live!!!
Moses Malone use to drag all them clowns from 1980-1990.
Wilt Chamberlain was a track and field collegiate All American at Kansas and still holds several records NCAA at Kansas.
Y'all acting like this a pity party for Olajuwan.
@@aarondigby9859 yeah and what the Hakeem haters don’t realize is Hakeem didn’t even start playing basketball till he was 17. He was a soccer goalie. Google what Jordan, Shaq, Kobe, Reggie Miller and the rest of the greats that played with and against Hakeem, had to say about hiim. Hakeem was a monster, helped by Moses Malone.
@@chadwickallen5495 Thanx, I'mma Google up the Dream , when Jordan retired he did go back to back championships.
Wilt is definitely a top 3 center of all-time if not the greatest. His numbers speak for themselves and he would even dominate today with his size and strength
THE GOAT!!
Yes
Chamberlain was an awesome player, no doubt. Apparently with women, too, as he tells it. He dueled with Russell from 1959 to 1969, and his stats back up his greatness, all except one: Championships. Over those 11 (count 'em) years the Boston Celtics with Russell, two years with him as player/coach, won 10, while Philadelphia, with Chamberlain, won one.
Who won head to head regular season games? They played 94, Russell's team won 57, Chamberlain's won 37
Now you say, "those are team stats, so they don't count." I beg to differ. At the time, I was there, Russell was known as a player who made his team better, Chamberlain was known as a player who collected stats. Russell was simply better at winning. I suppose it didn't hurt that Russell's coach was Red Auerbach.
No matter how great Chamberlain was, and he was great, and in an era when centers were most important, Russell was better. It's only people looking at past stats alone that don't understand that.
BTW. I admit to knowing little about Hakeem Olajuwon, but in 17 years his team won 2 Championships.
I agree that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was probably the best, but even he only won 6 championships over 20 years.
@@ChimeraActual Bill Russell did not win those championships by himself. Even Michael Jordan needed to have strong supporting cast built up around him before he won a ring.
@@calguy3838 of course, I agree. But Championships should be in the mix I think. If for no other reason than over the 13 years his teammates changed. Seeing the Bob Cousey behind the back pass in the video reminded me of the early Celtic's vs the later ones.
Russell was no match for Chamberlain physically, nobody ever was, but mentally? In how to win games? Russell was his better.
Before watching Hakeem's game tape, I never knew you can play a center this way.
I was lucky enough to have seen all of these guys perform on the court, though I admit, Russel and Chamberlain were nearing the end of their careers respectively. I'm 64 yrs old... turning 65 in November. What's astonishing about these rankings is that omitted from them are other centers who also made their own mark on the court... like Boston's David Cowens, San Francisco's Nate Thurmond, the Knicks' Willis Reed and a host of others my generation enjoyed watching!
Exactly, George. I'm the same age and grew up watching all these guys. Big men like Thurmond, Reed, and Cowens don't get as much credit as they deserve because they were compared with Kareem and Wilt.
I agree 100% with both of you I`m 62 we were blessed to see many great players as kids and into our adult lives ! I cant speak for you , but I`m really into today's style of basketball ! I may know about a hand full players in today`s game. as a kid I almost knew every teams rooster . When we lost the Seattle Supersonic`s I didn't watch it as much as I use to ! Then after Kobe retired ! pretty much stopped...
Bob Lanier
I'm 70, and I have watched them all in their prime, beginning with Russell and Wilt, when I was eight or nine years old. The fact that they literally defined how the center position was played back in the early 60s, puts them 1&2 respectively.
For those of us who really understand and appreciate how the post position was played, offensively and defensively before Kareem redefined it, any "Greatest List" ranking ANYONE else ahead of these top three, makes that list nothing more than an uninformed opinion.
@@darko714 you mention Thurmond, Reed and Cowens and call them big men…
Can you please explain to me why people always talk down Wilts performances by saying he played little guys?
Hakeem is actually immensely incredible when you really look at his game. I would literally put Hakeem in top 5. Even top 3.
Dream first
@@averyt6521 woah woah woah really?
@@thisismychannel4174 of we are running and I have first pick, I am picking Magic first and second Hakeem he is that good to me.
@@averyt6521 No way he’s ahead of bill,wilt,and Kareem
@@greatdane1991 He was way better than Bill. He had more moves and skills than Wilt and Bill combined. This was a good compilation. The only center that I would pick over Hakeem in the prime would be Kareem. That is it. They both not only had power and agility but true skills.
Shaq wasn’t the only person to get 60 points and 20 rebounds in a game wilt did that in his sleep get your facts straight
Remember when wilt played
Sorry, bc wilt play against way worse plays to make him dominate. If shaq play against wilt, wilt won't make top 10
@@kave4602 that's actually a lie at 50 wilt was benching 500 shaq couldn't get to 500 his whole career he only did 450 and also Wilt was still getting nba contracts at 50 years old don't let Wilt fool you
@@kellonnettles7427 I believe plays are getting better and better over time because new generations learn from the elders and all the nutrients plays get.
@@kave4602 Wilt played against a way more physical league. Plus Shaq was allowed to make a lot of fouls. I believe Wilt would dominate Shaq
Hey, I love Kareem, and I'm a Celtics fan so Russell ranks in the top three, but knowing what Chamberlain did there's really no one who comes close. He's the ONLY player ever to not only average 30 / 20 in a single season but over an entire career!!! Chamberlain holds 72 NBA records, 68 by himself. Among his records are several that are considered unbreakable, such as averaging 22.9 rebounds for a career or 50.4 points per game in a season, scoring 100 points or 55 rebounds in a single game, scoring 65 or more points 15 times, 50 or more points 118 times. I could go on, but you get the point
There were a lot more possessions and nobody could shoot or dribble. No shit there are going to be more rebounds. Look at how many times Wilt catches his own missed post shot upwards of 2 times before finally scoring because nobody else has a chance of getting it. Guys dribbled with one hand while looking down at the ball. The league was a joke when Wilt was putting up those numbers. He never faced anything like the centers of the 80s and 90s.
@@clivewarren3403 still the greatest of all time and the most dominant player ever. Mans a myth
@@abaih2369 yeah 90% myth
Frankincensed don't forget 26 blocks in a game
Duncan and there were only 8-14 teams
Wilt still owns OVER 60 RECORDS in the NBA record book! If Wilt played today he would still be the most dominant player ever!
