BEST NBA POST PLAYERS OF ALL TIME
We look to answer the common question: Who is the greatest post player of all time?
Counting down the top 10, players are examined from all eras. The depth of their post moves are examined, as well as physical dominance, gross volume of post points, and finally their efficiency in terms of points per post up (when available).
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#10 ~ George Mikan
George's sheer dominance in the early stages of the NBA's history prompted various rule changes. No player before him or for a little while after shared his blend of size and touch. The 6'10" Mikan's bread-and-butter was a righty hook that he had no problem getting off over anyone. He was also highly productive when it came to following his own shot into a putback opportunity.
Mikan was able to make a huge mark which altered the trajectory of the NBA. He managed to do so in merely a 7-year professional basketball career (6 in the NBA). In that short span George managed to earn three scoring titles, four All Star berths and was the offensive force that prompted the lane widening (from 6 to 12 feet).
#9 ~ Bill Russell
The 6'10" native of Oakland, California is known for a lot of his on-court proficiencies. One of these is his prolific post play. Russell played at a time where big men dominated on both ends, long before the introduction of the three-point stripe. As such, he was a scoring hub for the Celtics. His before-his-time basketball IQ allowed for great impact as a scorer around the basket, favoring craft rather than pure physicality.
Bill did not have the most broad set of moves. Still, his sweeping lefty hook and cunning fakes helped him be a solid scorer down low. Moreover, he derived several of his nightly free throw trips via his post-ups. His work here, plus his elite rebounding and defensive anchoring helped Bill become a Hall of Famer and a record 11-time NBA champ.
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#8 ~ Karl Malone
The Hall of Fame big man combined brute force with some finesse to be a productive point producer. He accrued an enormous 36,928 points across his days in the Association. A sizable chunk of that scoring production came out of the post. Malone was a power forward that could bang down low but also had a nice face-up jumper to keep defenders honest.
Karl is definitely one of the better face-up scorers on this list. He had a nice jab step that he would use to back defenders off before rising up. Malone weaponized the threat of his elbow jumpers to rip through or just flow into an impromptu post-up. With his back to the basket, the 250-pound physical specimen had a deliberate, methodical, and bruising scoring approach.
#7 ~ Charles Barkley
In many ways, Charles Barkley is an unconventional post force. At just 6'6", he's the shortest player on this list by a three-inch margin. On the other hand, at 252 lbs. Barkley's one of the heavier player inside of the top ten. He really knew how to throw his weight around down low, tapping into his full rebounding and post scoring potentials in the process.
His broad frame and strong base served as the starting points for his low post success. Everything else was built out from that. He'd work for the deep seal by chiseling his way to the basket before the basketball touched his hands.
Charles could also gain a bunch of ground during his actual post-up as he powered his way through pure physicality. Overall, the 1992-1993 MVP was an extremely impressive post scorer given his shorter stature.
#6 ~ Tim Duncan
Tim Duncan was only a 25 ppg + player for one season in his career. However, he was very efficient in the post and his solid-but-unspectacular scoring averages are more so a product of the pass-first Spurs systems.
Contrary to the previous member of this list, Tim's physical measurements were perfect for post play: 6'11" with a 7'5" wingspan. Duncan utilized his high release point to flip in hooks and push shots right over defenders' outstretched arms. He played a hyper-calculated, shoulder-fake-heavy post game but it proved productive.
Tim's classic face-up bank shot must also be mentioned here. He'd often get funnelled the ball while facing the sideline, seemingly gearing up for a back-down. With that in the defender's mind, Duncan had the swift face-and-fire banker to elect for instead. The near-seven-footer rarely left the ground much on these but just as seldom had it blocked.
#5 ~ Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem and his skyhook will forever be intertwined in the minds of NBA historians and fresher fans alike. It was almost like a cheat code, quite literally unblockable at that hyper-elevated release point. The 7'2" Abdul-Jabbar also (unofficially) sported a long 7'5" wingspan. As he wound up to unleash the iconic move, defenders could basically just hope it didn't go in.
That move was at the dead center of Kareem's exorbitant on-ball scoring value. It was something he could fake to set up other moves too, and his general reliability in the post provided a rock-steady option for the team offense. After all, he is the all-time NBA scoring leader.
