Who is the greatest shot-blocker in the history of the NBA?

Question

I argue that it's Mark Eaton, who holds the NBA record for highest average in a season (5.56 per game) and career (3.50 per game). Does anyone agree with me?

Answer 1

Of all time in NBA history: Bill Russell

Having watched Mark Eaton play most of his entire career, just his presence in the lane stood out defensively more than blocking shots as it was second stringer George Johnson who was the 1970s and 1980s shot blocking specialist coming off the bench to record the 15th most career blocked shots and the 15th highest blocked shots per game average in very limited minutes as a reserve role player primarily just to block shots.

I would say in the post Bill Russell and post
Wilt Chamberlain era when blocked shots were not recorded that Kareem got all of his blocked shots total for a career playing 20 years in the NBA, that after those three men, it is George Johnson who I remember as the best shot blocker playing relatively few minutes per game during the 1970s and 1980s as he was a second string center.

As a role player whose sole and primary role was to block shots: George Thomas Johnson who was never really a starter in his 13 seasons in the NBA as he was a shot blocking specialist whose number of shots blocked per minute played climbed or stayed the same with each passing year until he retired at the age of 36 where early in his career (when he wasn't blocking as many shots per minute as he developed shot blocking into a science particularly when he was in his early to mid 30s), but George Johnson had only one role which was to block shots and started slowly not blocking too many shots early in his career while reaching his shot blocking peak at the end of his career resulting in block shots prorated over a 40 minute game being 4.5 blocks per 40 minutes played versus Mark Eaton who was just a big body to start and play 30 minutes plus a game to rebound and score a little and take a lot of space in the lane where Eaton's blocked shots prorated over a 40 minute game being 4.7 blocks per 40 minutes played.

After Eaton's first few years in the NBA, Eaton's shot blocking fell off tremendously like Eaton averaged over 7 blocks per 40 minutes played his rookie year but was blocking only between 2.9 to 3.5 shots per 40 minutes played three of his last 4 years in the NBA. Eaton's 7' 3" size intimidated as much as blocking shots.

George Johnson while coming off the bench backing Clifford Ray at Golden State when Rick Barry and the Golden State Warriors swept the Baltimore Bullets and Hall of Famers Elvin Hayes and Weston Unseld 4-0 was brought in primarily for defense and blocking shots for his entire 13 year career.

In fact George Johnson in 4 of his last 5 years in the NBA until he retired at the age of 37 averaged between blocking 5.1 to 5.9 shots per 40 minutes played including during those years blocking 5.7 shots per 40 minutes played at the age of 32, blocking 5.9 shots per 40 minutes played at the age of 33, and blocking 5.6 shots per 40 minutes played at the age of 37.

Eaton in his later years was not the shot blocker he was in his youth but did intimidate because of his size as Eaton was kind of a minature "Andre the Giant".

Eaton was down to around 2.9 blocked shots per 40 minutes to 3.5 blocked shots per 40 minutes between the ages of 33 to 36 years of age unlike the 5.9 blocked shots per 40 minutes at the age of 33 to 5.6 blocked shots per 40 minutes at the age of 37 for George Johnson.

George Johnson broke in with the Golden State Warriors in the early 1970s before blocked shot stats were kept.

In my opinion after Bill Russell, the next best shot blocking specialist was George Johnson.

The following are the list of the top 10 shot blockers of all time in career blocks (prorating for unrecorded years in Kareem's case as just like George Johnson, blocked shots were not kept in the early 1970s):

1. Bill Russell (blocked shots unrecorded until the mid 1970s)
1a. Kareem Abdul Jabbar/Lew Alcindor (but not a noted shot blocker along the lines of a Bill Russell, early Mark Eaton, or career role player and shot blocker in George Johnson) 4,400 estimated blocks (Hall of Fame)
1b. Wilt Chamberlain (Hall of Fame; Kareem outplayed Wilt by many years which is why Kareem is at 1a)
2. Hakeem/Akeem Olajuwon 3,830
3. Dikembe Mutumbo 3,230
4. Artis Gilmore 3,130
5. Mark Easton 3,064
6. David Robinson 2,954
7. Patrick Ewing 2,894
8. Elvin Hayes 2,800 (estimated) (Hall of Fame)
9. Tree Rollins 2,542
10.Shaquille O'Neal 2,432
11. Robert Parish 2,357 (Hall of Fame)
12. Alonzo Mourning 2,314
13. Caldwell Jones 2,297
14. Shawn Bradley 2,119
15. George Johnson 2,115 (estimated - made career of playing maybe 15 minutes a game just to block shots; recorded 2,087 block shots added 28 block shots for rookie year to be conservative as George Johnson's rookie year was the last year the NBA did not record blocked shots)
16. Manute Bol 2,086
17. Larry Nance 2,027
18. Dr. J 1,941 (Hall of Fame)
19. Moses Malone 1,889 (Hall of Fame)
20. TIM DUNCAN 1,840