Ehhh that's a reach. Look at the players today lol. Literally every team has a C the same size he was. But back then, he was the biggest on the court
Of course he's gonna hold records when literally everyone is 6 or more inches shorter than him lmfao
@@joema669 average height for a center back then was like 6’10 I think
Bill Russell, Nate Thurmond (who should be on the list) Walt Bellamy, Jabar, Artist Gilmore (who I would take over Matumbo in a heart beat) Bob Lanier (who would be on the list if not for the bad knees. Probably still should be), Wes Unseld, Willis Reed, Elvin Hayes (I know, everyone thinks he was a forward but was basically unstoppable in the paint) All monsters. All of them. And all lined-up against Wilt.
@@joema669 Average centre height back then was only half an inch shorter. Average nba player height only an inch shorter. You're not a clown, you're the entire circus.
Here after his death
RIP Wes Unseld
Mr Unseld was one of my favorite cards of all-time! RIP.
Bro she f up shuq number 5 really
@@shatondamoorehead3733 yeah, wilt was a bettter overall plyer(points, blocks, assists, rebounds) hakeem could shoot the midrange and was better defensively, bill russell is debatable, and kareem had more points, and a much longer and fuller career.
GREAT PLAYER AS CENTER,AT 6"7
Wes Unseld greatest accomplishments NBA Champion (1978) 1 of 2 players to win NBA Rookie of the year and NBA MVP in the same year (1969).
No issues Kareem was marvelous although Olajuwons my favorite
Stats and impact place Wilt at the top, by far. People forget Wilt's utter dominance at his position; his strength, his varieties of attack, his stamina. Strange biases are held against him.... Not only the greatest center, but also the GOAT.
Wilt played when nobody could shoot or dribble and the offensive skillset of a center was not developed. Watch clips of him playing. It's a joke.
Duncan 🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
@@yuri9795 it's a fact. Watch the clips. Wouldn't pass for rec center ball these days
Lol I can name sooo many centers that would've dominated Wilt's era
Complete nonsense. Russell won 11 titles. Wilt won 2
Wilt is not top 4 he’s easily beat center all time in one season he averaged 50 points, 20 rebounds and is one of the best shot blockers ever. And don’t forget the 100 point game
imo jabbar>>>
Also lead the league in assist as a center one year.
When players break Chamberlain68 records than talk about why he not the greatest. It will never happen
When Wilt Chamberlin was an old man he gave everybody he played a fit, so go back, and look who he played against, and you will see he shouldn't be ranked where you've got him; he was the best I've ever seen!!!
H.D. Red Hakeem gave everyone fits even Kareem
Wilt played against Russell,Kareem,Thurmond,Reed,Lanier and Bellamy. What was that comment in the video about the competition he played against.
He played against one guy who belongs on this list which is Kareem and Kareem was better than him the moment he stepped onto an NBA court. Wilt is mostly myth. Watch actual clips of Wilt playing. Hakeem would cook him easily.
Wilt played against garbage his whole career and still only won 2 rings. He's overrated hype
@Brett Clayton you do realize that Wilt also played with several hall of fame players on his team too right?
7:10 wilt chaimberlin has multiple season averging 40 points and 20 rebounds
His number shots per game high compared to other centers, thus scoring average. More shots went up so more chances for rebounds. The game has changed. He was great just the same - a great all around athlete who carried a chiseled body and passion for getting to the basket. He was physically very strong.
Who cares? He played against terrible competition!
@@KyleHurd Wrong. He not only played against Russell, but also Thurmond, Reed, Bellamy, and Lanier, all of whom are better than any center in the league today. Even Wes Unseld, who was considered very short for a center in the 60's is the same height as Ben Wallace, and in fact a better all-around player than Wallace. "Grandpa" Wilt also faced Artis Gilmore, and of course Kareem.
@@tunanorth Wilt always outplayed Gilmore and played Kareem even for a couple of years, while Kareem was at his peak and Wilt was retiring.
@@AndyZach Yes, that's what I said. Others claim there was "no competition".
Skill-wise I think Hakeen was the most complete center of all the centers in this list. Being so dominant defensively and offensively with so much grace and style is a tremendously hard feat to accomplish. The fact that he still teaches some of the best players in the league in the art of the low-post just goes to show how honed his skills are.
Hey, guess who taught Hakeem Olajuwon those moves in Houston?
Moses Malone
@@tppwttiger2244 and guess when hakeem started learning bball 15
and when was it stated and i dont remember moses using those moves
@@kingt2olase94
That’s because you were too young to know how good Moses Malone was back then. I have known Moses Malone since I was a child, in 1975. If you weren’t born in the 60’s like me then you have no idea how good Moses was in the low post.
Moses ran summer camps in Houston and one of his protégés was Hakeem Olajuwon. Look it up.
@@tppwttiger2244 look man I get it, Moses was all time great. But Moses didn't teach Hakeem those moves. Moses wasn't doing no half-spin, fadeway pump fake into a dunk. That was all the Dream. Nobody could do the Dream Shake like the Hakeem, before or after him.
Nah bro Wilt
Wilt and Kareem #1 and 2 All Time. Either way. Wilt was an absolute beast! Russell even said Wilt was the Best!
Top 6 Bill Wilt Kareem Shaq Hakeem Moses
@@rickycole6327Bill was 1st gen and Moses was 2nd generation of same basketball soul. Wilt was Gen 1 and Shaq Gen 2. Kareem and Hakeem are similar in same way. Maybe? Just having more fun with hypotheticals like all sport debates are.
I feel Mount Mutumbo doesn’t get enough credit and respect
Wes Unsold,
HOWARD> Mutombo
@@lucasortigoza7467 your wrong😂
@@bigamerican4400 not really. Check D-12's accolades
Needed to play offense.
"New York fans will probably always have mixed feelings about Patrick Ewing"
They shouldn't have. He is most definitely an all time great.
I don't know what the fuck this lady is talking about, he's pretty much universally loved here in New York
Patrick Ewing head coach at Georgetown University
Wilt got 26 blocks when blocks were never existed that time
@Jimmy Poe And because there was no 3-point line, why would they shoot from far out? Even though they could.
It was all inside, around the key play back then. And they they changed all that, because of Chamberlain too! He'd swat today's NBA aside like a fly.
