78 greatest defensive NBA players ever: The HoopsHype list (2025)

Top defensive accolades: One All-Defensive 1st Team selection, five times NBA rebounds leader

NBA rank: 2nd in total rebounds

Share of the vote: 100.0 percent of the maximum amount possible

11-time NBA champion and five-time NBA MVP Bill Russell was known for his rebounding, playmaking and, most of all, his defending. Even taking the era he played into account, we still came up with Russell as the best defender in NBA history, leading the way to a record amount of championships for the Boston Celtics.

We obviously don’t have any official data on Russell’s defensive numbers, nor were defensive accolades a thing until very late on in his career – even then, Russell has one 1st Team All-Defense on his resume, which came in 1968-69, the final year of his career when he was already 34 – so we mostly had to fall back on video evidence…

Celtics legendSam Jones said Russell’s mere presence would have opponents settling up for midrange jumpers rather than attack him near the rim(via Sporting News):

“Everybody was just afraid of Russell, including the guys who were shooting from outside when they wanted to go in and take a layup,” Jones said. “They knew they were not gonna get a layup, so they would stop short and take a jump shot. He just intimidated people.”

Another Hall of Fame teammate of Russell’s, Bob Cousy, also compared the center to a man playing amongst boys in that era due to his intensity, speed and quickness. Considering Russell was reportedly 6-foot-10 with a 7-foot-4 wingspan and a freak athlete (Russell once told Kendrick Perkins on Twitter that he was an Olympic-level high jumper in his heyday), that might not be too far off from the truth. Russell also had a fantastic basketball IQ, as he was notorious for blocking shots and keeping the ball in bounds to maintain possession, among other things.

One RealGM poster went back through old newspaper articles to give a rough estimate of the type of block numbers Russell might have put up in his prime and came up with 8.1 blocks on a sample size of 135 games. Obviously, the actual number was almost certainly lower than that, as games in which Russell got a mundane number of blocks probably didn’t get mentioned in the post-game newspaper reports as often. Plus, his career spanned 963 regular-season games, so 135 games is a decent but not great sample size for Russell’s time in the NBA.

Even so, Russell was one of one when it came to defensive impact to winning, so he earns the top spot in our ranking of greatest defenders in NBA history.

Top defensive accolades: Two Defensive Player of the Year awards, nine All-Defensive Team selections, three times NBA blocks leader, 10 years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 1st in blocks, 8th in defensive rebounds, 10th in steals

Share of the vote: 97.73 percent of the maximum amount possible

Few players in NBA history can say they made as much of an impact as Hall of Fame center Hakeem Olajuwon, an all-time player who thrived in the ‘80s and ‘90s.

Olajuwon earned 1st Team All-Defense honors five times and 2nd Team All-Defense honors another four times, the latter honor coming as late in his career as 1995-96 and 1996-97 when he was already in his mid-30s.

Olajuwon ranks first all-time in total blocks to this day, finishing his career with a ridiculous 3,830 rejections. He was more than just a shot-blocker, however, as he was also extremely nimble for a center, as evidenced by the Houston Rockets legend averaging 1.7 steals per game for his career. Olajuwon is actually the only player ever to rank Top 10 in blocks, steals and defensive rebounds.

His defense was hugely impactful to winning, too, as it led to three Finals trips and two championships for Houston.

Top defensive accolades: 15 All-Defensive Team selections, 15 years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 3rd in defensive rebounds, 5th in blocks, 171st in steals

Share of the vote: 97.47 percent of the maximum amount possible

The all-time leader in All-Defensive Team honors, legendary power forward Tim Duncan earned the distinction an astonishing 15 times in his career, eight times as a 1st Teamer and seven times as a 2nd Teamer. That’s 15 times in a 19-year career, a ridiculous level for any player to attain, one that is almost hard to believe in hindsight.

Even more unbelievable is that despite Duncan making that many All-Defense teams in his career, he never won Defensive Player of the Year, one of the most shocking bits of trivia in NBA history. (He never even finished second in the vote either. He finished third twice, in ‘01 and ‘07.)