Average block shots per game:
1 Bill Russell (unrecorded - world class high jumper)
1a Wilt Chamberlain (unrecorded - three time Big 7 high jump champion)
1b Mark Eaton 3.50
2 Manute Bol 3.34
3 Hakeem Olajuwon 3.09
4 David Robinson 2.99
5 Elmore Smith 2.90
6 Alonzo Mourning 2.85
7 Dikembe Mutombo 2.81
8 Theo Ratliff 2.68
9 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 2.57 (probably more like 2.80 to 3.00 blocks/game with more blocked shots in his first number of years where he was more of a shot blocker which could put him right behind Hakeem/Akeem Olajuwon)
10 Marcus Camby 2.56
11 Shawn Bradley 2.55
12 Andrei Kirilenko 2.50
13 Shaquille O'Neal 2.48
14 Tim Duncan 2.47
15 George Johnson 2.46 (not bad for a bench player playing usually limited minutes)

Granted Mark Eaton had in recorded history the best shot blocking year as a starter, but #15 on both lists is bench player and shot blocking specialist George Johnson who was coming off the bench for his specialty to block shots. Between those two, early Mark Eaton and career George Johnson plus career Bill Russell, I consider the best shot blockers per game and per minute played.

Over a career it would be only Bill Russell and part time role player George Johnson as the best shot blockers in NBA history as Eaton's blocked shots were mainly very early in his career and then fell off for the last 6 years of his NBA career.

Anyone can dispute my conclusion, but I do think it rather incredible that a second string player is ranked #15 in all time blocked shots in NBA history in George Johnson who coming off the bench helped the Rick Barry led Golden State Warriors to a NBA championship and a 4-0 sweep over the Baltimore Bullets and Hall of Famers Elvin Hayes and Weston Unseld.

To ibeddawi, you forgot 5' 7" tall Monte Towe (probably shorter) from N.C. State who never recorded a single NBA blocked shot in two seasons with the Denver Nuggets.

CONCLUSION: As far as shot blockers in NBA history, I would think of Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Mark Eaton (particularly early in his career), and the little known second stringer in George Johnson (who still managed in limited time to end up as the #15 all time NBA shot blocker in total blocked shots for a career in NBA history and #15 in average blocked shots per game for his entire career coming off the bench). Possibly Mark Eaton's block statistics would be incredible particularly blocks per game for a career had he entered the NBA 4 or so years earlier instead of waiting until his mid to later 20s when he was a NBA rookie.

Answer 2

that's a problematical call simply by fact the blocked shot replace into no longer an expert statistic saved by skill of the NBA till the 1973-1974 season. there have been truly some solid shot blockers earlier then: Wilt Chamberlain and bill Russell are many times the only 2 who get suggested, yet Nate Thurmond, Al Attles, George Mikan, Elvin Hayes and Dolph Schayes all blocked a brilliant form of photographs.

Answer 3

I do agree

Mark Eaton fsho...he used to be a beast!

Better than Olajuwon, Wilt, etc

but if they had kept track of blocks back in the 50s and 60s I bet Bill Russel would be at the top...he was a one man wrecking crew back then

but considering that they didn't I would have to go with Mark Eaton being the grteatest shot blocker in the history of the NBA

Answer 4

Maybe, I loved the mountain man, but before like 1970 they didnt' keep it as a stat. Most people will say it was Bill Russell, and without knowing his stats, they may be right. Since they have been keeping it as a stat, I will go with Eaton. I loved the fact he was working as a mechanic when they asked if he wanted to give BBall another try, and the rest is history.

Answer 5

Yeah, he's one of the best, but I'll go with Hakeem Olajuwon. Olajuwon has the most number of career shot-blocks. Hakeem is also shorter than Eaton at around 6'11"-7'0" which means he had better timing and anticipation.

Answer 6

hakeem "the dream" olayjuwan. he is first on the carrer list, and he leads second place (dikembe motumbo) by like 800 blocks.but the fact that of the top 10 of all-time, three of them are still active- it shows that we are in a generation of shot blocking and you should expect the record to be broken by the time the next generation of basketball arrives. my guess- the record will be broken by marcus camby if he stays healthy and plays at least an 18 yr carrer

Answer 7

Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell had that many blocks BY HALFTIME!

Although blocked shots were not kept as an official statistic when they played, officials who worked their games said they would have averaged about 10 blocks per game.

Those are your two greatest shot blockers of all time!

Answer 8

Eaton or Bill Russell,if u saw them play you would know.

Answer 9

Earl Boykins and Spud Webb

Answer 10

No, I think it is Hakeem. He has the most in history.