Next on our basketball series are the players with most blocks in NBA history. Blocks are as important as assists and points in the game of basketball. However, only one player ever made more blocks than points in the history of the NBA. His name is Manute Bol. Bol is also the tallest basketball player ever at 7ft 6in.
Centers and Power forwards are taller and are always near the basket. Because of this, they tend to make more blocks than other players on the field. There are some exceptions though but most of the players played in the center or power forward position. Here they are in a countdown.
Top 10 NBA Career Leaders and Records for Blocks
- Hakeem Olajuwon – 3830
- Dikembe Mutombo – 3289
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – 3189
- Mark Eaton – 3178
- Tim Duncan – 3064
- David Robinson – 3020
- Patrick Ewing – 2954
- Shaquille O’Neal – 2894
- Tree Rollins – 2732
- Robert Parish – 2542
Hakeem Olajuwon
The Nigerian-American spent 18 years in the NBA playing for Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors. Olajuwon was a member of the Olympic gold medal-winning team for the USA in Atlanta in 1996. The two-time NBA Champion has been selected as one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history and was a 12-time NBA All-Star. He has also been inducted into the Basketball and FIBA Halls of Fame. He ranks first on the list of players with the most blocks in NBA history with an all-time record of 3,830 blocks.
Dikembe Mutombo
Dikembe Mutombo was born in Africa. He was born at Lepodville, DR Congo in 1966 before moving to the United States to further his education aged 21. He played college basketball at Georgetown before he was drafted into the NBA by in 1991 by Denver Nuggets. He went on to play till 2009 starring for Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks, and Houston Rockets. He was an NBA all-star 8 times and retired with 3,289 blocks.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
No player has more points than Abdul-Jabbar in the history of the NBA. However, he ranks third on the list of the players with the most blocks in NBA history. He played college basketball before he was drafted into the NBA in 1969. He went on to play for Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers before retiring in 1989. He won the NBA championship with both teams and has a record of 3,189 blocks.
Mark Eaton
Eaton like Duncan was also a one-team man. The 7ft 4in center entered the NBA draft in 1982 when he was pocked by Utah Jazz. He retired in 1993 playing for no other team and donned the number 53 shirt throughout his career. Ewing was so good that he won the NBA blocks leader 4 times in his 13-year career. His number 53 Jazz was retired by the Jazz to honor his outstanding defensive performance for the team. He has a record of 3,064 blocks.
Tim Duncan
The top half of our list of basketball players with the most blocks in NBA history begins with Tim Duncan. He was the first overall pick in the first round of the 1997 NBA draft. His first and only team was the San Antonio Spurs. He enjoyed a highly successful 19-year career with the Spurs winning the championship five times before retiring in 2016. Duncan made 3,020 blocks and is currently an assistant coach with Spurs.
David Robinson
Robinson played college basketball while serving in the navy. The 7ft 1in the center was drafted into the NBA by the San Antonio Spurs in 1989 as the first overall pick in round 1. He retired from basketball in 2003 playing for the Spurs only. He had a relatively successful career winning the NBA championship twice and making the NBA all-star team 10 times. He made 2,954 blocks throughout his 14-year career. Robinson achieved the rank of Lieutenant, Junior Grade while serving in the navy.
Patrick Ewing
Ewing is number 7 on our list of basketball players with the most blocks in NBA history. The Jamaican-American who was born in Kingston was drafted into the NBA by New York Knicks in 1985 as the 1st overall pick in round 1. He also played for Seattle Supersonics and Orlando Magic before retiring in 2002. The 11-time NBA all-star never won a championship but did retire with 2,894 blocks to his name.
Shaquille O’Neal
With his achievements, O’Neal cannot but be considered as one of the greatest players in NBA history. He was drafted into the NBA in 1992 by Orlando Magic as a center before he retired in 2011. His 19-year career saw him star for Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Boston Celtics also. He won three of his four NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers and retired with 2,732 blocks.
Tree Rollins
Wayne Rollins fondly called “Tree” or the Intimidator began his basketball career in 1977 and retired in 1995. He used to be further up the list of players with most blocks in NBA history before Shaquille O’Neal, Patrick Ewing, and co. Rollins was drafted into the NBA by Atlanta Hawks before he went on to play for Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, and Orlando Magic. He never made the all-star team but did retire with 2,542 blocks. He also coached from 1993-2015. His last coaching position was with Chicago Sky.