The center's high scoring efficiency numbers from the beginning to the end of his career have a lot to do with his post prowess. His field goal percentage low point was a still-solid 47.5% as a 41-year-old in his final NBA season. Kareem's glimmering career 56% two-point shooting percentage is a great indicator of his offensive dependability across those 20 seasons.
He was more than just those scintillating skyhooks. Rather, a younger Milwaukee Bucks version of Kareem was a bouncier athlete with more slams. He and the great Oscar Robertson propelled the 1971 Bucks to their first championship as a franchise. Subsequently, during his Laker days, Kareem found himself pulling out all sorts of post moves such as gorgeous up-and-unders and a Wilt-like extended finger roll.
#4 ~ Kevin McHale
The longtime Celtic had a post game overflowing with skill. At 6'10", McHale also had perfect size to play the power forward position. His up-and-unders in particular were as smooth as they were effective. Additionally, he posted strong field goal clips year after year with his post-centric offensive style.
Kevin presided in the post since year-one in the NBA. As his career pressed on, his footwork only developed further. Kevin used his nimble feet to unleash diverse sets of moves on his defenders in ultra-quick succession. He could also slow things, down, leaning power over finesse when appropriate.
McHale and his counter-heavy post game led to great individual and team success. Personally, he was a 7-time All Star, an eventual Hall of Famer, and he won a pair of Sixth Man of the Year awards. Kevin also helped bolster a Celtic offense that won a trio of championships over his days donning the green.
#3 ~ Wilt Chamberlain
Wilt was an interior force to say the least. He was an anomalistic athlete for his time - especially tall, long, and powerful compared to his peers. Chamberlain was very difficult to contain at 7'1" and 275 lbs. The 7-time scoring champ was an absolute load to deal with and often necessitated multiple defensive bodies.
In terms of technique, Wilt had one of the first well-rounded post move-sets. Turnaround jumpers, baby hooks and his trademark extended lay-in were all viable options for Wilt. The depth and breadth of his scoring package down low remain elite to this day.
He combined his power and size with shot creativity to be an extremely high volume post scorer while sustaining high efficiency. His personal best offensive season also happens to be arguably the best in NBA history. He averaged 50.4 points per game, predominately out of the post, on north of 50% shooting.
#2 ~ Shaquille O'Neal
Shaq was a battering ram in the post across his NBA tenure. He legitimately required two-to-three bodies to keep him away from the basket. Even on his misses, he killed teams with second chance points. O'Neal dominated in a way that few players have in the history of professional hoops.
A younger Shaquille was expectedly far more spry than his older self. That translated to spin-out lobs, more bounce on his finishes from the post and a rip-through game with more burst in it. However, as he matured both physically and mentally he arrived at the height of his NBA powers in the purple and gold.
When he won his MVP in the year 2000, he cruised to a career-best 29.7 ppg on 57.4% shooting. At this point, O'Neal was crushing defenders with his big body and dunking through them. That early-career post agility was still present in bursts for Shaq, meaning he had just enough unpredictability to complement his power game. Prime Shaq remains the most physically imposing post player of all time.
#1 ~ Hakeem Olajuwon
Hakeem had it all as a post player. His size, strength, length, touch, creativity, footwork, relentlessness and remarkable athleticism at his height all played key roles in his post greatness. Olajuwon's 1994 MVP and large career point count of 26,946 help illustrate his impact. It must be kept in mind that the lion's share of his damage was done with his back to the basket.
The "Dream Shake" was always a looming weapon for Hakeem as he crab dribbled. He sold this shoulder shimmy insanely well. In fact, he could string together a series of high-level fakes thanks in large part to his gifted footwork. His unreal accuracy on those baseline turnaround jumpers he was faking to do is what made the "Dream Shake" so potent.
On the whole, his post play served as Hall-of-Fame-caliber isolation scoring. He could be, and was, a valuable component within multiple championship-level offenses.
Hakeem's propensity to make tougher, well-contested shots translated to the postseason where defenses become more dialed in. He actually ratcheted up his play in the playoffs, notching a career postseason points average of 25.9/game (52.8% shooting) compared to a 21.8/game (51.2% shooting) regular season mark.
The attention that Hakeem rightfully commanded opened up teammates. He made incremental strides as a passer across his 18-year career, with those many assists out of the post providing additional value to the team. His post scoring remains far and away his best offensive skill down low, but the open shooters and cutters it yielded should be noted.