You forgot Wilt's most blocks were goaltending, I accept Wilt could block cleanly, but the Goaltending rule would decrease his game
Mexichilango wtf are you spewing? I’ve been watching basketball for fifty plus years and they called GT WAY more back then.
Brian Fergus - Then you are a blind, because Wilt's game were great by two factors.
1- His talent and his body.
2 - There weren`t a lot of rules, I think Wilt would dominate at this league, but he wouldn't so dominant like his time. His offense and defense would decrease with the current rules.
I am “a blind” (LOL OK). But seriously, you make no sense, since Wilt had to operate within the goaltending rules. It’s not like they just made that rule up. And you saying that most of Wilts blocks were goaltending is just a load of bs.
Wilt is ranked too low. In his prime, there was no one more versatile, more athletic and more powerful. Had he played for Boston instead of Russell, he's have 15 rings. That said, his lesser-talented teams were never far from the Celts at the end of the day -- because they had him! Like he said, the NBA changed the rules to help Jordan's game. The changed the rules to hurt his. GOAT.
But if his numbers were so great why did he only win two chips
Legend has it Kareem could see the future through his glasses
Wilt vs kareem
MANCHESTER UNITED F.C im scottish but shut the fuck up you dick
MANCHESTER UNITED F.C who asked
@MANCHESTER UNITED F.C dont call it soccer you dick
Haha but yes he could see his skyhook swishing 3 seconds later.
Only two people have had me laugh at how preposterous their footwork was: Jackie Chan and Hakeem.
1. Wilt (most dominant player ever)
2. Kareem (leads all time points scored)
3. Russell (best defender ever, won 11 titles)
4. Hakeem (was elite all-round)
5. Shaq (dominated for most of his career)
6. Moses (was elite all-round)
7. Robinson (was elite all-round)
8. Ewing (was elite all-round)
9. Nate Thurmond (one of the best defenders of all time)
10. Dikembe (best shot blocker of all time)
+Oscar Burke Perfect.
hakeem is the best shot blocker
+melokid99 Hakeem may lead in blocks all time, but he definately could not match dikembe in pure shot blocking ability. If I were to choose one player to guard the paint I would choose dikembe over hakeem
+Oscar Burke
I respectfully disagreee, Hakeem exerted more energy doing other things like scoring, steals, assisting, and defending. He wasn't able to just focus on blocking shots like Dikembe who was less than average when it came to score. Hakeem was the focal point of his team carry the bulk of the load for his team. Dikembe was a great shoot blocker but he didn't possess the athlethicism and footwork as Hakeeem. This is why Hakeem is the all time leader of block shots.
Shaq was much better than Hakeem. He dominated the guy. Routinely
HE CAN DEFEND, REBOUND, AND SCORE, the dream was the GOAT FOR ME
Same can be said for wilt who rebounded scored and defended better
Are you kidding? Wilt could dominate the NBA to day, even though he's dead.
curtis nettleship Bill Russell best him when it matters tho
@@casindrainville1394 Bill's team beat Wilt. Wilt always bested him in every stat.
Easy, he just possesses the best player and forces them to do whatever he wants. LOL GHOST POWER!!!
People used the fact he played against white to take way how great he was
@@Godisa10 Jimmy the basketball youtuber makes a good GOAT case for WIlt Chamberlain. He shows that there were 6'11" or taller centers to guard Wilt on every team in the league, including 2 on one team. And he still dominated guys his own size.
Glad to see my man Wes Unseld get the respect he deserves. Unseld was a dominant center who stuffed the paint like no other.
Yeah it’s a shame he’s so underrated
Yep, cause wilt stuffed the whole floor not just the paint.
Wilt was most dominant player in NBA history, nothing has changed since he retired .
No kidding this was ridiculous. Wilt number 1
Period. Wilt the greatest!
@@LeoS2Fly i have wilt at 2 but i respect it
@@thisismychannel4174 Same
PREACH!
Olajuwon for me. Ive only seen Wilt and the Doktor in videos and as impressive as so its hard to compare.
"He was the only player in NBA history to record 40 points and 20 rebounds in a game at least 4 times" Except, Wilt averaged that, for a season, 3 times. "The only player to win the scoring title without making a 3 point field goal" Except every player who did that prior to the rule being instituted. "the only player to score 60 points and 20 rebounds in a game" Except Wilt, who did it 23 times and, Elgin Baylor who also did it once. It's so ludicrous to make things up when he was a decent enough player without lying about it. By the way, had blocks and steals been stats when Wilt and Russell played, Wilt's number would look even more ridiculous than they are. This list is laughable at it's rankings and blatant lies. Keeping Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain out of the 1 and 2 spot shows your generational bias.
I agree. I tend to laugh at any list that doesn't have Russell at #1. He was the most important player on teams that won 11 titles in 13 seasons (13 in 15 if you add in NCAA). Chamberlain was a beast though. Imagine what his point total would be if he could shoot FTs. I understand how someone could rank Jabbar #1, though I don't agree with it. Olajuwon was a great player, but he wasn't Russell or Chamberlain.
Back in Wilt's day people thought it was somehow unfair to be that big. Some didn't like the fallaway shot. There was an article about him "nobody roots for Goliath". Not the best liked but easily the best center ever was Wilt.
I like Hakeem second. If Chamberlain had better teammates and a coach like Red Auerbach he would have had more rings.
@@davidvanwagener6097 Russel was a better team player but wilt was the better overall player
Wilt played vs plumbers.
@@allanhouston6759 ok if he played against plumbers why did no one else have ridiculous stat lines like him Dumbass
The "Dream Shake" was dope!
It's a football move he uses in his days playing in Nigeria.
Glad to see Hakeem getting the credit he deserves
Tough list great work, Hakeem was more versatile than most big man even in this modern era!!
Hakeem also is the only player in history to win a championship without any all stars and no hall of famers on his team
dera michaels Clyde Drexler? (Kenny smith? I am not sure if he is a HOF but I am pretty sure he is)
You forgot about the hall famer drexler!!
BETTO HOUSTON I said him already
@@ice_springtrap8225 The Houston team that won the championship in 1994 did not have Drexler. And Kenny Smith is not a HOF yet.
