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In NBA history, only six players have hit the 15,000 rebound milestone, with Tim Duncan being the latest member of the exclusive club. However, one active player is perfectly placed to join the 15,000-rebound club, and he could achieve that as early as the 2021-22 NBA season.
Reaching 15,000 career rebounds in the NBA is no easy feat. Even the great Shaquille O'Neal, one of the most dominant players in the paint, only managed a little over 13,000 throughout his career. Despite his failure to hit 15,000, Shaq is ranked 15th on the all-time leaderboard.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell and Moses Malone are some of the NBA legends who have achieved 15,000 rebounds in their careers. But the all-time rebounds leader is Wilt Chamberlain, who recorded 23,924 rebounds in 14 years of play.
Who could reach the 15,000+ rebounds in the 2021-22 NBA season?
Dwight Howard is the only active player closest to hitting 15,000 career rebounds. Although it will take some work, Superman can become the 7th player in NBA history to record 15,000 career points.
The LA Lakers big man has been effective in cleaning the glass, totaling 14,271 rebounds so far, and ranks 11th on the all-time rebounds leaderboard. He is the only active NBA player in the top 40, with teammates DeAndre Jordan and LeBron James ranked 41st and 42nd with 9,878 and 9,751 rebounds, respectively.
Reaching 15,000 points will mean that Howard must grab at least 729 rebounds in the 2021-22 NBA season. With the league returning to its regular 82-game schedule, it certainly looks achievable.
In his prime, Dwight led the league in total rebounds from his sophomore year for five consecutive seasons, recording over 1,000 rebounds each year. The last time he recorded over 1,000 rebounds was during his one-year stint with the Charlotte Hornets. Coincidentally, that was the last time Howard featured as a starter.
Howard's last two seasons have seen him record 500+ rebounds strictly as a rotation player. For a decent chance at reaching 15,000 rebounds, he will need to get the nod for the starting role ahead of Jordan, which is unlikely.
Regardless, the 2021-22 NBA season is Howard's chance at becoming the seventh player in NBA history to grab 15,000+ rebounds. According to the numbers, that list will remain exclusive for a while, seeing as no other active NBA player is remotely close to reaching that mark.
Guess the Lakers players!
