Who Leads The NBA In Blocks?

The NBA season is in full swing and the race for the blocks title is heating up. Who leads the NBA in blocks per game so far?

Introduction

In the National Basketball Association (NBA), blocks are a stat that measures the number of shots opponents have attempted while a player is on the court, and the player is credited with a block if they alter the shot so it doesn’t go in.

There have been some great blockers in NBA history, with Bill Russell and Hakeem Olajuwon leading the way with 2,894 and 2,549 blocks respectively. Others in the top 10 include Dikembe Mutombo, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal, Alonzo Mourning, David Robinson, Ben Wallace and Pau Gasol.

But who leads the NBA in blocks right now? Here are the top five players in terms of career blocks.

The NBA’s Top 10 Block Leaders of All Time

The National Basketball Association has been around for over 70 years and in that time, there have been some great players. Many of those great players have been able to stuff the stat sheet in a variety of ways, including blocks. In this article, we will take a look at the ten players who have been the best at swatting away shots throughout NBA history.

Hakeem Olajuwon

Hakeem Olajuwon, nicknamed “The Dream”, is a Nigerian-American former professional basketball player. He was the first overall pick in the 1984 NBA draft, and he also became the only player in NBA history to be named the Most Valuable Player, Defensive Player of the Year, and Finals MVP in the same season. Olajuwon played professionally for 18 seasons with the Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors, winning two NBA championships. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.

Olajuwon is considered one of the greatest defensive players in NBA history. He was nicknamed “The Dream” during his college days because of his exceptional ability to run the floor, block shots, and dunk. He led Houston to back-to-back NBA championships in 1994 and 1995, becoming one of only five players—and the only player not born in North America—to win an NBA MVP award, Defensive Player of the Year Award, and Finals MVP award in his career. In 2008, he was inducted into both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and FIBA Hall of Fame as a player.

Dikembe Mutombo

Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo, better known as Dikembe Mutombo, is a Congolese American retired professional basketball player who played 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was drafted with the fourth overall pick in the 1991 NBA draft by the Denver Nuggets, and went on to play for the Nuggets, Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets, and New York Knicks.

During his career, Mutombo was selected to eight NBA All-Star Teams, won the Defensive Player of the Year Award four times (1995–97, 2001), and was named to the All-Defensive Team eight times (1993–2000). He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015. In 1996 he led them into the Conference Finals.

Ben Wallace

Ben Wallace is a retired American professional basketball player. He played 16 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Washington Bullets/Wizards, Orlando Magic, Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers. A five-time NBA All-Star and four-time member of the All-NBA Team, he was voted Defensive Player of the Year twice and won an NBA championship with the Pistons in 2004. He ranks ninth all-time in NBA history in blocks per game (2.03) and seventh in total blocks (3,486).

Andre Drummond

As of the 2019-20 NBA season, Andre Drummond of the Detroit Pistons is the league’s active leader in blocks, with 1, Khemit Adams. He is also one of only three players in NBA history to average at least one block per game while shooting 60% or better from the field, along with Shaquille O’Neal and DeAndre Jordan.

Shaquille O’Neal

Shaquille O’Neal, who is also known as Shaq, is a retired professional basketball player. He is widely considered one of the greatest players in NBA history. He was a 15-time All-Star, a four-time NBA champion, and the league’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 2000. O’Neal is one of the most dominant players ever to play the game and he is also one of the heaviest players in NBA history. At 7’1″ and 325 pounds, he was almost impossible to stop when he was in his prime. Shaq was an absolute beast on the inside and he used his size and strength to his advantage. He was an excellent shot blocker and he led the league in blocks three times. In total, Shaq blockchain 2,732 shots in his career which is good for sixth all time.

Alonzo Mourning

Former NBA center Alonzo Mourning played for the Charlotte Hornets, Miami Heat, and New Jersey Nets. He was a seven-time NBA All-Star. He won an NBA championship with the Miami Heat in 2006. Mourning also won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award twice, in 1999 and 2000.

Tim Duncan

Tim Duncan, who played for the San Antonio Spurs, is the NBA’s all-time leader in blocks. He is a five-time NBA champion and a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player. Duncan was a dominant force on the defensive end of the court, averaging 2.2 blocks per game during his 19-year career.

Rudy Gobert

With 2,203 career blocks, Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz is the NBA’s all-time leader in blocks. He’s a two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year and a two-time All-NBA First Team member. He was also a key member of the Jazz team that made it to the NBA Finals in 2020.

