Greatest Defensive Players in NBA History

To D or not to D? That is the question all basketball players face. Some accept the challenge of playing defense, and a few excel at it.

They don’t play defense in that league.

How many times have you heard that said about the NBA over the decades?

Well guess what? Defense is hard. Because of the obsession with the 3-point shot, increase of spread offenses and more versatile athletes and adoption of namby-pamby rules designed to take the physicality out of the game, good D is harder to play than ever. Heck, if a team gives up two points on a possession, it’s a reason to bump fists nowadays.

For those reasons and others, you won’t see many recent names among the greatest defensive players ever.

30. Bobby Jones

AP Photo

Position: Forward

Career: 1976-86 (10 seasons)

Teams: Denver Nuggets (1976-78), Philadelphia 76ers (1978-86)

NBA championships: 1 (1983)

Bottom line: At 6-foot-9, 210-pounds, this greyhound combined the size and length of a power forward with the quickness and agility of a small forward.

He was an All-Defensive First-Team selection in six of his 10 seasons.

29. Tree Rollins

Susan Ragan / AP Photo

Position: Center

Career: 1977-95 (18 seasons)

Teams: Atlanta Hawks (1977-88), Cleveland Cavaliers (1988-90), Detroit Pistons (1990-91), Houston Rockets (1991-93), Orlando Magic 1993-95)

NBA championships: None

Bottom line: Nobody called him Wayne, his real first name. I would have called him Mr. Rollins.

The 7-foot-1 flyswatter ranks seventh in career blocked shot percentage (6.2), largely on the strength of six seasons of 200-plus rejections.

Really, you have to be pretty dadgum good on defense to average 5.4 points per game and play this long.

28. Gary Payton

Elaine Thompson / AP Photo

Position: Guard

Career: 1985-2004 (19 seasons)

Teams: Seattle SuperSonics (1990-2003), Milwaukee Bucks (2002-03), Los Angeles Lakers (2003-04), Boston Celtics (2004-05), Miami Heat (2005-07)

NBA championships: 1 (2006)

Bottom line: Can’t leave somebody named “The Glove” off this list, right?

This dogged defender was afforded 1995-96 Defensive Player of the Year honors, one of only five guards to do so, although David Robinson might want a recount.

Gary Payton also ranks No. 4 on the all-time steals list with 2,445.

27. Scottie Pippen

Kevork Djansezian / AP Photo

Position: Forward

Career: 1987-2003 (16 seasons)

Teams: Chicago Bulls (1987-98), Houston Rockets (1998-99), Portland Trail Blazers (1999-2003)

NBA championships: 6 (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998)

Bottom line: This shutdown defender was a linchpin of the “Doberman” defense that was largely responsible for six Bulls NBA titles.

Scottie Pippen is the all-time steals percentage leader (2.9) at the forward position.

Only LeBron James has more than his 395 takeaways in the playoffs.

26. Clifford Ray

Joel Zwink / AP Photo

Position: Center

Career: 1971-81 (10 seasons)

Teams: Chicago Bulls (1971-74), Golden State Warriors (1974-81)

NBA championships: 1 (1975)

Bottom line: This no-time All-Star rates among the most underappreciated bigs at this end, as metrics suggest across the board.

Clifford Ray ranks sixth in defensive rating (95.4) in league history. That’s No. 6, people.

He was a tireless rebounder whose competitive spirit elevated the floor around him.

25. Karl Malone

Jeff Kida / AP Photo

Position: Forward

Career: 1985-2004 (19 seasons)

Teams: Utah Jazz (1985-2003), Los Angeles Lakers (2003-04)

NBA championships: None

Bottom line: While not a great leaper, the “Mail Man” possessed quick feet and a Zeus-like upper body that made him a three-time All-Defensive First Teamer and premier defensive rebounder.

His 23.5 defensive rebound percentage is 12th among power forwards and 44th overall.

24. Larry Bird

Mike Kullen / AP Photo

Position: Forward

Career: 1979-1993 (13 seasons)

Teams: Boston Celtics

NBA championships: 3 (1981, 1884, 1986)

Bottom line: Bet you didn’t know that “Larry Legend’ paced the league in defensive win shares four times and offensive win shares only once, did you?

He excelled at team defense principles, and his 6-foot-9 size was a major factor on the backboards.

He ranks 18th in defensive rebound percentage (22.4) among forwards.