Seth Dugan oh we are talking about the 94 championship I thought he was talking about the 95 championship
I'm an old man, 63, I've seen all the best centers. Now one man that needs mentioning is Robert Parish. A center myself, 3 years in the NBA...I played against this man. Important- for every move, he did, and is covered, he had a second move to get a open shot, hook, or dunk. Footwork of a point gaurd, touch of a shooting gaurd, soft hands, stronger than anyone.... overshadowed by bird, McHale, u need to understand how greatness is measured!
I hadn't thought of Robert Parish.
Parish was a great player. Good hands and ran the floor like a deer. Amazing that Kareem was able to dominate him and the Celtic Frontline in 1985 at 38 years of age.
@@realg5276 B.S. Let's talk about '86.
The Chief has 4 rings and was one of the best running centers in the league .
Yet they have Mutumbo , Ewing and Unseld ranked .
Pitifully ignorant of NBA history!!!
FINALLY SOME LOVE FOR HAKEEM. Easily the most skilled center to ever play the game.
Hakeem is overrated sorry
SChome100. im legendary
SChome100 underrated* the man is #1 in Blocks of all time. and destroy Ewing,Robinson, young Shaq, Shawn Kemp, and Karl Malone
RainyTV only because blocks weren't counted back when Russell and Wilt played. Refs, announcers, and sports writers all say that they averaged around 10 blocks per game.
Vince Carter I
OLAJUWON was Michael Jordan of any center to ever play the game
Great top 10 but Wilt n°1 , completely out of this world. RIP
Wilt is overrated hype that played against trash competition
@@jeremycoughtrees7831 yu daddy shouldve pulled out! Wilt accumulated 55 rebounds(which is the record) on Bill Russel head!
Wilt defined the center position. He had skill, speed and strength. Russell and Wilt should be the top two spots.
Sorry, but game footage doesn’t lie. You can look at them play and instantly tell that bill and Hakeem are in different leagues when it comes to offensive skill set- if you tell me that dikembe mutubo was on that Celtics team doesn’t come close to the success they had with bill, I’d think your crazy
Wilt had power and agility but no true moves or skills like Hakeem or Kareem.
@@jeremiecollier-freed3170 bills game wasn't offensive no body is saying he is an offensive demi God, but on defense he is the goat and there is no debate, in 13 seasons he has a combined 130 defensive win shares (11x leader) in 20 years with the spurs dynasty tim duncon no.2 in defensive winshares only has 100 that is an insane difference, no one had better defensive iq then bill russel he had actual control over the shots he blocked as his blocking and passing the ball. He had insane leaping ability and just from clips you can see his not fouling his man to block his shots his doing it extremely clean. There is no one in nba history able to replace bill russel on defense it's complelty dumb to say that. No disrespect to dekembe but his gonna be sitting on the bench with a broken leg if his playing in the 60s. Hakeem was better in offense and offensive moves, but bill russel was better rebounder,shot blocked,defensive iq,defensive skill set,leader,play off preformer,game 7 performer and playmaker
Yes, with Russell #1 because he owned Wilt.
@@samwaugh1464 russel stats vs wilt clearly shows who was individually dominating who, what you mean to say is THE CELETICS dominated wilts team
I’m an Olajuwon fan, but I have no problem with the man @ #1.
Shout out to the legend Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon.
Wilt never followed out of a game. Greatest record in NBA history. Used to watch him play volleyball in Santa Monica, near the pier. He'd come over with friends (and his two great danes) when the weather was bad, so no one would bother him. Retired, 50+, and still agile as hell.
"followed"..."fouled" (dammit).
@@alanfoster6589 auto spell correct sometimes don't work right?
@@aarondigby9859 rite ;)
Wilt is also in the Volleyball Hall of Fame!
It's Wilt Chamberlain and then everyone else. The man was a physical anomaly. He had a season where he averaged 48.5 minutes a game
AwildGoonch he was probably the best athlete of all time and there might never be anyone as athletic as him but he didn’t have enough skill I don’t think
Name me one other center from his time other than bill Russell.
@@joelopez9762 Zelmo Beaty, Nate Thurmond, Willis Reed, Walt Bellamy, Bob Lanier, Jerry Lucas, Wes Unseld, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Lou Alcinder at the time) - Those are just the Hall of Fame centers he played against back when there was less than 14 teams in the league
@@AwildGoonch and how many of those are considered top 10 centers
He played against the worst competition in league history and still only had 2 rings! He's overrated hype
Anybody who’s actually seen Wilt would agree he’s the GOAT. Dude is like a mythological legend.
Have you seen wilt?
Agreed
@@AcousticOlli I agree with you. When Kareem played against a dominant center, such as hakeem, he got completely shut down.
Russell, Jerry West, Kareem? They didn’t once say Wilt was the GOAT
@@AcousticOlli who is the best center of all time then cuz in my opinion as much as I wanted to say Wilt it’s definitely Kareem I think so but Idk tho
"Dream Shake" is my fav
Love the Skyhook.
Finally hakeem gets the respect he deserves.
I agree 100%.
ikr
about time!!!!
I. A. I agree
Hakeem is overrated asf
Hakeem is 2nd. Thank you for not under rating him.
Even though I think The Dream should be 3rd, Kareem 2nd, and Wilt 1st, having Hakeem at 2nd is definitely unarguable.
Oscar Medina Skill wise Hakeem really number one but Wilt, Shaq, Kareem etc all had better careers easily
@@MINK2393 - Reminding the fact NBA used to produce excellent centers.
You forgot to mention Wilt won two titles, which were among two of the best teams ever in a single season. He probably has the most blocks ever because they didn't keep the stat til late. He is on film with 26 in one game versus Detroit. Wilt is the best, period.
Oh, Wilt also played with finesse, displaying a great fall away jump shot. He didn't simply bull his way in like Shaq, also a great center.
The Big Dipper was best ever do it !
Best Center - Wilt.............The GOAT - Russell
Today's athletes and the style of dribbling makes the modern day teams more difficult to play against. Also, the available training aids and medical advances have created athletes that the early players couldn't stack up with.
Wilt was all about Wilt and that is way he ONLY has two titles.
Wilt was without question the GOAT whose records dwarf all others. He averaged 50 points, 25 rebounds and scored 100 points in a game in the 1962 season, please.
And, of course, Bill Russell won the Championship that year. LMAO!!!!
