The National Basketball Association (NBA) is the pinnacle of basketball in the world. It’s the biggest league and home to more than 100 international players from more than 40 countries. The NBA has seen a host of superstars grace its hardwood since the league was founded in 1946 till the present moment. Players like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Julius Erving, LeBron James, and Stephen Curry to mention a few have mesmerized the fans with their exceptional offensive skill set, leaving us begging for more. Basketball fans from all over the world are glued to the tv screens to watch their national stars play a game in the NBA. In Sweden it’s Jonas Jerebko, in Nigeria Hakeem Olajuwon and in Arab basketball it’s Lebanon born Rony Seikaly.
But there are also players who don’t get enough credit for the part they play to ensure success for their teams. We are talking about the defense. Let’s give some credit to five of the best defensive players of all time in the NBA.
Ben Wallace
Born Benjamin Cameron Wallace in September 1974, to a family of 11 children, Ben Wallace was one of the best defensive centers of his era and of one the best of all time. He is often considered as the best-undrafted player of all time, after going undrafted in the infamous 1996 NBA draft.
After trying out in Italy, Wallace joined the Washington Wizards in 1996, appearing in 34 games but failing to play any minutes. He started 16 games each in the 1997-98 and 1998-99 season with the Wizards before being traded to the Orlando Magic.
Wallace started 81 games for the Magic, solidifying his role as a starter only to be traded at the end of the season to the Detroit Pistons as part of the sign-and-trade agreement for Pistons superstar Grant Hill. His first stint with the Pistons turned out to be very successful, as the Pistons won the NBA title in 2004, whilst also appearing in the finals in 2005 where they lost in seven games to the San Antonio Spurs.
Wallace also won a host of individual accolades in six years in Detroit, winning the NBA Defensive Player of the year award four times, four NBA All-Star selections, and five NBA All-Defensive First team.
He played for the Chicago Bulls from 2006-08 and the Cleveland Cavaliers (2008-09) before returning to Detroit for three more years. His number 3 jersey hangs in the rafters at the home of the Pistons, who retired his number back in 2016.
Wallace was the NBA leader in blocks in 2002 and also led the league in rebounds in 2002, 2003.
Walt Frazier
Walt ‘Clyde’ Frazier was drafted by the New York Knicks as the 5th overall pick back in the 1967 NBA draft. Frazier spent 10 years with the Knicks, guiding them to two NBA championships in 1970 & 1973. Known for his offensive abilities, Frazier was named to seven consecutive NBA All-Defensive First teams from 1969-1975. Steals weren’t a recorded stat in the NBA until the 1973-74 season, six years after Frazier was drafted and the point guard went on to average 2.0 and 2.4 steals per game in his seventh and eighth seasons.
Clyde is believed to have possessed one of the fastest hands in the history of the NBA coupled with good instincts and anticipation which helped him strip the ball away from opponents.
His number 10 jersey is hanging in the rafters in Madison Square Garden, but Clyde also spent two years with the Cleveland Cavaliers before calling time on his career.
Scottie Pippen
Most defensive lists would be incomplete without the name, Scottie Pippen. Pippen was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History during the 1996-97 season and is also considered one of the greatest small forwards of all time.
The Central Arkansas alumnus is widely regarded as the greatest perimeter defender of all-time in the league and was named to eight consecutive NBA All-Defensive First Team.
Pippen is also considered the greatest side-kick ever, as he was the co-star to Michael Jordan when the Chicago Bulls won six NBA titles eight years -a stretch which involves two separate three-peats. He spent 11 years of his NBA career with the Bulls who drafted him 5th overall in the 1987 draft before unceremoniously departing for the Houston Rockets in 1998, despite helping the Bulls to a championship in his final season in Chicago. He also had a four-year stint in Oregon with the Portland Trail Blazers, whom he helped reach Western Conference Finals in 2001 before
returning to Chicago to sign for the Bulls in 2003
The Bulls retired his number 33 shirt in 2005, making him only the fourth Chicago Bulls player to have his number retired by the team.
Hakeem Olajuwon
Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwon is considered a top-five center and one of the greatest basketball players of all time. The Nigerian-American was the first overall pick in the star-studded 1984 draft class which had players like Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, and John Stockton after he was selected by the Houston Rockets.
Olajuwon is one of the three players to have won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year and NBA Most Valuable Player in the same season, with Michael Jordan and Giannis Antetokoumpo being the other two. A two-time champion with the Rockets in 1994 & 1995, Olajuwon was also named to five NBA All-Defensive First Team (1987, 1988, 1990, 1993 & 1994). He also led the league in rebounding twice (1989 & 1990) and in blocks three times (1990-91 and 1993).
Hakeem spent 17 years in Houston before being traded to the Toronto Raptors in 2001 after refusing a $13 million deal with the Rockets. He eventually called time on his career in 2002, due to a back injury.
Olajuwon remains the all-time leader in blocked shots with 3,830 blocks. His #34 jersey was retired by the Houston Rockets shortly after his retirement.
Bill Russell
Blocked shots only became a recorded stat in the NBA at the start of the earth 1973-74 season, so one can only guess after the great Bill Russell had called time on his illustrious playing career.
Born William Felton Russell on February 12, 1934, he was selected 3rd overall in the 1956 draft by the Boston Celtics, with whom he spent the entirety of his playing career. He’s the only player in NBA history to average 20 rebounds per game in a season and also a four-time rebounding champion (1958, 1959, 1964, 1965). He also has 11 NBA championships to his name alongside five NBA Most Valuable Player awards (1958, 1960-63 & 1965).
Regarded as the greatest center of all-time in the NBA, and of the best players ever, Russell’s legacy goes beyond the hardwood of the basketball court. He was active in the Black Power Movement and supported Muhammad Ali’s decision to refuse to be drafted by the Military. Russell was a strong advocate against racism, something he was a victim of as a child till his days as the star player of the Celtics.
He was the first-ever black NBA coach, winning two more NBA titles as a coach with the Celtics, and the award for the Most Valuable Player in the NBA finals was named after him.
Honorable mentions:
- David Robinson
- Kevin Garnett
- Gary “The Glove” Payton
- Dennis Rodman
- Dikembe Mutombo
Author: Bright Elemeje