NBA All-Time Leaders: Career Rebounds Per Game (RPG)

This article lists the NBA All-Time Leaders in career rebounds per game: it includes each player's rebounds per game (RPG), total rebounds, games played, and active period.

Among those NBA players ranked in the top twenty-five in career rebounds per game, two players averaged more than 22 boards per game while grabbing more than 20,000 rebounds each. The range for rebounds per game for these twenty five players is 11.15 to 22.9. Total career rebounds for these players range from 4,167 to 23,294. Four of these players had careers lasting more than 15 years and seven spent their entire careers with just one team. Two players on this list remain active but neither is likely to overtake the current leader in rebounds per game.

After reading this article, return to the following links to read: "NBA All-Time Leaders: Career Points," "NBA All-Time Leaders: Career Points Per Game (PPG)," "NBA All-Time Leaders: Career 3 Pointers Made," "NBA All-Time Leaders: Career 3 Point Percentage," "NBA All-Time Leaders: Career Free Throws Made," "NBA All-Time Leaders: Career Free Throw Percentage," "NBA All-Time Leaders: Career Rebounds," "NBA Champions (1947-present)," "NBA Finals MVPs (1969-present)," "NBA All-Star Game Scores (1951-present)," and "NBA All-Star Game MVPs (1951-present)."

1. NBA All-Time Leaders: Career Rebounds Per Game - Wilt Chamberlain

Rebounds Per Game (RPG): 22.9
Total Rebounds: 23,294
Games Played: 1,045
Active Period: Philadelphia/S.F. Warriors (1959-1965); Philadelphia 76ers (1965-1968); Los Angeles Lakers (1968-1973)

2. NBA All-Time Leaders: Career Rebounds Per Game - Bill Russell

Rebounds Per Game (RPG): 22.5
Total Rebounds: 21,620
Games Played: 963
Active Period: Boston Celtics (1956-1969)

3. NBA All-Time Leaders: Career Rebounds Per Game - Bob Pettit

Rebounds Per Game (RPG): 16.2
Total Rebounds: 12,849
Games Played: 792
Active Period: Milwaukee/St. Louis Hawks (1954-1965)

4. NBA All-Time Leaders: Career Rebounds Per Game - Jerry Lucas

Rebounds Per Game (RPG): 15.6
Total Rebounds: 12,942
Games Played: 829
Active Period: Cincinnati Royals (1963-1969); San Francisco Warriors (1969-1971); New York Knicks (1971-1974)

5. NBA All-Time Leaders: Career Rebounds Per Game - Nate Thurmond

Rebounds Per Game (RPG): 15.0
Total Rebounds: 14,464
Games Played: 964
Active Period: San Francisco/Golden State Warriors (1963-1974); Chicago Bulls (1974-1975); Cleveland Cavaliers (1975-1977)

6. NBA All-Time Leaders: Career Rebounds Per Game - Wes Unseld

Rebounds Per Game (RPG): 14.0
Total Rebounds: 13,769
Games Played: 984
Active Period: Baltimore/Capital/Washington Bullets (1968-1981)

7. NBA All-Time Leaders: Career Rebounds Per Game - Walt Bellamy

Rebounds Per Game (RPG): 13.7
Total Rebounds: 14,241
Games Played: 1,043
Active Period: Chicago Zephyrs/Baltimore Bullets (1961-1965); New York Knicks (1965-1968); Detroit Pistons (1968-1970); Atlanta Hawks (1970-1974); New Orleans Jazz (1974)

8. NBA All-Time Leaders: Career Rebounds Per Game - Dave Cowens

Rebounds Per Game (RPG): 13.6
Total Rebounds: 10,444
Games Played: 768
Active Period: Boston Celtics (1970-1980); Milwaukee Bucks (1982-1983)

9. NBA All-Time Leaders: Career Rebounds per Game- Elgin Baylor

Rebounds Per Game (RPG): 13.5
Total Rebounds: 11,463
Games Played: 846
Active Period: Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers (1958-1971)

10. NBA All-Time Leaders: Career Rebounds Per Game - George Mikan

Rebounds Per Game (RPG): 13.4
Total Rebounds: 4,167
Games Played: 311
Active Period: Chicago American Gears (1946-1947); Minneapolis Lakers (1947-1956)

11. NBA All-Time Leaders: Career Rebounds Per Game - Dennis Rodman

Rebounds Per Game (RPG): 13.1
Total Rebounds: 11,954
Games Played: 911
Active Period: Detroit Pistons (1986-1993); San Antonio Spurs (1993-1995); Chicago Bulls (1995-1998); Los Angeles Lakers (1999); Dallas Mavericks (2000)