23. Paul George

Wilfredo Lee / AP Photo

Position: Forward-guard

Career: 2010-present (13 seasons)

Teams: Indiana Pacers (2010-17), Oklahoma City Thunder (2017-19), Los Angeles Clippers (2019-present)

NBA championships: None

Bottom line: The swingman is a few spots ahead of Scottie Pippen for this reason: At 6-foot-8, he can wreak havoc at any of three positions.

Paul George also ranks seventh in steals percentage (2.6) at small forward and 44th overall.

22. Rudy Gobert

Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert

Matt York / AP Photo

Position: Center

Career: 12 seasons (2011-present0

Teams: Utah Jazz (2011-22), Minnesota Timberwolves (2022-present)

NBA championships: None

Bottom line: Rudy Gobert has a complicated legacy off the court thanks to his actions at the beginning of the pandemic, but on the court he’s been one of leagues’ greatest defensive centers of all time.

Gobert has been named NBA Defensive Player of the Year three times and has been an NBA All-Defensive Team pick six times, from 2017 to 2022. Gobert has led the NBA in field-goal percentage three times, rebounds once and blocks once and is averaging a whopping 2.1 blocks and 11.6 rebounds for his career.

21. Elvin Hayes

Jim McKnight / AP Photo

Positions: Forward-center

Career: 1968-84 (16 seasons)

Other teams: San Diego-Houston Rockets (1968-72, 1981-84), Baltimore-Capitol-Washington Bullets (1972-1981)

NBA championships: 1978

Bottom line: “The Big E” also played “Big D” on a regular basis.

His 6-foot-9 size and quick ups translated into all-time ranks in defensive rebound (74th overall) and blocked shot (84th) percentages.

He led the league in defensive win shares in the 1974-75 and 1975-76 campaigns.

20. Michael Jordan

Alan Diaz / AP Photo

Position: Guard

Career: 1984-98, 2001-03 (15 seasons)

Teams: Chicago Bulls (1984-98), Washington Wizards (2000-02)

NBA championships: 6 (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998)

Bottom line: Based on his defensive rating (113th overall) and win shares per minute, His Airness doesn’t quite make the cut.

Well, we’re here to tell you that nobody played the designated stopper role any better, metrics be damned.

Michael Jordan’s 2.3 steals per game rank third in league history.

19. Alonzo Mourning

Kevork Djansezian / AP Photo

Position: Center

Career: 1992-2008 (15 seasons)

Teams: Charlotte Hornets (1992-95), Miami Heat (1995-2002, 2004-08), New Jersey Nets (2003-05)

NBA championships: 1 (2006)

Bottom line: This two-time Defensive Player of the Year stood 6-foot-10 but played more like a 7-footer, so fanatical was he about the defensive side of the ball.

Only Shawn Bradley, Theo Ratliff and Mark Eaton had higher blocked shot percentages in their careers.

Alonzo Mourning’s 95.3 defensive rating is 26th on the all-time list.

18. Wes Unseld

Smith / AP Photo

Position: Center

Career: 1968-81 (13 seasons)

Teams: Baltimore-Capital-Washington Bullets

NBA championships: 1 (1978)

Bottom line: At 6-foot-7, 245 pounds, “The Wide U” proved that one didn’t have to jump out of the gym to hugely impact games.

Wes Unseld patrolled the lane like a traffic cop at Times Square.

Consistent? His defensive ratings are seventh in the regular season (96.3) and postseason (97.0).

17. Dennis Rodman

Bill Waugh / AP Photo

Position: Forward

Career: 1986-2000 (14 seasons)

Teams: Detroit Pistons (1986-93), San Antonio Spurs (1993-95), Chicago Bulls (1995-98), Los Angeles Lakers (1998-99), Dallas Mavericks ( 1999-2000)

NBA championships: 5 (1988, 1989, 1996, 1997, 1998)

Bottom line: Has any player earned more fame and fortune off hustle and hard work than this all-time rebounder/overachiever/nutcase/spit disturber? The answer is no.

“Dennis the Menace” fun fact: He’s the only one under 6-foot-8 among the top 38 in career defensive rebound percentage, a category in which Dennis Rodman led the league eight consecutive seasons.

16. Mark Eaton

Douglas C. Pizac / AP Photo

Position: Center

Career: 1982-93 (11 seasons)

Teams: Utah Jazz

NBA championships: None

Bottom line: This 7-foot-4 monstrosity owns a pair of records that will never be broken in the 3-point era — most blocked shots in a season (456) and career average per game (3.5).

And to think the two-time Defensive Player of the Year never scored more than 20 points in a pro or college game.

