Center Legend: HoopsHype 20 Basketball Epic behind Big Center List

On August 7, the well-known US media HoopsHype continued the pace of updating the top 20 lists in major positions, and announced the highly anticipated list of 20 major centers. In this star-studded list, Jabbar topped the list, O'Neal ranked 4th, Howard ranked 15th, and Yao Ming, who has attracted much attention from Chinese fans, regretted not being on the list. Among the active centers, only Jokic and Embiid were successfully shortlisted, occupying 7th and 17th respectively.

Jabbar has been in the basketball world for nearly 20 years with his iconic sky hook shot, and has always maintained an amazing peak state. Many honors such as 6 NBA championships, 2 Finals MVPs, 6 regular season MVPs and other awards are among the forefront of history in key statistics such as scoring, rebounds and blocks. What is particularly rare is that the time span of winning the MVP in the Finals twice was 14 years. Such a top performance with a very long standby time is a legend in basketball history.

Bill Russell held 11 NBA championships, and this achievement was like an insurmountable monument. Due to the limitations of the times, many of his contributions were not fully recorded by the awards at that time. For example, during his peak period, important awards such as MVP in the Finals and Best Defensive Player had not been established, and there were no block counts at that time, which undoubtedly "underestimated" his dominance. But judging by his outstanding team achievements and the only stats, he is undoubtedly one of the greatest defensive players in history.

Chamberlain, a big man with a strong offensive end, is often questioned due to the competitive level of the times, but the single-season rebounding and scoring record he has created has not been able to break. He is second only to Jordan in history to score, rebounding and assists in a single season. However, he is slightly inferior in team achievements and has poor free throw stability at critical moments, which often leads to his playoff performance not as good as the regular season.

O'Neill, the most dominant inside beast since Chamberlain, has a perfect combination of huge size, amazing strength and explosive athletic ability. At its peak, the opponent's tactics almost revolve around limiting him, and many mediocre centers gained a lot from being able to consume him. Although his free throws were bad and his concentration was affected by some off-court activities, his career destructiveness should not be underestimated, and winning only 1 regular season MVP was also considered a bit ridiculous.

Olajuwon reached the elite level on both ends of the offense and defense. His superb low-post footsteps complemented the top defensive skills. He was the first in the total number of blocks in history (although this was not counted in the early stages of the league), and he even ranked in the top 15 in the four major data of scoring, rebounding, blocking and stealing, and was undoubtedly one of the greatest big men in history. In the active center, Jokic is a versatile player on the basketball court, and he is the best passer in history. There is no dispute. He led the team to excellent results and his personal honors continued to accumulate. He became the ninth player to win three regular season MVPs in the 2023-24 season and also performed outstandingly in the Olympics. As a center, he can pass the ball like a point guard, attack efficiently at low posts, shoot three-pointers to open up space, and his defense and rebounding abilities are also improving.

Embid is an extremely efficient player in the league based on the data per minute in a healthy state. However, frequent injuries have caused his playing time to be limited and his performance in the playoffs is not stable. His ranking on the list is expected to rise if he can stay healthy and lead the Sixers further in the playoffs.

This list is not only a summary of the careers of these great centers, but also a condensed basketball history. From Kareem's steady rule to Russell's team glory; from Chamberlain's offensive myth, to O'Neal's strong crush, to O'Holyn's comprehensive excellence, as well as Jokic's innovative playing style and Embiid's potential is ready, each center is contributing to the development of basketball in a unique way. Their stories inspire generations of basketball people, and allow fans to appreciate the charm and style of basketball centers in different eras, and witness the inheritance and evolution of basketball in the long river of time.