12. NBA All-Time Leaders: Career Rebounds Per Game - Willis Reed

Rebounds Per Game (RPG): 12.9
Total Rebounds: 8,414
Games Played: 650
Active Period: New York Knicks (1964-1974)

13. NBA All-Time Leaders: Career Rebounds Per Game - Dwight Howard

Rebounds Per Game (RPG): 12.75
Total Rebounds: 6,859
Games Played: 538
Active Period: Orlando Magic (2004-present)

14. NBA All-Time Leaders: Career Rebounds Per Game - Gus Johnson

Rebounds Per Game (RPG): 12.7
Total Rebounds: 7,379
Games Played: 581
Active Period: Baltimore Bullets (1963-1973); Phoenix Suns (1972); Indiana Pacers (1972-1973)

15. NBA All-Time Leaders: Career Rebounds Per Game - Elvin Hayes

Rebounds Per Game (RPG): 12.5
Total Rebounds: 16,279
Games Played: 1,303
Active Period: San Diego/Houston Rockets (1968-1972, 1981-1984); Baltimore/Capital/Washington Bullets (1972-1981)

16. NBA All-Time Leaders: Career Rebounds Per Game - Moses Malone

Rebounds Per Game (RPG): 12.2
Total Rebounds: 16,212
Games Played: 1,329
Active Period: Buffalo Braves (1976-1977); Houston Rockets (1976-1982); Philadelphia 76ers (1982-1986); Washington Bullets (1986-1988); Atlanta Hawks (1988-1991); Milwaukee Bucks (1991-1993); San Antonio Spurs (1994-1995)

17. NBA All-Time Leaders: Career Rebounds Per Game - Dolph Schayes

Rebounds Per Game (RPG): 12.1
Total Rebounds: 11,256
Games Played: 1,059
Active Period: Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers (1948-1964)

18. NBA All-Time Leaders: Career Rebounds Per Game - Bill Bridges

Rebounds Per Game (RPG): 11.94
Total Rebounds: 11,054
Games Played: 926
Active Period: Kansas City Steers (ABL) (1961-1963); St. Louis/Atlanta Hawks (1963-1971); Philadelphia 76ers (1971-1972); Los Angeles Lakers (1972-1974); Golden State Warriors (1975)

19. NBA All-Time Leaders: Career Rebounds Per Game - Harry Gallatin

Rebounds Per Game (RPG): 11.89
Total Rebounds: 6,684
Games Played: 562
Active Period: New York Knicks (1948-1957); Detroit Pistons (1957-1958)

20. NBA All-Time Leaders: Career Rebounds Per Game - Charles Barkley

Rebounds Per Game (RPG): 11.7
Total Rebounds: 12,546
Games Played: 1,073
Active Period: Philadelphia 76ers (1984-1992); Phoenix Suns (1992-1996); Houston Rockets (1996-2000)

21. NBA All-Time Leaders: Career Rebounds Per Game - Tim Duncan

Rebounds Per Game (RPG): 11.5
Total Rebounds: 11,793
Games Played: 1,026
Active Period: San Antonio Spurs (1997-present)

22. NBA All-Time Leaders: Career Rebounds Per Game - Neil Johnston

Rebounds Per Game (RPG): 11.35
Total Rebounds: 5,856
Games Played: 516
Active Period: Philadelphia Warriors (1951-1959)

23. NBA All-Time Leaders: Career Rebounds Per Game - Walter Dukes

Rebounds Per Game (RPG): 11.25
Total Rebounds: 6,223
Games Played: 553
Active Period: New York Knicks (1955-1956); Minneapolis Lakers (1956-1957); Detroit Pistons (1957-1963)

24. NBA All-Time Leaders: Career Rebounds Per Game - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Rebounds Per Game (RPG): 11.18
Total Rebounds: 17,440
Games Played: 1,560
Active Period: Milwaukee Bucks (1969-1975); Los Angeles Lakers (1975-1988)

25. NBA All-Time Leaders: Career Rebounds Per Game - Johnny Kerr

Rebounds Per Game (RPG): 11.15
Total Rebounds: 10,092
Games Played: 905
Active Period: Syracuse Nationals (1954-1963); Philadelphia 76ers (1963-1965); Baltimore Bullets (1965-1966)

Source(s): "ALL-TIME LEADERS: REBOUNDS PER GAME," NBA.com