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Defending is a skill that not every player, including many NBA superstars, have in their arsenal. In basketball, judging defenders is not an easy task, given their different sizes and positions they operate in.
Naturally, big players have more obligations at the defensive end than perimeter players or forwards as the physical statures of the former are conducive to more defensive duties. Perimeter players and forwards, on the other hand, also have defensive responsibilities, but they can't be deployed to protect the rim, for example.
Top 10 defensive players in NBA history
Nevertheless, the NBA has been graced by some of the finest defensive players in the competition's rich and illustrious history.
In this article, we will take a look at the top 10 defensive players in the NBA based on the impact they had on the game and what they brought to their team's tables regardless of their physical attributes or defensive responsibilities.
Without further ado, let's get started.
Honorable Mentions
Considering the vast talent pool on the defensive end of the NBA, there has to be an Honourable Mention list for several exemplary defenders who could not make it to our top 10 list. Some of them are as follows:
Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Joe Dumars, Larry Bird, Sidney Moncrief, Dennis Johnson, Bruce Bowen, Mark Eaton, David Robinson, Andre Iguodala, Kawhi Leonard, Draymond Green, Tony Allen, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Patrick Ewing, Michael Cooper.
#10 Anthony Davis
Many might think that Anthony Davis has been included in this list because he happens to be one of the finest active defenders in the NBA, but that is not the case.
Anthony Davis has been an extraordinary defender throughout his NBA career, and now that he is on a winning team, he is catching everyone's attention. His defensive displays during the 2020 NBA Playoffs were exemplary, and he was easily the best defensive player for the LA Lakers during the entire 2019-20 season.
His versatility, along with his shot-blocking ability, makes him one of the ten best defenders ever in the NBA. His battles with Nikola Jokic in the paint in the Western Conference Finals and then with Jimmy Butler in the NBA Finals were impressive, to say the least.
The NBA Defensive Player of the Year award eluded him this year, but he will undoubtedly be in the reckoning for it next year. Davis has been named in the All-Defensive NBA teams four times in his career and has led the league in blocks on three occasions while averaging 1.4 steals per game.
Quite simply, he is disruptive in defence, and that is an essential attribute to have in any winning team.
#9 Gary Payton
Arguably the greatest perimeter defender ever, Gary Payton is the only Point Guard to have won the prestigious NBA Defensive Player of the Year honor.
His defense was formidable against any opposing team. When his ability to get in his rivals' heads is added to the mix, one could imagine how difficult it was to run the usual offense against a defense led by Gary Payton.
In the 1996 NBA Finals against the Bulls, Payton's Seattle Supersonics fell in six games, but Payton and his crew held the Great Michael Jordan to 'just' 27 points per game on 41% from the field. That was just one of the shining examples of the Glove's defensive prowess.
Gary Payton was named nine times in the NBA's All-Defensive teams and was the Defensive Player of the Year in the 1995-96 season after leading the league in steals with 2.9.
#8 Kevin Garnett
Kevin Garnett's NBA career was nothing short of iconic. Though he spent 12 seasons battling in Minnesota, where he made the playoffs eight times but went past the first round only once, his defense was always at a very high level.
After he was traded to Boston, his intensity and defensive efforts helped the team win their first NBA title since 1986 and their only championship in the preceding 34 years. He took the Defensive Player of the Year honors in the 2007-08 campaign for being the defensive leader and elevating the Boston Celtics' defensive game.
Kevin Garnett led the league in rebounding four times and was named in the All-Defensive teams on ten occasions (eight times in the first team). He is also one of only two players to be in the Top 20 in both steals and blocks in NBA history (Hakeem Olajuwon being the other).
#7 Ben Wallace
Ben Wallace was the anchor of one of the greatest defensive teams in NBA history - the 2003-04 Detroit Pistons. The Pistons held the star-studded Shaquille O'Neil - Kobe Bryant-led LA Lakers to a 96.1 offensive rating in the Finals and out-rebounded them by eight rebounds, an effort that was led by Wallace.
A four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year award winner, which is a joint record for most in the category, Wallace held his own against any center who was a solid scorer, including Miami's Shaquille O'Neal in the 2004 Finals and the 2005 Eastern Conference Finals.
Wallace averaged ten rebounds per game in 1088 games in the NBA, and he led the league twice in rebounds per game, with a career-high of 15.4. His most impressive defensive display occurred in the 2004 NBA Playoffs. That season, he led Detroit to the title from the defensive side of the court and led the league in defensive rating with a whopping 83.9 and defensive win shares of 2.8.