Call him the GOAT if you want, but if I was a player I'd much rather have won 11 championships. That is the goal with team sports...to win it all, not worry about your stats. I mean come on, Wilt was more concerned at the end of games about fouling out rather than winning the game. Sure he dominated games but I think Shaq could have done the same if he played in Wilt's era.
@@krisharkleroad8 You are spot on.
@@krisharkleroad8 I'll agree with you if we can stop the foolishness then about trying to call Jordan or James the GOAT as clearly they don't have enough titles to be in Russell's class. Otherwise, you're just wrong.
And he didn't win the MVP in '62.
Wilt at 4 is absurd. And Artist Gilmore probably deserves a place over Mutombo.
Amen.
Where is javale mcgee?
Artis hahaha no bro, Dekembe was a beast for his entire career and was the 2nd greatest blocker of all time. Artis had one really good mvp season but he aint no Dekembe
+Andrew Stanfel he is better than dikemebe
Nope he had no competition so get over it
Gotta say wilt paved the way and I feel he’s the number Center to ever play
You've never even seen him play so stfu. I'm so sick of ignorant young basketball fans just repeating dumb shit they hear
@@jeremycoughtrees7831 bruh, there's so much footage online 😂 anyways what type of stupid argument is that😂😂 I've never seen mj play live but I can still stay he's the goat. Personally I've watched atleast 20 hours of wilt footage on my free time and I personally have him 3rd all time
Blocks were not tracked while Russell played, or for most of Wilt's time in the league - or the 2 of them would OWN the list.
They played in a faster paced league with inferior athletic ability overall to future eras. And the key thing is there was no 3pt line in their era. Hakeem #1
@@FuShengAlex check out wilt Chamberlain archives for truth about his era.
@@kurtcounty8703 a terrible source.
@@FuShengAlex Smh a hater to core.
@@FuShengAlex " terrible source " dumbass stfu
Wilt is always number one he had the speed, the strength, the athleticism, and height to be a great player. Then he dominated the nba and had to have rules made to make it harder for him to play so take that into account
Pure facts. He is the GOAT
In a weak ass era, and he barely won rings too. Wilt is overrated
@@anjr9915 the era wasn’t was weak as people put it U have Hella Legends from that era have some respect for ur elders
@@anjr9915 without wilt,jerry west, Bill russel, Larry bird,Kareem etc just stfu and yeah some of them didn’t play in the same era but they were still dominant back in the “Weak era”
@@katrinahardges Larry Bird and Kareem weren't in Wilt's Era so you can just stop talking right there
Bill and Wilt played in another basket era when the centers dominated since there were no 3pts shoot and dunks were dangerous. As impact and winning mentality Bill was dominant with an alien team, but " Big Dipper" imho was the goat center. Maybe only Hakeem was the most complete. So:
1 Chamberlain 2 Hakeem+Russell 3 Kareem 4 Shaq
Not saying he’s in the top 10, but let’s give some love to “The Chief” Robert Parish! He went toe to toe with the beat on this list. He was an Ironman playing 21 seasons and his rainbow jumper was all style.
Thomas Mueller I think Daryl Dawkins deserves consideration as top ten but the Chief was awesome.
I'd take Parrish over Mutombo. I think the gap between Parrish on offense is greater than Mutombo's advantage on defense. Parrish would've been 20-10 career player on a bad team.
Parish was a BUM!
Who ever said that Kenny Smith is a hall famer don't know basketball at all and sam cassell was not an all star in 1994 all you have to do is look it up . know your basketball !!
Not even close to the Top 10. But neither was David Robinson
I feel like Dave Cowens should have at least gotten an honorable mention on this list. He was as good or better than Wes Unseld. Cowens was on two NBA championship teams with the Celtics, won Rookie of the Year, MVP in 1973, and was an eight-time allstar.
No. He was good, not great. I'd put him in the same category as Parrish, Gilmore, Chambers - somewhere in that 12-20 range. he also had the benefit of playing on great teams.
@@MuckBulligan I think he was very good. There are very few players who put as much heart into their game as he did. I just wish he could have played a few more years with Bird. They were so similar in temperament and commitment to the game. In his mid/late-20s, he could handle any center in the league. I'd say he definitely helped make his teams great.
@@johnfox4446 My God, does Shaq have that many enemies? He certainly deserves a mention, Not questioning your comment, but the story and all the comments!
I got Hakeem at center on my all time starting 5. Dude was incredible.
If we're doing ultimate and not favorites. Magic, Jordan, Bird, Olajuwon, Da Kid
Wilt averaged 30 ppg, 22.9 rpg and 4.4 assists for his career. How is he not the best center ever? Kareem had an unstoppable shot, but he was not as dominant as Wilt. My list is:
1. Chamberlain
2. Jabbar
3. Russell
4. Olajuwon
5. O'Neill
6. Malone
7. Robinson
8. Ewing
9. Walton
10. Mikan -They invented the 24 second shot clock because of this guy and widened the lane.
I think olajuwon is better than russel, I agree on the rest of the list
Wilt is a sham! He was just bigger than everyone, he would be absolutely dominated by Hakeem.
@@KyleHurd Silly comment. Wilt had the size, but he also had athleticism, strength, endurance, and speed. Hakeem might contend with Wilt, but to say he would dominate Wilt is a nonsense statement.
@@KyleHurd Hakeem was just about identical to Bill Russel in size and athleticism. Hakeem was better offensively, but Bill was better defensively. Bill won 11 championships with the Celtics. Case closed.
Good list
Actual basketball industry professionals who actually saw Wilt play always pick him #1.
True for the most part; although a few industry old-schoolers (e.g. Kareem) pick Bill Russell. While I think everyone agrees that Bill probably couldn't handle Wilt 1-on-1, it's hard to think of a more valuable 5-on-5 player than Bill. While dominant individual stats get more attention, dominant team leadership counts! (Btw, I'm only 51; didn't get to see Wilt play; for me personally, it's Olajuwon all day...)
@@Nkosinati Kareem is hardly an unbiased observer. But your analysis is pretty spot on. Wilt was a lone wolf type in a cooperative sport.
@@Nkosinati Bill Russel himself picked Wilt over himself several times when comparing the individual.
Yes Wilt is #1 period.
@@Nkosinati I did see Wilt play in his last 4 seasons and he was a great team player. Wilt was a better passer than Russell and played tenacious defense just like Bill. The ONLY weakness in Wilt's game was his FT shooting.
