Ralph Sampson was supposed to be the next great NBA big man. He was supposed to take the baton from Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and take the center position to a whole new stratosphere. Sampson was the first leg of a great run of centers in the 1980s that also included Hakeem … [Read more…]
There are different sides of Andrew Bynum. There’s the immature side in which he tends to act like an 8-year-old kid who pouts when scolded. Then there’s the mature side in which he looks like the most dominant big man in the basketball The 24-year-old center scored just 10 points on five shots against the … [Read more…]
Shaquille O’Neal playfully boasts that he is the last true dominant center in the NBA. He would even gloss himself with nicknames such as MDE (Most Dominant Ever) or Wilt Chamberneezy, an ode to the late great Wilt Chamberlain. But is Shaq right? Is he the last of the prolific big men who commanded double … [Read more…]
Dennis Rodman entered the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011. It’s a deserving honor considering the enormous impact Rodman has had in the sport, especially on defense where he truly (and literally) left his mark. Rodman was an absolute pest on the defensive end, hounding perimeter players and muscling post players with an all-out … [Read more…]
Patrick Ewing and Hakeem Olajuwon were always considered two of the best centers in the game and their induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008 officially cemented their place in history. But where does Ewing and Olajuwon rank among the greats? Who is the best center of all time? Wilt? Russell? Shaq? With … [Read more…]