15. Marcus Camby

Morry Gash / AP Photo

Position: Center-forward

Career: 1996-2013 (17 seasons)

Teams: Toronto Raptors (1996-98), New York Knicks (1998-2002), Denver Nuggets (2002-08), Los Angeles Clippers (2008-10), Portland Trail Blazers (2009-12), Houston Rockets (2011-12), New York Knicks (2012-13)

NBA championships: None

Bottom line: Aha! You forgot about this guy, didn’t you? After all, his teams were 6-11 in playoff series. Don’t blame “The Camby Man,” though.

His career 98.4 defensive rating ranks 13th in the postseason. And only seven players swatted away shots at a higher rate (6.1 percent) in league history.

14. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Ray Stubblebine / AP Photo

Position: Center

Career: 1969-89 (20 seasons)

Teams: Milwaukee Bucks (1969-75), Los Angeles Lakers (1975-89)

NBA championships: 6 (1971, 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988)

Bottom line: Consider all that “Cap” accomplished at the other end, and it says a lot to also be on the short list of best defenders ever.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led the league in defensive win shares in the 1975-76 and 1976-77 seasons.

He also made the NBA All-Defensive team 11 times in his 20-year career.

13. Kevin Garnett

Bill Kostroun / AP Photo

Position: Forward

Career: 1995-2016 (21 seasons)

Teams: Minnesota Timberwolves (1995-2007, 2014-16), Boston Celtics (2007-2013), Brooklyn Nets (2013-15)

NBA championships: 1 (2008)

Bottom line: K.G. was akin to a funnel spider — spindly, super quick and highly toxic.

His 99.1 defensive rating is 19th on the all-time career list. And only Tim Duncan (15) was named to an All-Defensive Team more times than Kevin Garnett (12).

12. Dikembe Mutombo

Pat Sullivan / AP Photo

Position: Center

Career: 1991-2009 (18 seasons)

Teams: Denver Nuggets (1996-96), Atlanta Hawks (1996-2001), Philadelphia 76ers (2000-02), New Jersey Nets (2002-03), New York Knicks (2003-04), Houston Rockets (2004-09)

NBA championships: None

Bottom line: Mt. Mutombo claimed Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan among his 3,289 rejections.

The 7-foot-2 big also gave us that wonderful Finger Wag before the league decided to make it an automatic technical foul.

Gimme an “S,” gimme an “A,” gimme a “W,” gimme an “F,” gimme a “T” … What does it spell? Saaaaawft!

11. Dave Cowens

Dave Tenenbaum / AP Photo

Position: Center

Career: 1970-80, 1982-83 (11 seasons)

Teams: Boston Celtics (1970-80), Milwaukee Bucks (1982-83)

NBA championships: 2 (1974, 1976)

Bottom line: “Big Red” jumped on every loose ball like it was a live grenade.

His defensive ratings in the regular season (95.5) and postseason (93.4) each rank second on the all-time list.

Gang Green exceeded the league average in the category in all but two of Dave Cowens’ 10 seasons there.

10. Ben Wallace

Paul Sancya / AP Photo

Position: Center-forward

Career: 1996-2012 (16 seasons)

Teams: Washington Bullets-Wizards (1996-99), Orlando Magic (1999-2000), Detroit Pistons (2001-06, 2009-12), Chicago Bulls (2006-08), Cleveland Cavaliers (2007-09)

NBA championships: 1 (2004)

Bottom line: Who’s No. 1 in defensive rating (92.3) in postseason history? Well, here he is, kids.

The four-time Defensive Player of the Year is the rare big on the career blocked shots (13th), defensive rebounds (25th) and steals (65th) leader boards.

9. Dwight Howard

John Raoux / AP Photo

Position: Center

Career: 2004-22 (18 seasons)

Teams: Orlando Magic (2004-12), Houston Rockets (2013-16), Atlanta Hawks (2016-17), Charlotte Hornets (2017-18, Washington Wizards (2018-19), Los Angeles Lakers (2012-13, 2019-present)

NBA championships: 1 (2020)

Bottom line: There isn’t a thing that D12 hasn’t done more than once at this end.

All-Defensive First Team four times. Defensive Player of the Year three times. Defensive rebounds leader six (consecutive) times. Blocked shots leader two times.

Only 13 players claim more defensive win shares (72.1) in their careers.