Regardless, Duncan ranks fifth in NBA history in total blocks at 3,020, as he had fantastic instincts when it came to protecting the paint, as well as the quickness and length (the Wake Forest product had a reported 7-foot-5 wingspan) to make a huge impact as a shot-swatter. Even as a 36-year-old in 2012-13, Duncan was still blocking 2.7 shots per contest.

Duncan led the San Antonio Spurs to five championships during his 19 seasons there, a number that would have been difficult to achieve without how great of a defender the big man was.

Top defensive accolades: One Defensive Player of the Year award, 12 All-Defensive Team selections, 14 years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 1st in defensive rebounds, 18th in blocks, 19th in steals

Share of the vote: 96.21 percent of the maximum amount possible

Duncan is the leader in overall All-Defensive Team appearances but his chief rival at power forward in the ‘00s, Kevin Garnett, is the all-time leader in 1st Team All-Defenses with nine such honors in his 21 seasons.

If you wanted to build the most impactful defender you could in a lab, your final product might look a lot like Garnett. (One day, we’ll definitely be saying the same about Wembanyama.) Size? He had at it 6-foot-11. Length? He had that, too. Intensity? Garnett had that in spades. Quickness? Despite being a power forward, Garnett had near-guard-like quickness laterally.

A 12-time All-Defender in the NBA, Garnett’s instincts, effort and elite athleticism made him one of the most impactful defensive players the NBA has ever seen, one who could defend the rim, jump passing lanes and play tough one-on-one post defense.

Top defensive accolades: Two Defensive Player of the Year awards, eight All-Defensive Team selections, 10 years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 20th in defensive rebounds, 266th in blocks, 470th in steals

Share of the vote: 95.45 percent of the maximum amount possible

An important factor in getting defensive stops in the NBA is finishing the possession with a rebound. Few players in modern NBA history have been better at that than Hall of Fame big man Dennis Rodman. Rodman had a seven-year stretch in which he led the league in rebounding every season, peaking in 1991-92 at 18.7 boards nightly.

But purely as a defender, Rodman was also special, as he had elite strength to slow down opposing centers, a much more important trait back in his era, as well as good lateral quickness and lightning-fast hands when tasked with switching. Rodman was named Defensive Player of the Year twice in his career, back-to-back seasons in ‘90 and ‘91.

He was also part of two different historically great teams, first with the Bad Boys Pistons in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, then with the Bulls, making a huge impact on five separate teams that won NBA championships with his highly intense defense, and ability to get under foes’ skin.

Top defensive accolades: 10 All-Defensive Team selections, one-time NBA steals leader, nine years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 66th in defensive rebounds, 8th in steals, 112th in blocks

Share of the vote: 93.94 percent of the maximum amount possible

The greatest wing defender in NBA history, at least according to us, six-time NBA champion Scottie Pippen is one of the most impactful players of all time because without him, would there even have been a Chicago Bulls dynasty in the ‘90s to speak of?

Pippen finished with All-Defensive Team honors 10 times in his career, the second-most for a non-big man ever. He was a 1st Team All-Defender eight times, likewise the second-most ever for a non-big. Like Duncan, Pippen never won Defensive Player of the Year but he did finish second in the vote twice, back-to-back years in ‘95 and ‘96.

To this day, Pippen ranks eighth all-time in career steals at 2,307, no surprise considering his elite lateral athleticism and outstanding size (6-foot-8) and length (he had a reported 7-foot-3 wingspan), as well as his effort on that end of the floor.

All in all, with those physical gifts, Pippen would have thrived in any era as a defender, including in today’s high-scoring NBA.