Wilt averaged 50 points and 27 blocks in a season. He had 40pt 50pt 60pt and 100pt games. He also had literally hundreds of games between 40 and 100pts that’s right. Hundreds. He had 55 rebounds in a single game against Bill Russel another record. He lead the league in assist one season. He was the strongest man in NBA history by far. He holds the record for having the most records!! Nobody comes close!! I can’t believe the comment that he was only tall and long. He ran a 40 yard dash the same time as LeBron. 4.6 the list needs work for sure. Research required.
He was playing in the easiest era
@@ChiefDream but he woulda been awesome in the toughest…80/90
@@rdf098311 Wilt would be David Robinson
Yeah, they were really pretty clueless...
@@kentnelson762 thank you my guy
Bill Walton was as good as anyone for 2 years. He was also the best college player ever. To bad injuries hurt him.
He was the second best college player ever. If he had won that 3rd championship he would be # 1.
He did have the single best Final Four game ever. So he’s 99.99 to Alcindor’s 100.
@@rileymrr1 Thanks for straightening him out, Mike. Great job!
Walton was great but, Kareem had 3 state titles , 3 Ncaa titles and 6 NBA titles. If your including all 3 it's Kareem period.
Bill is the second greatest college basketball player of all time he is also the second greatest UCLA Hoops player of all time and he will tell you that.
Injuries hurt most people.
Wilt is just too underrated. He is the 2nd or the best basketball Player of All Time. How can people oversee his numbers?!
Rather specific in his placement lol
I 100% agree. So overlooked. Always outplayed Russell yet got rated underneath him
Mj and lebron are the greatest ever
@@georgekarakas9313 Yeah if your 10 years old. Look back at Wilt and Kareems highlights then get back to me.
@@bobbybarker3782 wilt is my favorite center of all time with shaq so I know him better than you and nobody in the NBA history has the skills of jordan. He did everything. And now lebron who is 6'9 and 250 pounds play every position. Wilt is top 5 players of all time. 1 Jordan 2 lebron 3 kobe 4 wilt 5 kareem
1 st: Kwame Brown
of course
Lucky Rowlands Ya 1st pick 😂😂
Obviously below Andrea bargnani
Hakeem was a suprise but that was because I forgot how under rated he was!
As Michael Jackson said "do you remember the times now" Hakeem was a great center and player.
You think Hakeem is a surprise. I don't want you as my gm. And if you are a gm what team do you work for and who are your players.
I knew Hakeem would get much love in the comments. He wasn't American, or Christian, but the best. Glad to see him get the love he deserves. My favorite!
Kareem was my 1st favorite player, Wilt was exceptional, but Hakeem Olajuwan was absolutely AMAZING!!!
1. Kareem
2. Hakeem
3. Wilt
4. Moses Malone
5. Shaq
6. Bill Russell
7. Pat Ewing
8. Willis Reed
9. David Robinson
10. Robert Parish
DREAM!
I must agree. Excellent sorting of all time centers. Cannot really disagree with any of your rankings. Especially listing Hakeem #2. Terrific list..
IN picking his SUPER team Jordan picked Akeem
Well said about the dream. And let me know if I’m wrong, but at the time when he won his 1st championship he was the only player to win it with nothing but role players around him. Dirk being the next guy to do so. Everyone else had at least an all star as a team mate. He did it with out one. Say sum!!!!!
Wilt did it in 1967 no?
Otis Thorpe who was an all-star in 1992 was on the 93 team with the Dream.
hakeem definitely did have a all star CALIBER teammate in clyde drexler, but yea i guess so
@@thisismychannel4174 in 95 my man
To piggy back off what your saying I can't put Lebron in top 5 category simply his terrible finals record all the teams been all first ballot hall of famers he still can't produce I'm sorry what OLAJUWON did was incredible if he had at least two or three more rings then their be no question of his dominance ever player seeks his training on low post play.
1) Kareem 2) Chamberlain 3) Olajuwon 4) Shaq 5) Russell 6) Malone 7) Mikan 8) Robinson 9) Reed 10) Unseld
You guys really need to consult with people who saw the centers from the Sixties play. I've been watching the NBA since 1964 and I've never to the day seen better centers than Russell and Chamberlain. the gap between them and everyone else is significant, and I think Russell was the greatest winner in the history of the game. He simply refused to lose. He wasn't as big as Chamberlain, but he was quicker, and was the best defensive player, best shot blocker, and best rebounder of all time. The only player that I've seen that had the same fire in his belly was Michael Jordan. I would love to have seen the two of them go against each other. The immovable object and the irresistible force. I'm not sure which team would win.
It is absurd putting Chamberlain fourth and Russel anywhere but first. In fact, the two greatest players I've ever seen were Michael Jordan and Bill Russell. You question his athleticism, but in fact he was the most athletic center of all time. He was easily the strongest player in the history of the NBA, but he was also the fastest, with close to sprinter's speed. He was a highly successful sprinter in the AAU, though he was slowed down by knee problems. But watch film of his from his early years. He could sprint down the court faster than anyone else. He was able to bench press over 600 pounds, and several NBA players say taht Wilt sometimes would lift them up and move them over dead lifting them with just his arms. When he would shoot free throws the camera would shot a close up,, and you simply couldn't believe how massive his deltoids were. He had skinny legs, but was barrel chested. He also was a great leaper (before his knees started wearing down) and had a bizarre wing span. He would have eaten alive all the players in this list except Russell and to some degree Kareem. Initially when they played, Lew Alcindor (he hadn't changed his name yet) was better than Wilt, but that made Wilt mad and he went on to hold his own despite his age, and often absolutely dominated Kareem. I remember one sequence in a playoff game where Wilt blocked Kareem on three straight shots, one of them a sky hook and another a dunk that Kareem launched after dribbling the length of the court. To add insult to injury, Wilt not only blocked Kareem's dunk, but Kareem was called for charging. This was despite Wilt's aching knees. He was the only player I ever saw block the sky hook, but it was crystal clear watching the two going against each other that Wilt was better than Alcindor.
The third best center that I ever saw play was Bill Walton his first two seasons in the NBA. Unfortunately, he broke a bone in his foot, and he was plagued by foot injuries for the rest of his NBA career. He ended up as a very successful bench player for Boston, but it was sad compared to the player he had been .
