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NBA: The best rebounder of all time from every NBA team

By Christopher Jeter

Patrick Ewing, New York Knicks (Photo credit should read MATT CAMPBELL/AFP via Getty Images)
Patrick Ewing, New York Knicks (Photo credit should read MATT CAMPBELL/AFP via Getty Images) /
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Emeka Okafor, Charlotte Bobcats
Photo by Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images /

Best rebounder in Charlotte Hornets history: Emeka Okafor

A former UConn standout, Emeka Okafor was the second overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft by the expansion Charlotte Bobcats, which made him the first ever draft pick by that franchise (they have since combined the history of the original Charlotte Hornets franchise before they moved to New Orleans).

Coming into the league, Okafor projected as an elite two-way center. While he didn’t quite reach those heights, nor did he rack up the accolades that the No. 1 pick in that same draft did, Okafor has put together a solid NBA career.

The big man spent his first five seasons with the Charlotte franchise, averaging a double-double in each of those campaigns. That half-decade of steady, borderline All-Star production allowed Okafor to the top of the franchise leaderboards for cumulative rebounds (3,516), rebounds per game (10.7) and rebounding percentage (18.5).

In addition, he also ranks second all-time in offensive and defensive rebounds, trailing only Larry Johnson and Gerald Wallace, respectively.

Unfortunately, Okafor’s time with the Bobcats represented the high point in his career. After signing a six-year, $72 million deal to stay with the team in 2008, the team traded him the next season to the then-New Orleans Hornets for Tyson Chandler. In their first season without their highly prized draft pick, the Bobcats went 44-38, making the playoffs for the first time under their new name.

After a few listless seasons in New Orleans, Okafor spent a season with the Washington Wizards before sitting out for the next four seasons due to a herniated disk in his neck. He was finally cleared on May 30, 2017, as he returned to New Orleans to play for the Pelicans as a backup.

Okafor fell short of the superstar expectations that came with his second overall selection, but he was a solid big man, especially on the glass.