Top defensive accolades: Four Defensive Player of the Year awards, six All-Defensive Team selections, one time NBA blocks leader, eight years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 14th in blocks, 29th in defensive rebounds, 68th in steals

Share of the vote: 93.69 percent of the maximum amount possible

One of the greatest success stories for an undrafted player in NBA history, 2004 NBA champion Ben Wallace won Defensive Player of the Year four times in his career, sweeping the award every year besides one from 2001-02 to 2005-06.

The one year he didn’t win it in that stretch, 2003-04, he finished second in the vote. Oh, and the Detroit Pistons won the title that year, so Wallace could take solace in that, too. Wallace is tied for most Defensive Player of the Year honors in league history with two other centers, both coming up later on this list.

He didn’t have the perfect size for a center, but he had unbelievable instincts on that end of the floor and played with a tenacity that few in the NBA could rival. He was also outrageously quick for his position, making him a great switch defender and creating one of the league’s all-time best defenses in Detroit during his peak.

Wallace ranks 14th all-time in blocked shots with 2,137, enjoying a three-year stretch in the early 2000s when he averaged 3.2 nightly rejections.

Top defensive accolades: Four Defensive Player of the Year awards, six All-Defensive Team selections, three times NBA blocks leader, nine years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 2nd in blocks, 13th in defensive rebounds

Share of the vote: 92.17 percent of the maximum amount possible

Unlike some of the other players on this list so far, Hall of Fame center Dikembe Mutombo was more of a pure defensive specialist with less of an offensive game to speak of. Still, he was such a good defender and likable player overall, with the popular finger wag after blocked shots and all, that he made eight All-Star appearances in his career anyway despite averaging more than 13.8 points per game just once during his time in the NBA.

Mutombo’s defense was also quite impactful, as the big man led the league in blocks three times in his career, including in 1995-96 when he averaged an astonishing 4.5 blocks per game. That was the sixth-highest single-season block average in league history. Mutombo was such a good shot-blocker, with excellent length and timing on block attempts, that even as a 37-year-old in 2003-04, he was averaging 1.9 blocks per game.

Mutombo ranks second all-time in total blocks at 3,289.

Top defensive accolades: 11 All-Defensive Team selections, four times NBA blocks leader

NBA rank: 3rd in blocks, 10th in defensive rebounds, 109th in steals

Share of the vote: 90.91 percent of the maximum amount possible

Possessing outrageous longevity, six-time NBA MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was an 11-time All-Defensive Team member, the third-highest mark in NBA history. That was five times as a 1st Teamer and six times as a 2nd Teamer. He never won Defensive Player of the Year but that was in large part due to the fact the award didn’t exist until ‘83 and by then, Abdul-Jabbar was squarely in his mid-30s.

Blocks also weren’t an official statistic until 1973-74, Abdul-Jabbar’s fifth season in the NBA, but even then, he still led the league in nightly rejections four times in his career. Despite the first four seasons of his career not being counted, Abdul-Jabbar also ranks third all-time in career blocks at 3,189.

From ‘74 through ‘77, the first four years of Abdul-Jabbar’s career in which blocks were tracked, the illustrious big man rejected 1,094 shots. If we simply add that amount to his overall total to make up for the four years of his career in which his blocks weren’t counted, we get to 4,283 swat-aways, a mark that would have shattered Olajuwon’s all-time record total of 3,830 career blocks. So really, at least for the non-Russell, non-Wilt Chamberlain years, Abdul-Jabbar is probably the NBA’s all-time blocks king.

Considering the NBA was so much more paint-driven back in the ’70s and ’80s, Abdul-Jabbar’s paint protection was vital. Even in the ‘80s, past his athletic prime during the Showtime Laker days, Abdul-Jabbar averaged 2.0 blocks per game, a large factor in L.A.’s dynasty of that decade.

Top defensive accolades: Three Defensive Player of the Year awards, five All-Defensive 1st Team selections, two times NBA blocks leader, nine years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 4th in defensive rebounds, 13th in blocks, 146th in steals

Share of the vote: 90.40 percent of the maximum amount possible

A monstrous player in his prime, future Hall of Famer Dwight Howard was a defensive eraser in the paint, one who made a living blocking shots. Howard won Defensive Player of the Year three seasons in a row from ‘09 to ‘11, a stretch that saw him average 2.7 blocks (and 1.1 steals) per game and lead the Orlando Magic to the NBA Finals once.