Anthony Davis

With 2,010 career blocks, Anthony Davis is the NBA’s all-time leader in blocks. Davis has played for the New Orleans Pelicans since 2012 and is a six-time All-Star. He is also a two-time All-NBA First Team selection and was named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2018.

DeAndre Jordan

As of the 2019-2020 NBA season, DeAndre Jordan is the league’s all-time leader in blocks per game, with an average of 2.3 per contest. He is followed by Hassan Whiteside (2.2), Serge Ibaka (2.0), and Rudy Gobert (2.0). Jordan has played for the Los Angeles Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, and Brooklyn Nets during his NBA career.

The NBA’s Top 5 Active Block Leaders

Leading the NBA in blocks is quite an accomplishment. Averaging over two blocks a game is very impressive. The top 5 active leaders in blocks are: Dwight Howard, Hassan Whiteside, DeAndre Jordan, Rudy Gobert, and Brook Lopez. All of these men are very talented and each have their own unique skill set.

Rudy Gobert

Rudy Gobert is a 7-foot-1 center who’s been with the Utah Jazz since 2013. The French big man is a two-time Defensive Player of the Year and a two-time All-NBA First Team selection. He’s also led the NBA in blocks five times, including four seasons in a row from 2016 to 2019.

Anthony Davis

Anthony Davis, who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers, is one of the best basketball players in the world. While he is known for his dunking ability and his All-Star caliber play, Davis is also one of the best shot blockers in the NBA. In fact, he currently leads the league in blocks per game with 2.6.

Davis is 6’10”, which gives him a considerable height advantage over most players. He uses his length and athleticism to cause havoc on defense, timing his jumps perfectly to swat away shots. He also has a very good sense of where the ball is going to go, which allows him to get in position to make blocks even when he isn’t directly guarding the player with the ball.

In addition to being a great shot blocker, Davis is also an excellent rebounder. He averages nearly 11 rebounds per game, which is good for fourth in the league. His ability to block shots and grab rebounds makes him a key player for the Lakers, and one of the best defensive players in the NBA.

DeAndre Jordan

With 1,ured 2.4 blocks per game, DeAndre Jordan is currently the NBA’s leader in blocks. The 2nd-year player from Texas has been a shot-blocking machine for the Los Angeles Clippers, and has helped solidify their defense as one of the best in the league. Jordan is also averaging 9.4 rebounds and 10.4 points per game, making him a key contributor on both ends of the court.

Hassan Whiteside

Hassan N’Diaye Whiteside (born June 13, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Marshall University, and was drafted in the second round of the 2010 NBA draft by the Sacramento Kings. He has also played for the Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks.

Whiteside was born in Gastonia, North Carolina. He attended Ashbrook High School in Gastonia, where he played high school basketball for the Ashbrook Green Wave. He was not heavily recruited out of high school and only received one Division I scholarship offer from Marshall University. Whiteside chose to attend Marshall, where he played college basketball for the Thundering Herd under head coach Donnie Jones.

As a freshman at Marshall in 2008–09, Whiteside appeared in all 32 games and made 14 starts. He averaged 5.3 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. Whiteside blocked 85 shots on the season, which was a school freshman single-season record and ranked second in Conference USA behind only C Muhammed El-Amin of UCF (86).

Whiteside had a breakout sophomore season in 2009–10; he led NCAA Division I with 158 blocks while averaging 13.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game in 30 games (all starts). His block total set a new Conference USA single-season record, surpassing the previous mark of 143 set by Kenyon Martin of Cincinnati during the 1999–2000 season. In addition to leading Conference USA in blocks per game (3.1), Whiteside also ranked second in field goal percentage (.618) and fifth in rebounds per game (9.8).

Myles Turner

Myles Turner of the Indiana Pacers is the NBA’s current leader in blocks, with a total of 243 so far in the 2019-2020 season. Turner is followed by Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz, with 234 blocks. Hassan Whiteside of the Portland Trail Blazers comes in at third, with 217 blocks. Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers is in fourth place with 200 blocks, and Brook Lopez of the Milwaukee Bucks rounds out the top five with 194 blocks.

Conclusion

From the data above, it is clear that Hassan Whiteside leads the NBA in blocks per game, with an average of 2.9 per game. He is closely followed by Rudy Gobert and Serge Ibaka, who both average 2.6 blocks per game.