Kareem is NOT the best center. I must have seen him in 100 games and he was not in Chamberlain and Russell's class. He was never the rebounder that Chamberlain and Russell were.
I would drop Shaq a couple of spots and move Moses Malone up a bit. I would not have David Robinson on the list, and I'm not sure Mutumbo should be.
Who should take their place? Artis Gilmore is one and perhaps Willis Reed. Also, Bill Lanier, someone who is nearly forgotten today, but who was the first NBA center with a great outside jump shot. He shot a soft left-handed jump shot that he could hit all day long at the top of the key. Unfortunately his career was spent in small markets. But the man was definitely a beast. He played a long time, but like others his knees slowed him down. Also, Dave Auerbach was better than at least one center on your list, though I would put him in my own top 10. A Top 15, maybe, but not a Top 10. Also, Walt Bellamy was a tremendous center in the fifties who put up tremendous numbers against several of the centers on this list. And I would take Nate Thurmond over Mutombo. Thurmond was as good as Russell and Chamberlain, only he wasn't the scorer that they were. But one huge difference between Russell, Thurmond, Bellamy, and Chamberlain and Kareem is that they played in the Golden Age of Centers. Kareem, however, played during a time when there were very, very few decent centers. So he was able to pad his stats by player shorter players. Wilt, on the other hand, had to go up against a huge number of massive centers in the Sixties. Also, the league expanded hugely in the Seventies, which watered down the talent. The teams of the Seventies, Eighties, and the Nineties (except for Detroit and Chicago). Also, the three point line stretched the defenses. Anyway, I would gut the list and start over.
Shaq would eat them alive
@@goku7297 Shaq is good but not better than Wilt, Russell, Kareem OR Moses Malone. I saw all of them play. All of them.
Don't disagree too much, just a little. Anyway, it was Bob Lanier who you were referring to not Bill. Lanier was the best center the Pistons ever had and was an all-star. Great soft touch from 16-20 feet as you said. Hated that he went to play for the Bucks. The biggest argument that I have with you is that you said Thurmond was as good as Russell and Chamberlain. There is no way he measured up. He was very good but not in their stratosphere.
As a 90s kid it's nice to hear stories about past era's. I always considered MJ the GOAT, but that was probably because I grew up in the 90s. I've now looked back at past players and their accomplishments and athleticism and I recently changed my mind on who the GOAT is, I say it's Wilt Chamberlain. He's superhuman, he's stronger than Shaq, sub 11 second 100m, 4.6 second 40 yard, sub 50 second 400 meter, and jumps higher than Jordan. In terms of rebounding, Bill Russel is like a taller Dennis Rodman (or Dennis Rodman is a shorter Bill Russel). Rodman was AMAZING for his size, he could even shut Shaq down, now imagine if he was gifted with more height, yet lost no speed or athleticism, that's Bill Russel. I guess for you, you don't have to imagine, you saw it xD
@@goku7297 even the 6'8 Ben Wallace can stop Shaq.....
Dave Cowens, Nate Thurmond, Artis Gilmore
Dave Cowens?! Get lost dude
Dave Cowens is a hall of famer. Mutombo don't belong on this list all he did was wag his finger.
Wilt didn't BULLY his way to the rim...( well , most of the time anyways , lol ) , He was more of a finesse player than anything else. He wanted to show his skill & He said " Ya dont do that by dunk'n the ball" , or something similar.
Yes. The NBA called offensive foiuls in those days when backing in to defensive players.
I agree Wilt most of the time was a finesse player. If he gotten mad or had a temper egads. He was so athletic. Artis Gilmore to me was a lot more physical then Wilt going to the rim. Wilt was strong , fast , and recreated himself many times.
@@darlaevitts3459 agree'd. He had heard so much about Russ & the Celt's that he changed his entire game to play like him & STILL gets shit on all the time. He musta thot , most of his life...WTF do I have to DO ... to get a little respect?? Sheesh!
Could you imagine if hakeem played his entire career with either the big O and Magic at the point? All of these other centers had a legit second man. A Robin to batman. YES, Drexler was a huge factor in the second title, but he was 34 and declining (obviously with gas still in the tank). Olajuwon never had the luxury of playing alongside another star. He didn't have prime kobe, prime Wade, prime Cousy, prime Havlicek, prince West...and the sentence continues.
Somethings are not arguable they are factual. Kareem had the greatest longevity of any big man who has ever played the game. Hakeem, however, possessed the most complete package ever displayed by a center. There was not a single thing he could not do. Every center had a weakness besides him. This is undeniable.
Well said. With the exception of hitting 3 pointers. Hakeem really did do it all.
Carl D'Angio Hakeem was definitely top three of all time, and the fact that he was really only 6-9 1/4, and not the 7 feet that he was listed as makes him even more impressive, considering that others such as Wilt, Kareem, Robinson, Ewing, and Shaquille were all legitimate 7 footers or more. But having said that I have to take just a little umbrage with you. First of all Drexler was 32 for the entire 94-95 season not 34. He was born on 6/22/1962, which means that he turned 33 a week after the '95 NBA finals ended on 6/14/1995. Furthermore he averaged 21.4 PPG with the Rockets after coming over from the Blazers halfway through the season. And in his final season in the league in 1998 he averaged 18 PPG. And also Hakeem did play three years with Ralph Sampson, who was very young at the time and very much in his prime. And remember that they did go to the NBA finals together in 1986 before losing to a great Celtics team. Had Sampson not gotten injured so often they might have won a championship in the 80's. Sampson's career was hampered by multiple serious injuries which led to early retirement in 1992.
@@Gsmooth10455 Well done, sir. You are correct, he was indeed 32. Now, please know that I made sure to state Clyde was still a very, very good player. But let's be honest with ourselves. He wasn't prime drexler. He was Kevin Garnett on the celtics. Hakeem never had a prime guy like a Kobe or Wade who played their best years with him. Like Jordan did Pippen. Anybody who thinks jordan has 6 rings without him is crazy. True they had sampson with him for a couple years, and they got to the finals with 10 warm bodies. I'll tell you this my friend, if hakeem had Kobe or Wade for the duration of his career, he would have won 5 or 6 rings as well.