That 2009 Magic team that made it all the way to the Finals boasted the best defense in the league that season, allowing just 101.3 points per 100 possessions, and a lot of that can be attributed to Howard’s elite level of rim protection, which would deter opponents from attacking the paint when he was in the game.

Howard’s freakish athleticism at the 5-spot and his timing on blocked shots was something to behold in his heyday.

Top defensive accolades: Two All-Defensive Team selections

NBA rank: 1st in total rebounds

Share of the vote: 89.39 percent of the maximum amount possible

Defensive accolades didn’t exist until very late in Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain’s time in the NBA. (Even then, he was a two-time 2nd Team All-Defensive player.) Nor were blocks and steals ever recorded back then. But even so, he was an all-time defender when he locked in thanks to his ridiculous athleticism and size.

The same RealGM blog post about Russell also took a look at Chamberlain’s numbers when his total blocks for a game would get mentioned in the post-game newspaper reports. The poster found 112 games’ worth of evidence in which Chamberlain was averaging 8.8 blocks per contest, an outrageous mark. Surely we have to take those numbers with a grain of salt, but the actual number might not have been all that much lower.

Chamberlain had a reported 9-foot-6 standing reach, a 7-foot-8 wingspan and ridiculous vertical jumping ability. And because so much of basketball back then took place near the rim, that helped big men like Chamberlain camp down low and just wait to block shots left and right. Few had Chamberlain’s freakish physical attributes and timing, though, which allowed him to do things like get his hand near the top of the backboard on attempted blocks:

Just for fun, here are some stats that came from Chamberlain newspaper clippings of yesteryear:

Top defensive accolades: One Defensive Player of the Year award, eight All-Defensive Team selections, one time NBA blocks leader, nine years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 6th in blocks, 24th in defensive rebounds, 66th in steals

Share of the vote: 87.88 percent of the maximum amount possible

An eight-time All-Defender and the 1991-92 Defensive Player of the Year, David Robinson ranks sixth all-time in blocks at 2,954.

One of the best athletes the NBA has ever seen, particularly for a 7-footer, Robinson boasted elite side-to-side movement prowess for a big man, as well as high-level leaping ability. That, along with his great size at 7-foot-1, made him a terror on the defensive end.

Along with Duncan and another player coming up later on the list, Robinson helped form various elite Spurs defenses during his time in the NBA.

Top defensive accolades: One Defensive Player of the Year award, eight All-Defensive Team selections, one time NBA steals leader, eight years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 94th in defensive rebounds, 123rd in steals, 139th in blocks

Share of the vote: 87.12 percent of the maximum amount possible

The defensive anchor for a dynasty in Golden State, hybrid big man Draymond Green is a very versatile defender, one possessing the strength and intensity to match up with centers – albeit modern-day centers, i.e., he never had to defend a Hakeem-type of crafty post-player – as well as the quickness to defend star-level wings, too.

Green was named Defensive Player of the Year in 2016-17 and is an eight-time All-Defensive player, too, four times as a 1st Teamer.

Green’s versatility and intensity on the defensive end, which allowed him – at 6-foot-6 – to guard centers or wings and play small-ball 5 in what became known as Golden State’s “Death Lineup”, was hugely important to the team’s success in the Stephen Curry era. We’d go as far as to say the Warriors might not have the four championships they won this century had Green not been around.

Top defensive accolades: Four Defensive Player of the Year awards, seven All-Defensive Team selections, one time NBA blocks leader, nine years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 31st in blocks, 37th in defensive rebounds

Share of the vote: 86.87 percent of the maximum amount possible

Perhaps no player has been hurt more by playing in the modern era than Minnesota Timberwolves big man Rudy Gobert. That’s because had he played in the ‘70s, ‘80s or ‘90s, he would have been asked to defend way more pure post-up centers, a task in which Gobert would have thrived thanks to his size, length and strength.

