NBA All-time Player Tiers: The 20 greatest centers ever, ranked

Tier 1) The greatest of all time

3) Bill Russell

2) Wilt Chamberlain

1) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Tier 1 features three of the 10 greatest players of all time: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, and Bill Russell. Each has a strong case for the greatest of all time, with Russell winning 11 championships in 13 seasons and being arguably the greatest defensive player in league history.

Chamberlain, on the other hand, was arguably the most dominant offensive player in NBA history, with him scoring at least 70 points eight times as well as averaging 50 points per game in a season. Combine that with his being a terrific shot blocker, rebounder, and later in his career a passer, and he was the complete package as a player.

Not to mention that he was arguably the most athletic 7-footer in NBA history. Even so, he comes in second to Abdul-Jabbar, who was dominant. He led the NBA in scoring twice, rebounding once, and four times in blocks.

Had the NBA kept blocks for the first five seasons of his career, he would have swatted more than 4,000 shots, nearly 800 more than the official leader, Hakeem Olajuwon. That, along with him ranking third in all-time rebounds, second in all-time points, plus six championships, and Kareem has a strong case for being the greatest player ever and ranks as the greatest center ever as a result.