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The NBA has seen a range of elite athletes in its long and illustrious history. Rebounding, often one of the most difficult skills in the basketball game, allows teams to change the flow of a game by winning possession. The greatest rebounders have all been able to use their skills to make a huge impact on their teams, both offensively and defensively.
A look at the NBA’s best rebounders of all time throws out some familiar names, with the only active players who is currently part of the top-10 being two-time All-Star and Philadelphia 76ers’ new Center Andre Drummond. In this article, we look at the top-5 rebounders with respect to RPG stats.
Top five rebounders in NBA history with respect to RPG stats
Apart from Drummond, some other active NBA players who might finish in the top-10 are Dwight Howard, Karl Anthony-Townes and Rudy Gobert, all elite rebounders of the modern game within striking distance of the top-10. However, as far as the top-5 list is concerned, some NBA legends produced some mind-boggling statistics with respect to rebounds per game:
#5 Nate Thurmond – 15 rebounds per game
Seven-time All-Star and Golden State Warriors legend Nate Thurmond never won the NBA championship. Through the early part of his career, Thurmond was one of the best rebounders the NBA had ever seen and gained a fearsome reputation as a defender in an era dominated by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Thurmond enjoyed a total of five consecutive seasons in which he averaged over 20 rebounds per game and finished with a career average of 15 rebounds per game. The reason he could not stake his claim as one of the best players of his generation despite being the first ever player to score a quadruple-double was because of his rather quick downfall after his move to the Bulls in 1974.
#4 Jerry Lucas – 15.61 rebounds per game
Effectively from the same generation as Thurmond, Jerry Lucas formed a fearsome duo with him for two seasons at the San Francisco Warriors. He won the championship without Nate Thurmond in 1973 for the Knicks and enjoyed exactly three seasons in which he averaged more than 20 points and 20 rebounds.
Regardless, his best years came for the San Francisco Warriors. Lucas won the championship as a 32-year old alongside the likes of Walt Frazier and Dave DeBusschere. That season, he averaged around 9.9 points along with 7.2 rebounds.
#3 Bob Petit – 16.2 rebounds per game
Bob Petit played in the NBA for 11 seasons and became the first MVP recipient as a 23-year old in 1956. He also became the first to win 2 MVP awards after winning it again in 1959, the year he won his one and only NBA championship.
Petit retired at the age of 32 after spending 11 seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks and also led the league in scoring during his MVP winning seasons. Petit started out as a center but found huge success as a Power Forward as well, and his lack of a longer career means that he is 3rd on this list.
#2 Bill Russell – 22.45 rebounds per game
Considered to be the chief architect behind the famous Boston Celtics’ dynasty during the 60s and the 70s, NBA legend Bill Russell takes up the number 2 spot in the list. Russell won the Championship a whopping 11 times for the Celtics in 13 years, and had ten seasons with more than 20 rebounds consecutively.
He finished his career with an astounding stat line and never registered less than 18.6 rebounds per game, something that happened in his second last season. Regardless, Russell was part of a golden generation alongside the likes of Sam Jones and Bob Cousy, and is unlikely to be caught up to.
#1 Wilt Chamberlain – 22.89 rebounds
In what is hardly surprising, Wilt Chamberlain is at the top of this list. The 76ers legend is often considered to be the best rebounder the league ever saw, and the stats more than back it up.
Chamberlain took the league by storm as a 23-year old and is one of the best scorers the NBA has ever seen as well. He opened his career with 10 straight seasons averaging more than 20 rebounds and 20 points, and has a number of other NBA records to his name as well.
