O Neal chose the top 5 centers in NBA history: Russell ranked first, Jokic was highly praised

Recently, former Lakers star Shark O'Neal was asked "who is the top five center in NBA history" in an interview with the media! O'Neal said seriously: "Obviously, I am the most dominant center in the NBA, but I like to be modest, so I want to give this honor to those who pave the way for me." As one of the most dominant centers in NBA history, Shaquille O'Neal has won 4 championships, 3 Finals MVP, 1 regular season MVP and 2 scoring champions as synonymous with "great center". However, as the No. 1 pick in the 1992 draft, O'Neal's career coincides with the "golden end" of the center position - he not only competes with legendary centers such as Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson, but also witnesses the beginning of the traditional center being gradually impacted by small ball tactics. In his opinion, his success is inseparable from the tactical position established by his predecessors for the center position. In O'Neal's mind, who is the best center in the NBA?

1. Bill Russell

On O'Neal's roster, Bill Russell is undoubtedly the ultimate symbol of "team basketball". In his 13-season career, Russell won 11 championships (including one eight consecutive championships), a record that remains the peak that the NBA cannot overcome. What's even more amazing is that he was elected as the regular season MVP 5 times, was selected as the All-Star 12 times, and ranked among the NBA's Best Team 11 times - You know, the NBA did not set up the Best Defensive Line Award until 1969. If he had already received this honor at that time, Russell's defensive dominance averaged 22.5 rebounds per game (second in history) and a total of 21,620 rebounds in his career, he would definitely win more awards. The greatness of Russell is that he redefined the role of center: no longer a simple scorer, but the team's "defensive core" and "spiritual leader". He pioneered the "center forward to defend" style of playing, completed steals by predicting the passing route, launched fast breaks with accurate rebound protection, and even personally took charge of defending the opponent's core players at critical moments. In the 1962 Finals, Russell scored 30 points and 40 rebounds in Game 7, leading the Celtics to defeat the Lakers to win the championship. This data is still a "miracle" in the history of the Finals.

2. Tiangou Kareem

If Russell is the representative of the "defensive center", then Kareem is the founder of the "technical center". In his 20 seasons of his career, Jabbar has won 6 championships, 6 regular season MVPs, 2 Finals MVPs, and also maintained the record of the NBA's historical scoring record with a total score of 38,387 points - This "evergreen"-like stability is extremely rare in the center position. His 19 All-Star selections (first in history), 15 All-Squad, and 11 All-Defensive Teams proves that he has always maintained the top level of the league in his 20-year career.

Jabbar's signature move "Tian Gou" completely changed the center's style of playing. Before him, the center relied on physical confrontation to attack at the basket; while Jabbar used his 2.18-meter height and soft feel to easily scored 4-5 meters away from the basket with his "Sky Hook", which not only avoided the risk of injury caused by physical confrontation, but also opened up a new field of "middle-distance attack" for the center. O'Neal once admitted: "I learned Tiangou when I was young, but I still couldn't practice well - only Jabbar can master the touch and rhythm. He let everyone know that centers can also rely on skills, rather than just dunking."

3. "Basketball Emperor" Wilt Chamberlain

Chamberlain is the most "record-breaking" center in NBA history and a benchmark for "body dominance" in O'Neal's heart. Although Chamberlain only won two championships and one finals MVP in 14 seasons, his personal data is enough to describe: 100 points in a single game, 50.4 points per game per season, 30.1 points per game (first in history), 22.9 rebounds per game (first in history), and 23,924 rebounds per game (first in history). These data are not only a simple pile of data, but also represent his breakthrough in basketball's limits.

Chamberlain's existence directly promoted the change of NBA rules. Because his dominance at the basket was too unsolvable, the NBA expanded the width of the penalty area from 12 feet to 16 feet in 1964, and in 1967, players were banned from jumping at the basket to interfere with shooting - these rules were essentially to limit Chamberlain's performance. O'Neal once joked: "If I were born in Chamberlain's era, I might have been changed by the league. He made everyone realize that the physical talent of the center can be so strong." Although Chamberlain's team honors are not as good as Russell and Kareem, his definition of "center dominance" still makes him firmly in the top three in history.

4. The Great Dream Olajuwon

On O'Neal's list, Olajuwon is the only center forward who is his contemporary and a representative of "all-round offense and defense". In his 18-season career, Olajuwon won two championships (two consecutive championships from 1994 to 1995), and won the MVP of the Finals and the MVP of the regular season, becoming the first "four champion of a single season" in NBA history (Champion, MVP of the Finals, MVP of the regular season, and the best defensive player). In addition, he was selected as the Best Defensive Player twice, 12 All-Stars 12 times, 12 times, and 9 times the Best Defensive Team - This "double offense and defense" resume is extremely rare in the center position.

Olajuwon's "Dream Dance" pushes the center's footsteps to the artistic level. He can not only shake the defender away from the basket with fake moves, but also score jumpers at mid-range, and also complete steals with flexible steps (a total of 2,162 steals in his career, eighth in history and first in center). In the 1995 Finals, Olajuwon faced the Magic led by O'Neal, averaged 32.8 points, 11.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.0 blocks per game, defeating O'Neal, who was only 23 years old at the time with a comprehensive performance. Many years later, O'Neal still remembers this showdown: "Olajuwon made me understand that the center must not only have strength, but also have brains. I can't learn his dream dance steps until now."

5. Patrick Ewing and David Robinson

O'Neal tied Patrick Ewing and David Robinson for fifth place, which not only reflected the respect for the "stayer" but also showed recognition of the "all-round center". Although the two have different honor thicknesses, they represent two different paths of traditional centers. Ewing is a model of "staying at one city". In his 17 seasons of his career, he has always played for the New York Knicks (with a brief later joining the Supersonics and Magic). Although he has never won the championship and has never won top individual awards such as regular season MVP, he has become a "totem-like figure" in the Knicks' history with his performances of 11 All-Stars, 7 Best Teams, and 3 Best Defensive Teams. Ewing's style of play is very "traditional center" feature: averaging 21 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game. He can not only attack at the basket, but also jump shots from mid-range. He is the core of the Knicks' many attempts to enter the Eastern Conference Finals in the 1990s.

Robinson is a pioneer of the "all-round center". As the No. 1 pick in the 1987 draft, "Admiral" won 2 championships, 1 regular season MVP, 1 best defensive player, 1 goal scorer, 10 All-Stars, 10 best lineups, and 8 best defensive teams. What makes him special is that he has the height (2.16 meters) and strength of a center, and has the flexibility of a guard like a guard. He averaged 21.1 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.4 steals and 3.0 blocks per game in his career. He is the first center in NBA history to achieve "20+ points, 10+ rebounds, 3+ assists, 1+ steals, and 3+ blocks" in a single season. In 1994, Robinson was also elected as the scoring leader with 29.8 points per game, becoming one of the rare "scoring centers" in NBA history.

However, O'Neal also said in the interview: "Moses Malone is a player I respect very much. His ability to rebound in the frontcourt is unmatched. I didn't put him on the roster, just because the top five are too crowded - he is fully qualified to enter the top ten in history." At the same time, he said that active Nikola Jokic may replace every star in the future. As the top center in the current service, Jokic has won two championships, two Finals MVPs, and one regular season MVP. He has also created a new style of "organized center" - a quasi-triple-double data of 25.1 points, 11.1 rebounds, 9.9 assists per game, making him the first player in NBA history to lead the team's offense as a center. O'Neal said that if he re-selected the "top five centers of all eras" in the future, Jokic will definitely have a place. "What do you think about this?