8. Patrick Ewing

Richard Drew / AP Photo

Positions: Center

Career: 1985-2002 (17 seasons)

Teams: New York Knicks (1985-2000), Seattle SuperSonics (2000-01), Orlando Magic (2001-02)

NBA championships: None

Bottom line: Here’s all you need to know about Patrick Ewing’s impact: The Knicks exceeded the league average in defensive rating in 14 of his 15 seasons in New York, while they failed to reach that level in 18 of the 20 since he left.

The “Hoya Destroya” ranks 18th in defensive rating (99.1) and 18th in blocked shot percentage (4.75) on the all-time list.

7. Nate Thurmond

RHH / AP Photo

Position: Center-forward

Career: 1963-77 (14 seasons)

Teams: San Francisco-Golden State Warriors (1963-74), Chicago Bulls (1974-76), Cleveland Cavaliers (1975-77)

NBA championships: None

Bottom line: Blocked shots and steals weren’t tracked until late in Nate Thurmond’s career, so the stats don’t do him justice.

This much I can assure you — “Nate the Great” played Kareem-Abdul Jabbar better without help than any big ever.

And the greatest low-post scorer in basketball history would tell you as much.

6. Tim Duncan

Brandon Dill / AP Photo

Position: Center-forward

Career: 1997-2016 (19 seasons)

Teams: San Antonio Spurs

NBA championships: 4 (2003, 2005, 2007, 2014)

Bottom line: Timmy was so quietly effective for so long at this side of the court, there was a tendency to overlook his 15 All-Defensive Team selections, the most of any player in league history.

His career 95.6 defensive rating is the third-best ever. He also appears on the short list of best defensive rebound (11th) and blocked shot percentages (25th) in a career.

5. Hakeem Olajuwon

Gary Stewart / AP Photo

Position: Center

Career: 1984-2002 (18 seasons)

Teams: Houston Rockets (1984-2001), Toronto Raptors (2001-02)

NBA championships: 2 (1994, 1995)

Bottom line: For sheer volume, “The Dream” is the greatest defender ever to play the game, no questions asked.

He’s the only one among the top 10 in career blocked shots (first), defensive rebounds (seventh) and steals (ninth).

He’s also No. 1 in blocked shot percentage (3.3) in the history of the playoffs.

4. David Robinson

Kevork Djansezian / AP Photo

Positions: Center

Career: 1989-2003 (14 seasons)

Teams: San Antonio Spurs

NBA championships: 2 (1999, 2003)

Bottom line: I’ve always thought of “The Admiral” as a modern-day Bill Russell in terms of size, length, instincts and athleticism.

His 95.7 defensive rating is No. 4 on the all-time list, while his 5.7 blocked shot percentage checks in at 19th overall.

He’s also among the rare bigs who rank high (62nd) in career steals.

3. Draymond Green

Marcio Jose Sanchez / AP Photo

Position: Forward

Career: 11 seasons (2012-present)

Teams: Golden State Warriors

NBA championships: 4 (2015, 2017, 2018 2022)

Bottom line: Hate him or love him, you cannot deny Draymond Green’s place as one of the greatest defensive players in NBA history. Green has been the driving force on defense for four NBA championship teams for the Golden State Warriors in the last eight years.

Green was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year and has been on the NBA All-Defensive Team eight times in the last nine seasons.

2. Wilt Chamberlain

AP Photo

Position: Center

Career: 1959-73 (14 seasons)

Teams: Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors (1959-64), Philadelphia 76ers (1964-68), Los Angeles Lakers (1968-73)

NBA championships: 2 (1967, 1972)

Bottom line: His defensive win shares/48 minutes rate is No. 8 overall, but I’m convinced that’s highly undervalued.

In the confirmed data that exists for 112 games, “The Big Dipper” blocked 8.8 shots per game. That’s 57 percent more than the official league record, people. And get this — he rejected 23 shots in one game.

If Wilt isn’t No. 1 here, then he’s no worse than 1a.

1. Bill Russell

Bill Chaplis / AP Photo

Position: Center

Career: 1956-69 (13 seasons)

Teams: Boston Celtics

NBA championships: 11 (1957, 1959, 1960, 1961,1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969)

Bottom line: Bill Russell’s 133.6 defensive wins shares are far and away the most in league history.

While not much of a scorer, he generated more offense on defense than any other player. As a master shot-blocker and defensive rebounder, “The Bearded Wonder” triggered one of the most vaunted fast breaks ever seen.

What’s more, he served as the ultimate safety net in the half-court game. Because teammates knew that Russ had their backs, they were free to cheat on defense, which led to a slew of turnovers and even more easy points in transition.