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Published on 01/20/2021

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The truth is that NBA centers are among the most physically intimidating athletes out there. After all, it is not rare for them to be 6 feet 10 inches tall and boasting arms and legs longer than entire bodies! In basketball, it has become less common to have a dominant center at the team’s core. This happened thanks to the rise of non-stop three-point scoring and versatile power forwards. However, centers ruled the court during the early years of the league. This is the list of the most iconic centers in the history of the NBA. We have ranked them based on career accomplishments, stats, advanced metrics, and legacy. Allow us to give a shoutout to Basketball-Reference.com! The website allowed us to arrive at this list. Let us see if you can guess who made it to our top spot.

Shaquille O''Neal

The Most Iconic Centers In The History Of The NBA

Neil Johnston (1951-1959)

At the height of 6 feet and 8 inches, this guy is among the shortest centers on the list. However, his height was good enough to rule down low during those days. Neil Johnston was only in the league for eight seasons, but he was a six-time All-Star pick and lead NBA scorer thrice during that period of time. The Hall of Famer spent all those years with the Philadelphia Warriors, but the team is now known as Golden State. In 1956, he helped the team bring home the title. He had a 19.4 ppg and 11.3 RPG to his name.

Neil Johnston (1951 1959)

Neil Johnston (1951 1959)

Andre Drummond (2013-Present)

Is there a rebounder more gifted than Andre Drummond? Thus far, he has led the league in rebounds twice in his career. However, what makes him a truly elite player is that he has averaged 21.2 rebounds per 48 games in his career! This is the highest average in the NBA since 1973. At 6 feet and 11 inches, he has averaged a double-double. You will soon notice that this is pretty common among the power centers on our list. Since 2013, he has 13.9 ppg and 13.5 RPG. Another achievement of his is getting picked for the All-Star twice. He spent eight years in Detroit, but the team has only reached the playoffs once during that time. We hope that his talents won’t be wasted on the Cavaliers!