#6 Dikembe Mutombo
Another four-time winner of the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award, Dikembe Mutombo was one of the greatest shot-blockers ever. His ability to time his jumps and managing to block shots without fouling opponents was his greatest attribute.
Mutombo, who led some pretty solid defenses in NBA history, ranks second in blocked shots with 3,289. He led the league twice in terms of total rebounds and three times in blocked shots.
Dikembe won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award with three different teams - Denver Nuggets, Atlanta Hawks (twice) and the Philadelphia 76ers.
He led Philadelphia defensively when the team made a run to the 2001 NBA Finals; Mutombo had his hands full against eventual Finals MVP Shaquille O'Neal, but he still averaged more than two blocks a game.
#5 Dwight Howard
A three-time winner of the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award and the only one to win it in three consecutive years, Dwight Howard might be a role player today. However, he was as dominating as anyone in defense and was at the heart of an Orlando Magic team that probably had no business facing the LA Lakers in the 2009 NBA Finals.
During his prime, there wasn't a better shot-blocker and rebounder in the league than Howard who has been named in the NBA's All-Defensive team five times. He also led the league in rebounds five times and twice in blocked shots.
Now an NBA champion, Howard's defense was in full display during the LA Lakers' 2020 Playoffs run, with the player managing to get inside Nikola Jokic's head in the Western Conference Finals and protecting the rim impressively.
#4 Tim Duncan
The game of Tim Duncan, arguably the greatest power forward in NBA history, was not as much about his offense and beautiful off-the-glass shots but his defense, which was probably his greatest asset.
Duncan made the NBA's All-Defensive teams a record 15 times during his 18-year career, and he ranks fifth in all-time blocks in the regular season while leading the table in the NBA Playoffs.
Despite being a two-time regular-season MVP and three-time Finals MVP winner, Duncan never won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award. However, he did not really need that as he has already etched his name in the competition's history books as one of the finest defenders ever.
Moreover, Duncan ranks second all-time in defensive win shares with 106.34 and is third in defensive rating with 95.57.
#3 Hakeem Olajuwon
The Dream Hakeem Olajuwon can best be described as one of the most unique players on both sides of the court in NBA history. He is easily in the discussion for the best defenders of all time, and his case is a pretty solid one.
Olajuwon is the all-time leader in blocked shots in the NBA regular season, but what was really an anomaly for his position was that he could also guard perimeter players and stay in front of them with consummate ease.
The Dream's offensive play was eye-catching, but his defensive prowess arguably stood out more.
He was named in the NBA's All-Defensive teams on nine occasions and led the league in defensive rating five times. He is fourth in the all-time defensive win shares ranking. Moreover, Olajuwon was the first player to rank in the top 20 in both steals and rebounds and the only one to be in the top ten in both categories.
#2 Bill Russell
If Bill Russell tops the list of the NBA's best defenders ever, he would not look out of place as his defensive numbers and impact on the game were huge.
A staggering total of 11 NBA championships in 13 seasons were not won by just scoring. Bill Russell was the total package in defense. He was a revolutionary defender in the sense that he perfected the art of blocking shots.
Russell was a beast in the paint and often blocked shots when his team needed it the most. Perhaps, more importantly, he was always smart enough to block a shot and make the ball stay in bounds for a teammate to pick it up.
Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas once said about Russell:
"You do not win 11 NBA titles purely on athleticism or skill. You win with smart people."
Thomas' words couldn't have been more true as Russell was beyond smart.
He is second all-time in rebounds and would easily have been top two in blocked shots if that stat was tracked by the NBA when he played. Of course, he was also a five-time regular-season MVP award winner and would have probably won 11 Finals MVP honors if the award existed back then.
#1 Dennis Rodman
One may not find Dennis Rodman's name in most major defensive stats tables, but he was easily the greatest defender to ever step onto an NBA basketball court.
Rodman had the versatility of a guard during his prime and was able to cover any player ranging from Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Clyde Drexler to Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Hakeem Olajuwon and even Shaquille O'Neal during his late NBA days.
He was an efficient defender and did well against any player from the 1 to 5 positions even when he was only 6' 7" tall, a height considered small for his role.
A two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year award winner, Rodman led the league seven straight years from 1991 to 1998 in terms of rebounds per game. He once averaged 18.7 rebounds and over 15 rebounds a game.
Even when he was in his late 30s, Rodman could handle Karl Malone in the NBA Finals or Shaquille O'Neil in the Eastern Conference Finals, managing to keep them relatively quiet.
A five-time NBA winner, he was a key player for all his teams from a defensive standpoint and in terms of his extraordinary rebounding ability.
Also read: NBA Trade Rumors: Boston Celtics to swoop for Andre Drummond to address problems at center position.
