Listing the only 5 players in the NBA with 3000+ career blocks

Protecting the rim is one of the most essential aspects of defending in the NBA, and teams that have managed to patrol the paint with efficiency are often NBA championship contenders.

Throughout NBA history, big men have been rewarded for their defensive presence, especially when it is time to stop opposing attackers at the rim. The NBA Defensive Player of the Year award has been given 39 times, since the 1982-83 season and centers have won the prize 25 times, with power forwards winning it three times.

It is definitely impactful to have a center who can protect the rim, even though we've seen that versatile defenders are definitely the way to go given the current outside power in today's league.

These five shot-blockers lead the NBA all-time list

Rudy Gobert, the Utah Jazz's center, has won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award three times in his career, and he was rewarded for his interior defense in the 2020-21 NBA season again.

Gobert is certainly one of the best rim-protectors in today's NBA, and he could even reach historical heights with his blocking stats. The active player with the most blocks is Dwight Howard, with 2,192, and he is another big man who won a trio of NBA Defensive Player of the year awards.

While Howard is certainly one of the best shot-blockers in NBA history, he is only 15th in league history in terms of blocks. He is also far from reaching 3,000 career blocks, a mountain that has been climbed by only five players in league history.

In this article, we will give you the list with those five players in NBA history with at least 3,000 career blocks.

Without further ado, let us take a look.

Note: blocks have been tracked in the NBA since the 1973-74 season, which leaves out the shot-blocking statistics of legendary centers like Bill Russell (retired in 1969) and Wilt Chamberlain (retired in 1973).

#5 Tim Duncan

Tim Duncan is universally regarded as the greatest power forward in NBA history, and his case for that statement is definitely helped by the fact that he was dominant on both ends of the floor.

Duncan was not a flashy player on either end of the basketball court, but he was definitely effective on offense and defense, mainly at the rim. Duncan averaged 19 points, 10.8 rebounds and three assists per game in his NBA career (19 years) and he also recorded 3,020 blocks, which ranks fifth in NBA history.

Duncan averaged 2.2 blocks per game in his NBA career, and is also the all-time leader in blocks in the NBA Playoffs, with 568 (2.3 per game). Although he did not win the NBA DPOY award in his career, Duncan has the most All-Defensive selections in NBA history, with 15 (eight-time first-teamer).

#4 Mark Eaton

Mark Eaton was one of the most intimidating shot-blockers ever seen in NBA history, and his mark on the basketball game definitely came behind the extraordinary statistics he put up in terms of shot-blocking and rim-protection.

Eaton, who tragically died on May 28th, 2021, was a unique shot-blocker in his 11-year career. With his 7' 4'' frame, Eaton rejected shots left and right, and he recorded 3,064 blocks in his career.

Eaton also owns the single-season record for blocks per game, with the extraordinary 5.6 he put up in the 1984-85 season with the Utah Jazz (the only team he played for). He earned two NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards in his career and five All-Defensive selections.

#3 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's scoring in the NBA is well-documented, as he is the all-time leading scorer in league history with 38,387 career points in the regular season.

However, an aspect of his game that isn't talked about often enough was his defense, as Abdul-Jabbar was certainly a ferocious shot-blocker on his best days, and he ranks third in league history with 3,189 blocks.

Even though the stat wasn't tracked in his first four seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks, Kareem retired as the all-time leader in blocked shots in the NBA, in the regular season and postseason. He led the NBA four times in blocks per game and earned 11 All-Defensive selections in his career.

#2 Dikembe Mutombo

Dikembe's signature finger wag: Getty Images

Dikembe Mutombo was one of the best shot-blockers during his NBA days, and he remains one of the most iconic rim-protectors in league history. Mutombo carved out a Hall-of-Fame career mainly through his defensive prowess, as he won a joint-record four NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards.

Mutombo ranks second in league history in blocked-shots in the NBA regular season, with 3,289. He led the NBA in blocks per game three times and earned eight All-Star selections, six All-Defensive selections and three All-NBA selections.

#1 Hakeem Olajuwon

Hakeem Olajuwon celebrates winning the NBA title with the Houston Rockets.

Hakeem Olajuwon could definitely be regarded as the best center ever seen in NBA history, given his unique offensive tools and how versatile he was as a defender.

Often, Olajuwon was able to guard perimeter defenders. Even if it happened scarcely, Olajuwon's abilities and athleticism allowed him to do so. Moreover, Hakeem is the NBA's leader in shots blocked in history, even though he is mostly recognized for his unique offensive game on the post.

Olajuwon recorded a whopping 3,830 blocks in his NBA career, putting up a 3.1 per-game average that ranks third-best in league history. In the NBA Playoffs, Hakeem blocked 472 shots, which is also the third-best number in NBA history.