He also would have avoided playing in today’s floor-spacing, three-point-centric era, where big men so often have to be versatile enough to defend well on switches, which is not Gobert’s strongest suit. (Plus, with social media today, Gobert gets clowned way more often than he should for his occasional defensive miscues on switches. Elite big-men defenders of yester-year who would have fared equally poorly trying to defend ball-handlers didn’t have social media around to hurt their legacies.)

So if anything, for Gobert to be one of just three players along with Wallace and Mutombo to win four Defensive Player of the Year awards is even more impressive considering he is thriving in an era not tailored to his strengths.

Gobert is one of the best rim-protectors of his era – when he’s out there, foes either shoot it poorly from near the basket or avoid driving the ball at him at all – and just because he isn’t the best switch defender, that shouldn’t be held too harshly against him, as he’s undoubtedly an all-time defender.

Top defensive accolades: One Defensive Player of the Year award, nine All-Defensive 1st Team selections, three times NBA steals leader, 10 years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 4th in steals, 90th in defensive rebounds, 125th in blocks

Share of the vote: 85.61 percent of the maximum amount possible

One of just two players in NBA history to win MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season, six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan was one of the best guard defenders in NBA history thanks to his tenacity, elite athleticism and quick hands on that end of the floor.

Jordan was named a 1st Team All-Defensive player nine times in his career, all the way until his final campaign with the Bulls in 1997-98. For his career, he averaged 2.3 steals per game (and for anyone who wants to doubt the veracity of those numbers, the fact he averaged 1.5 steals during his two seasons with the Washington Wizards combined should be a pretty clear indicator that he was probably an even more impactful defender in his actual athletic prime) and to this day, he ranks fourth all-time in steals with 2,514.

Jordan had one of the most important steals in NBA playoff history, too. Everyone remembers the final shot of Jordan’s Bulls career, the iconic game-winning jumper in Game 6 of the ’98 Finals. But what fewer remember was that Utah had the ball right before that with under 30 seconds remaining and holding onto an 86-85 lead. That was whenJordan snuck behind Karl Malone, stole the ball, brought it down himself and sank the game-winner to give the Bulls the sixth championship in the franchise’s history. That was one of Jordan’s four steals in that game, by the way.

NBA.com only provides team data going back to 1996-97, but that gives us enough time to look at the final two seasons of Jordan’s Bulls career. Chicago ranked fourth in defensive efficiency in ‘97 and then third in ‘98, allowing fewer than 101 points per 100 possessions both seasons, elite marks for the era. Pippen and Rodman get a lot of the credit for that but Jordan was likewise an all-time defender in his own right.

Top defensive accolades: One Defensive Player of the Year award, nine All-Defensive 1st Team selections, one time NBA steals leader, eight years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 5th in steals, 179th in defensive rebounds

Share of the vote: 85.35 percent of the maximum amount possible

One of just two players listed at point guard to ever win Defensive Player of the Year, Hall of Famer Gary Payton took home the award in 1995-96, a season that saw him lead the league in steals with 2.9. Payton finished second in the Defensive Player of the Year vote two other times in his career.

Without a doubt, Payton is the GOAT when it comes to point-guard defenders, as he had elite lateral quickness, fantastic hands and played with a whole lot of tenacity and swagger on that end of the floor, making defense look cool. He also had a knack for getting in opponents’ heads with his trash-talking prowess.

