What More Is Needed for a 76ers Center to Be Considered the Greatest Rebounder in History?
When you think of the greatest rebounder in history, who is the first player you think of? Is it Dennis Rodman or Charles Barkley? Maybe Shaquille O’Neal or Tim Duncan? Possibly older with Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain? However, there’s one active player who believes himself to be the best rebounder in history. It sounds crazy because one of Barkley’s iconic nicknames is the Round Mound of Rebound. As for Rodman, he has the art of rebounding down to a science. Reading the rotation of the ball, the trajectory, and even tipping angles, just to get the best opportunity for controlling the ball. It’s hard to have this active player over the previous names, but hear me out.
Who remembers on September 30th, 2024, when Andre Drummond declared himself the greatest rebounder in history? Not the exact words he used, but the implications were more than noticeable. That statement came during the 2024-25 season, when the major issues of the season were rebounding and not injuries. Now, after the disastrous season, Drummond chose to remain on the roster for the upcoming 2025-26 season. The reason he believed so is rather simple. He has four rebounding titles and currently leads in all-time total rebounding and defensive rebounding percentage. To explain the percentage as simply as I can, it means that with Drummond on the court, he’s the most likely to grab either one out of three or four missed shots per opportunity.
For those who get a little overwhelmed with numbers, I've got you. Drummond is currently 19 rebounds away from 11,000 career boards. He will be the 32nd player to reach 11,000 rebounds, but the 14th center to reach that number. As much as I want to talk about Rodman, Barkley, or even Duncan for rebounding numbers, we’re going to stick with the Bigs. As the majority of rebounds are snatched by the big men. That’s where guys like Wilt, Russell, and even Shaq are mentioned. Duncan would have to be exempt from this list because, technically, he’s considered a power forward.
To reach the top 10 in all-time rebounding, Drummond would need at least 13,000 rebounds to beat out Dwight Howard for the 10th spot. For there to be a debate on whether Drummond can be considered the greatest rebounder in history, he would need at least 15,000 career boards. I say at least 15,000 because that would place him in the top-five rebounders. Placing him up there with Chamberlain, Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Moses Malone. To get to that daunting number, Drummond would need over 4,000 rebounds. He would either need over 1,000 boards in the next four seasons or have 500 boards over the next eight seasons. To me, that task is doable for the 32-year-old as long as he remains healthy for the arduous task.
