Shaquille O'Neal and the Top 7 NBA Centers of All Time
The center position is responsible for the dirty work in the game of basketball.
It takes toughness to get through a single game.
They block shots, rebound, and throw down.
In other words, they do all the little things crucial to a team's success—the things that commonly go unnoticed.
In the history of the NBA, there have been many players that do this job better than others, and this list ranks all of those players. It will feature Hall of Fame players throughout.
Let's begin.
7. George Mikan
1 of 7George Mikan is the first of many Lakers centers on this list.
Mikan was dubbed "the NBA's first superstar" because of his dominance early in the league's history. He gave us a glimpse of what the NBA could become.
In his time with the Minneapolis Lakers, Mikan led the team to five of the franchise's 16 titles.
He was truly a pioneer for the game of basketball.
6. David Robinson
2 of 7David Robinson was nicknamed the "Admiral" because of his leadership on the court.
He displayed dominance and emotional toughness when on the basketball court.
He helped the Spurs win two NBA titles(1999, 2003), won the MVP award(1995), and the Defensive Player of the Year award (1992).
His knowledge and respect for the game helped him dominate for over 14 seasons in the NBA.
5. Shaquille O'Neal
3 of 7Shaquille O'Neal was one of the most dominant players the league had ever seen. He was a monster on the basketball court.
He was also the most entertaining player in NBA history and always had the spotlight throughout his career.
His strength, size and brute force allowed him to back down defenders and score seemingly at will.
Shaq will never be forgotten.
4. Bill Russell
4 of 7Bill Russell has the most championships out of any player in the NBA's history. He won 11 titles as both a player and player-coach for the Celtics.
He is considered one of the greatest defenders of all time because of his shot-blocking ability. He had the knack of blocking shots straight to his teammates and was also a beast at both offensive and defensive rebounding.
He has left a permanent mark on the league, no doubt.
3. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
5 of 7Kareem is not only an all-time great at the center position, but also an all-time great in the history of NBA basketball.
He was one of the most skilled big men the league has ever seen.
He won six titles and holds the all time scoring record.
He is truly one of the NBA's giants.
2. Hakeem Olajuwon
6 of 7Hakeem was the offensive player's worst nightmare.
He holds the all time record for career blocks.
He was a skilled rebounder, post-up player and shot-blocker in his time.
He won two titles in Houston (1994, 1995) along with two NBA Finals MVP trophies.
He was the only player to succeed with Michael Jordan outside of the league. That's saying something.
1. Wilt Chamberlain
7 of 7Wilt Chamberlain took the NBA by storm. He was arguably the most dominant player the NBA has ever seen.
He used a combination of length, size, finesse and strength to dominate seemingly every big man in the league.
In fact, he even scored an NBA record 100 points in a single game.
He was unstoppable.