@@Gsmooth10455 and good research by the way. Here is the real question...what Iif the rockets had accepted the blazers trade proposal in 1984. They offered a second year clyde drexler and the third pick of the draft (the rockets have said numerous times they would have taken Jordan there) for ralph sampson, who was coming off a rookie of the year season. Hakeem, drexler, and jordan all in their first and second year together....OMG.
@@losdawg6265 that would have been mind-boggling.
1. Chamberlain, 2. Jabbar, 3. O'Neal, 4. Olajuwon, 5. Russell
6. Malone, 7. Robinson, 8. Ewing, 9. Reed, 10. Mikan
now this list is 100% accurate
Wow. Someone finally mentioned George Mikan
No Unseld is insulting
,Olajuwon beat the breaks off of Shaq head to hear in the playoffs. Shaq wouldn't even be top 10 if he wasn't so big and strong. Hakeem much better skill wise.
your a fucking crack head
Three centers better the Wilt Chamberlain is insane. In head to head competition Wilt beat Russell in scoring and rebounding. No way anyone was better than Chamberlain.
The only stats that matter are Wilts playoff stats against Bill. Bill made Wilt a less effective less efficient player in the playoffs and has the rings to show for it.
Of course great players will not do as well against other great players. Wilt still badly beat Russell in every category. To pretend that the championships made him a better player, even though he was being comprehensively beaten in every way possible by the guy he was guarding is towering nonsense.
@@Nagy50Magyar ruclips.net/video/V8r-WSWJM0M/видео.html pay attention to 2:25 and 3:30 but really this a subjective arguement. Still, I'll take an all world facilitator over an all world scorer especially of that facilitator is the scorers kryptonite.
@@Nagy50Magyar stats from that era are a joke. There were a million possessions per game and nobody could shoot or dribble. The offensive skillset of a center hadn't been invented yet. Watch the old clips. Wilt could not do that shit against any star center of the 80s/early 90s. It was considered fancy when Elgin dribbled between his legs. Players were putting up garbage set shots. Wilt had no competition other than undersized Bill. Olajuwon would cook him.
@@Nagy50Magyar Kareem and Hakeem were greater than Wilt
Great list. I've long believed that a case can be made for Chamberlain not only being the greatest center of all time but also the greatest NBA player of all time ... definitely, the most dominant.
....and, he accomplished all this while pleasing/servicing 22, 000 ladies!!
WILT IS THE “ONLY” PLAYER ON NBA HISTORY TO HAVE A “QUIN DOUBLE/DOUBLE”
Unofficially.
That is because the stat box wasn’t created yet. Another example Oscar Robinson average to triple double for the first seven seasons that he played but they didn’t officially start making it a statline for triple double that’s her after his eighth season
@@mikes.johnson204 but they kept track of all the components of a triple double. For a long time steals and blocks were not officially recorded. Same with offensive rebounds.
FInally someone who gives Hakeem Olajuwon the recogtion he deservers.........in most ppl list he is not even top 5 which is a slap in the face
Patrick never have the help that mj akeem
Yess hakeem, my fave center and player in general!
Clutch City In Here
Obito ... Hakeem may be the only center who actually may be a little quicker than the Big Dipper. Best leg-work of ANY center. But when you look at ALL the skills of centers thru-out NBA history... no 1 can touch Wilt !
Olajuwon was the best center of all time!!! All these old timers need to get the fuck out of here! Olajuwon played in a harder era and was the most versatile center in history of the nba! And olajuwon didnt have a super team like all these old timers did
Hakeem is Trash
@@lillegend3180 hows the drugs your on?
Where is George Mikan? He has 7 pro titles and 1 college title. 6 titles with the Lakers. That’s one more than Magic or Kobe have with the Lakers. He also helped to integrate the NBA. And he was the main reason the 24 second clock came into being.
Mikan is the man. And don't forget he had one hell of a brain too! He's one of the major reasons why the NBA is what it is today.
Mikan did not integrate anything; the Celtics signed the 1st black player. Mikan won his rings in Minnesota in an all white league. Great player, for sure, maybe #9 or 10.
Mikan was a bum lets be honest... couldnt go head to head with none of the guys in this video
@@truthkeeper9959
What does that even mean. He still won all those titles.
Will the guys who are playing now be able to go head to head with players 50 years from now?
@@rileymrr1 skill for skill tick for tact mikan is nowhere close to any center from the 60s untill today in the NBA.. is that better?
Best All-time Center list I've seen ever!!
Wilt: the greatest basketball player of all time. No question, the people that he played against will tell you that NO ONE is even a close second to Wilt. How many have averaged 50 points a game with two and three people hanging all over him? Hard to figure how anyone can ignore his physical abilities but many on this page do. Russell was not even a close second to him. It was Wilt against three Celtics and Russell against only Wilt. Check - out many times Wilt out scored, out rebounded, and out played Russell and everyone else until the end of his career when the Lakers said they needed rebounds and not points from him.
People don't get it because there isn't ESPN reporting it. The NBA decided that only stuff after 1985 should be highlighted. That's hilarious because any one of Wilt's peers look at the game all the way up to today and say he would destroy anyone with ease!
Lol at no one is even close to Wilt. "No one" has lost a NBA finals with a Finals MVP on their team. Oh wait my mistake.....Wilt has!
@@FuShengAlex No one is talking about rings... He's talking about the fact that Wilt stands alone as easily the most dominant player, not only to play center, but in the NBA... PERIOD.
@@anthonym2504 yeah so "dominant" he put up a lousy 11.7ppg in the 69 NBA finals. THE worst FT shooting C in history.
30ppg reg season to 22ppg in the playoffs which includes a paltry 18ppg Finals average.
Kareem, Hakeem and Shaq were better offensively in the playoffs than him.
Not the most dominant C in NBA history
@@FuShengAlex what, a player can't have a bad game? No one in the history of the NBA ever had a bad game?
The focus of the finding the greatest players relies on stats and longevity. Which is why Wilt still owns over 70 NBA records most of which will never be touched. He's second or third in another 70 or so categories. Besides that, they changed many rules to try and limit his greatness. He also did all of this in only 14 years compared to the rest.
You better find another hobby, because arguing isn't your strong suit.
Olajuwon es el mejor pivot de la historia..mas alla de los titulos y logros de jabbar...olajuwon tenia todo
KAJ is the greatest. 20 years of dominance. Never had a major injury in 2 decades of banging the post . That's incredible