In the NBA, centers have tended to lead champions over the decades. Bill Russell, with more titles as a player than anyone else, has to be considered an all-time great along with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, with a longevity of excellence that is almost unmatched. Then, one has to measure Wilt Chamberlain among the best ever, though he lags somewhat in titles. He was the greatest offensive force in history. Shaq was the dominant 5 of his era. Hakeem Olajuwon won the two titles when Michael Jordan tried his hand at baseball. David Robinson won a pair as well. Moses Malone belongs on the greats list too. Willis Reed earned two titles as the Knicks big man, and Patrick Ewing was arguably the best ever to not snatch a pro title, though Bob Lanier was a tough five also. Artis Gilmoe was the tower of power in the American Basketball Association and continued to be very competitive in the NBA. Robert Parish is a Celtics great who views with Kareem for longevity. Dave Cowens was terrific for Boston as well, as was Bill Walton, who without injuries would surely be near the top of the list. George Mikan was the original leader in the post to multiple titles. Nickola Jokic is the Bill Walton of the current era as you can run your offense through him at a level of sustained excellence. Arvydas Sabonis was a very good NBA player even after his body was broken down by being forced to play for the Soviet Union in international games, where he had copious injuries with poor treatment and little time to heal. Bob McAdoo is undersized for the center spot but was always very effective nonetheless. This is by no means all the great post players but is a good representative sample. The other metric beyond being carried to championships by the bigs is the greatest as other positions.
