NBA Power Rankings: Dwight Howard and the Top 10 Iron Men of the NBA
Most NBA players can be drama queens when it comes to injuries.
How many times have you seen Vince Carter wince in pain from getting his foot stepped on?
Other players just have bad luck.
Grant Hill, Brandon Roy, Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming are just a few examples of players whose careers will always be remembered by injuries.
On the flip side we have A.C. Green—who played in 1,192 straight games. That is a Cal Ripken-like iron man streak.
But he is long gone and a new generation of tough guys has emerged. Here are 10 players that have played with bumps, bruises, sprains, fractures and illness to be out on the court night in and night out.
10. Paul Pierce
1 of 10
Believe it or not, the guy that was carried off in a wheelchair in the NBA Finals only to return minutes later has been a tough guy recently.
Not counting the last game of the season missed to rest for the playoffs, Paul Pierce hasn’t missed more than a game in three of the last four seasons.
During this period he has dealt with all kind of injuries with his knee, ankle and foot.
Add up all the playoff games the Boston Celtics have been in over that span and Pierce is logging 90+ games a year over the last four years.
9. Lamar Odom
2 of 10
Mr. Kardashian failed to suit up in only three games over his last three seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers.
He dealt with a few injury issues earlier in his career with the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Clippers but has reached iron man status with the Lakers.
Odom has been the ultimate team player for the Lake-Show. He plays wherever they ask him to, he comes off the bench without complaining and never uses an injury as an excuse not to play.
Oh, and he averages 15.6 points and 9.5 rebounds a game this season.
The Lakers have an underrated gem in Lamar Odom.
8. Steve Nash
3 of 10
He reminds me of mighty mouse the way he darts by larger defenders and makes them look silly.
He has taken his share of hits through the years and the 36-year-old point guard has been able to brush it off throughout his 14 seasons in the NBA.
Like a fine wine, Steve Nash is getting even better with age. In the previous six years he has missed a grand total of 20 games.
7. Rudy Gay
4 of 10
This one was a big surprise to me but it's true...Rudy Gay is one tough dude.
Gay is sort of stuck in no-man’s land in Memphis, but is quietly becoming one of the most durable player’s in the league.
Gay has never missed more than four games in a single season, and that was his rookie year.
He missed two games this year, but don’t expect the sturdy Gay to miss any more. As the Grizz creep around the eight seed in the Western Conference, Gay will be ready to suit up each and every night.
6. LeBron James
5 of 10
He may overreact when he gets hit hard, but the truth is Lebron James rarely misses a game.
He missed two games earlier this month and that’s about the average amount of games he misses a year.
Considering the punishment he takes on a nightly basis when he drives to the hole, his durability is pretty impressive.
He may cry and lay on the floor after a hard foul, but he always gets back up.
5. Kevin Durant
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The man (who is barely of age to be considered a man) is incredible.
He leads the league in scoring and has brought back a team from the dead. He also is one of the toughest players in the entire NBA.
He has battled nagging injuries and yet has only missed over four games once in his four-year career.
He ranks in the top 10 in free throws attempted and made, taking a beating in the process.
This is one tough 22-year-old.
4. Dwight Howard
7 of 10
Superman is the wrong superhero nickname. He should change it to Ironman.
Since he was drafted in 2004, Howard played in every single game except two over the next six years. This season he has already missed two—but Howard’s track record speaks for itself.
Howard's insane frame (6’11, 265 lbs) allows him to bully his opponents in the paint. The incredible part is that he absorbs more contact than any other player in the league.
He has attempted 505 free throws this season. The next highest? Blake Griffin with 392.
Not even close.
Smaller defenders slap Howard silly trying to keep him from dunking on them. But with the biceps on Howard, it’s like swatting away flies.
3. Kobe Bryant
8 of 10
He hasn’t missed a game in three of the last four seasons.
Kobe Bryant has played through the pains of a surgically repaired right knee. He has dealt with ankle issues and a serious pain in his back. He was told over the summer that he has the index finger of an 83-year-old man!
Bryant continues to plow through the competition and has never complained or used injuries as an excuse.
He is one tough dude and certainly worthy of a top spot on the list.
2. Derek Fisher
9 of 10
This point guard hasn’t missed a game since playing on the Golden State Warriors during the 2004-2005 season. He is currently the active leader in consecutive games played at 459.
Don’t forget the fact that Fisher is always in the postseason and the past two seasons has played almost 24 games just in the playoffs alone.
He is the ultimate veteran leader for the Lakers and an essential piece of the two-time defending champs success.
1. Andre Miller
10 of 10
The current leader in the clubhouse has got to be Andre Miller. He had his league-leading consecutive games played streak at 632 snapped last month for a suspension. He pushed Griffin just a bit too hard.
It’s a bummer because Miller showed no signs of slowing down.
The 34-year-old point guard has played through it all and has admitted he really doesn’t even do anything special to his diet or workout routine.
"I have no regimen," Miller says. After the season ends, so does Miller's working out—no weights, no cardio, no nothing. "I really don't pick up a basketball."
Eating right is an afterthought for him. "(My diet) isn't healthy at all," Miller says. "Hamburgers, hot links on the Fourth of July, all that."
So maybe that’s the secret. The more hamburgers the better.