Robert Parish
The former center takes the tenth spot on the all-time list of players with most blocks in NBA history. He was selected by the Golden State Warriors as the 8th overall pick in the first round of the 1976 NBA draft. Parish would go on to play for about two decades starring for Boston Celtics, Charlotte Hornets, and Chicago Bulls. He retired in 1997 a 4-time champion with 2,361 blocks
Related Posts:
Most assists in NBA history: Top 10
Top 60 NBA All-Time Blocks Leaders
| Rank | Player | Total Blocks |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Hakeem Olajuwon | 3830 |
| 2. | Dikembe Mutombo | 3289 |
| 3. | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 3189 |
| 4. | Mark Eaton | 3064 |
| 5. | Tim Duncan | 3020 |
| 6. | David Robinson | 2954 |
| 7. | Patrick Ewing | 2894 |
| 8. | Shaquille O’Neal | 2732 |
| 9. | Tree Rollins | 2542 |
| 10. | Robert Parish | 2361 |
| 11. | Alonzo Mourning | 2356 |
| 12. | Marcus Camby | 2331 |
| 13. | Dwight Howard | 2192 |
| 14. | Ben Wallace | 2137 |
| 15. | Shawn Bradley | 2119 |
| 16. | Manute Bol | 2086 |
| 17. | George Johnson | 2082 |
| 18. | Kevin Garnett | 2037 |
| 19. | Larry Nance | 2027 |
| 20. | Theo Ratliff | 1968 |
| 21. | Pau Gasol | 1941 |
| 22. | Elton Brand | 1828 |
| 23. | Jermaine O’Neal | 1820 |
| 24. | Elvin Hayes | 1771 |
| 25. | Artis Gilmore | 1747 |
| 26. | Moses Malone | 1733 |
| 27. | Serge Ibaka | 1719 |
| 28. | Josh Smith | 1713 |
| 29. | Kevin McHale | 1690 |
| 30. | Vlade Divac | 1631 |
| Rank | Player | Block |
| 31. | Herb Williams | 1605 |
| 32. | Elden Campbell | 1602 |
| 33. | Benoit Benjamin | 1581 |
| 34. | Samuel Dalembert | 1546 |
| 35. | Wayne Cooper | 1535 |
| 36. | Caldwell Jones | 1517 |
| 37. | Brook Lopez | 1515 |
| 38. | Alton Lister | 1473 |
| 39. | DeAndre Jordan | 1467 |
| 40. | Andrei Kirilenko | 1461 |
| 41. | Rasheed Wallace | 1460 |
| 42. | Hot Rod Williams | 1456 |
| 43. | Mark West | 1403 |
| 44. | Erick Dampier | 1398 |
| 45. | Clifford Robinson | 1390 |
| 46. | Terry Tyler | 1342 |
| 47. | Tyson Chandler | 1335 |
| 48. | Zydrunas Ilgauskas | 1327 |
| 49. | Anthony Davis | 1323 |
| 50. | Julius Erving | 1293 |
| 51. | Greg Ostertag | 1293 |
| 52. | Dirk Nowitzki | 1281 |
| 53. | Shawn Kemp | 1279 |
| 54. | Dale Davis | 1270 |
| 55. | James Donaldson | 1267 |
| 56. | Marc Gasol | 1254 |
| 57. | Shawn Marion | 1233 |
| 58. | Harvey Catchings | 1226 |
| 59. | Rudy Gobert | 1220 |
| 60. | Chris Webber | 1200 |
Top 60 NBA/ABA All-Time Blocks Leaders
| Rank | Player | Total Blocks |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Hakeem Olajuwon | 3830 |
| 2. | Dikembe Mutombo | 3289 |
| 3. | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 3189 |
| 4. | Artis Gilmore | 3178 |
| 5. | Mark Eaton | 3064 |
| 6. | Tim Duncan | 3020 |
| 7. | David Robinson | 2954 |
| 8. | Patrick Ewing | 2894 |
| 9. | Shaquille O’Neal | 2732 |
| 10. | Tree Rollins | 2542 |
| 11. | Robert Parish | 2361 |
| 12. | Alonzo Mourning | 2356 |
| 13. | Marcus Camby | 2331 |
| 14. | Caldwell Jones | 2297 |
| 15. | Dwight Howard | 2192 |
| 16. | Ben Wallace | 2137 |
| 17. | Shawn Bradley | 2119 |
| 18. | Manute Bol | 2086 |
| 19. | George Johnson | 2082 |
| 20. | Kevin Garnett* | 2037 |
| Rank | Player | Blocks |
| 21. | Larry Nance | 2027 |
| 22. | Theo Ratliff | 1968 |
| 23. | Pau Gasol | 1941 |
| Julius Erving | 1941 | |
| 25. | Moses Malone | 1889 |
| 26. | Elton Brand | 1828 |
| 27. | Jermaine O’Neal | 1820 |
| 28. | Elvin Hayes | 1771 |
| 29. | Serge Ibaka | 1719 |
| 30. | Josh Smith | 1713 |
| Rank | Player | Block |
| 31. | Kevin McHale | 1690 |
| 32. | Vlade Divac | 1631 |
| 33. | Herb Williams | 1605 |
| 34. | Elden Campbell | 1602 |
| 35. | Benoit Benjamin | 1581 |
| 36. | Samuel Dalembert | 1546 |
| 37. | Wayne Cooper | 1535 |
| 38. | Brook Lopez | 1515 |
| 39. | Alton Lister | 1473 |
| 40. | DeAndre Jordan | 1467 |
| Rank | Player | Block |
| 41. | Andrei Kirilenko | 1461 |
| 42. | Rasheed Wallace | 1460 |
| 43. | Billy Paultz | 1457 |
| 44. | Hot Rod Williams | 1456 |
| 45. | Mark West | 1403 |
| 46. | Erick Dampier | 1398 |
| 47. | Clifford Robinson | 1390 |
| 48. | Terry Tyler | 1342 |
| 49. | Tyson Chandler | 1335 |
| 50. | Zydrunas Ilgauskas | 1327 |
| 51. | Anthony Davis | 1323 |
| 52. | Bobby Jones | 1319 |
| 53. | Greg Ostertag | 1293 |
| 54. | Dirk Nowitzki | 1281 |
| 55. | Shawn Kemp | 1279 |
| 56. | Dale Davis | 1270 |
| 57. | James Donaldson | 1267 |
| 58. | Marc Gasol | 1254 |
| 59. | Shawn Marion | 1233 |
| 60. | Harvey Catchings | 122 |