Who has the most blocks in NBA history? We look at the Top 5 players!
Though the offense is more spectacular and is really taking over in the modern NBA, defense will continue to be arguably the most essential part of a championship team. Defense wins NBA championships. It's an old cliché, but it is a true one.
A big part of the defensive abilities of a team or an individual player can't really be measured, as intangibles might be even more important on the defensive end than anything else. However, the NBA does track defensive statistics, whether it is advanced (Defensive Rating or Defensive Win Shares) or simple numbers, such as the number of steals or blocks.
Throughout NBA history, Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain are definitely two of the greatest top shot-blockers. However, there are no reliable statistics regarding their block totals, as the league has started to officially track down blocks since the 1973-74 NBA season.
We look at the Top 5 shot-blockers in NBA history!
LA Lakers' Elmore Smith was the first player to lead the NBA in blocks per game, with an average of 4.85 and 393 total blocks. Moreover, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Mark Eaton and Marcus Camby led the NBA in blocks per game a record four times throughout their careers.
In this article, we will look at the top five shot-blockers in NBA history by numbers.
Without further ado, let us start.
#5 Tim Duncan
The greatest power forward in NBA history to many, Tim Duncan, not only had a great offensive arsenal in the post, but he was also a great defender. Even though he never won an NBA Defensive Player of the Year award, Duncan was always among the best defenders in the league, both in advanced stats and traditional stats.
Duncan blocked 3,020 shots throughout his regular-season career and his career average was 2.2 blocks per game. 'The Big Fundamental' made the All-Defensive NBA team a record 15 times in his illustrious 19-year career and was the cornerstone of the San Antonio Spurs' five championships between 1999 and 2014.
Duncan is the all-time leader in blocks in the NBA Playoffs, with 568 blocked shots.
#4 Mark Eaton
Mark Eaton was a tremendous shot-blocker, arguably the best since the NBA started to track down the stats. Throughout his 11-year career with the Utah Jazz, Eaton made the All-Star Game once, and it all came behind his defensive prowess and his 7' 4'' frame.
A five-time All-Defensive player, Eaton won two NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards and led the NBA four times in blocks per game. Eaton also remains the record-holder for the highest average of blocks per game in league history, with a whopping 5.6 blocks per game in the 1984-85 season.