His defensive aptitude led the Seattle SuperSonics all the way to the Finals in ‘96, a championship series that maybe could have gone differently had Payton been tasked with defending Jordan earlier in the matchup (via Sports Illustrated):

Payton didn’t guard Jordan until Game 4 – MJ averaged 31 points on 46.2 percent from the field in the first three games. He’s often said that his defense in Games 4 and 5 tired and took a toll on Jordan and that he wished he had guarded him before the SuperSonics went down 3-0 in the series “I was just coming off winning the NBA Defensive Player of the Year, first point guard to ever do it. Then all of a sudden, Jordan had got MVP. So Sports Illustrated put me on the cover of it – Mission Impossible, can I do it? And all of a sudden, they were putting the best defensive player in the NBA versus the best offensive player. I couldn’t guard him until Game 4. And I said forget this injury, we’re down 3-0, let’s try,” Payton said.

With Payton as his primary defender, Jordan’s numbers fell to 23.7 points on 36.7 percent shooting from the field over Games 4, 5 and 6 combined, two of which were victories for Seattle.

Regardless, Payton was a nine-time All-Defensive player, earning 1st Team honors all nine times, tied for the most ever. All in all, there’s no question he’s the best undersized defender the league has ever seen.

Top defensive accolades: One Defensive Player of the Year award, five All-Defensive Team selections, six years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 38th in defensive rebounds, 98th in blocks, 220th in steals

Share of the vote: 83.08 percent of the maximum amount possible

One of only three players to win MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season, Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo accomplished the feat in 2019-20. Antetokounmpo has made five All-Defensive Teams in his career, four times as a 1st Teamer.

He hasn’t earned All-Defensive Team honors since 2021-22, though voter fatigue might have something to do with his missing out on that honor in 2022-23 considering Antetokounmpo led a Bucks team that year that ranked fourth league-wide in defensive efficiency. At the same time, perhaps the fact the Greek star missed nearly 20 games that year also factored in.

Regardless, blessed with freakish size and athleticism, as well as playing with all-out effort every time he’s on the floor, Antetokounmpo is very clearly one of the most impactful defenders of all time, capable of guarding multiple positions and playing elite help defense in crunch time.

Antetokounmpo even has one of the most clutch blocks in NBA history, rejecting aDeandre Ayton alley-oop dunk attempt in crunch time of Game 5 of the 2021 NBA Finals:

Top defensive accolades: Two Defensive Player of the Year awards, five All-Defensive Team selections, four times NBA blocks leader, six years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 4th in blocks, 87th in defensive rebounds

Share of the vote: 81.31 percent of the maximum amount possible

One of the greatest shot-blockers ever, former Utah Jazz center Mark Eaton was a behemoth on the floor, standing at 7-foot-4 and weighing nearly 300 pounds. But he was nimble enough to be a huge factor defensively, blocking 3.5 shots per game for his career, the highest career block average for any player ever.

Eaton ranks fourth all-time in career blocks at 3,064 and his 5.56 blocks per game in 1985-86 remains the highest single-season block average for a player in league history.

Eaton finished his career with two Defensive Player of the Year awards and three 1st Team All-Defenses. All in all, the Jazz legend was one of the most impactful defenders the NBA has ever seen.

Top defensive accolades: Two Defensive Player of the Year awards, seven All-Defensive Team selections, one time NBA steals leader, six years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 93rd in steals, 202nd in defensive rebounds, 309th in blocks

Share of the vote: 81.06 percent of the maximum amount possible

One of just two non-centers in NBA history with multiple Defensive Player of the Year honors, Kawhi Leonard won the prestigious point-stopping distinction twice in his career, in ‘15 and ‘16. He was also a six-time All-Defender, earning 1st Team All-Defense honors three times and 2nd Team All-Defense three times in his career.

Leonard possesses an otherworldly wingspan for a wing at 7-foot-3, as well as notoriously huge hands, both of which made him a ridiculous defender in his prime. Leonard led the league in steals in 2014-15 at 2.3 per game and was a menace both as an off-ball and on-ball defender.

If not for injuries slowing him down and forcing him to conserve energy on that end of the floor later in his career, Leonard could rank higher on this list. Regardless, The Klaw played a large part in two championship runs in his career, with the Spurs in 2013-14 and then as the Toronto Raptors’ best player in 2018-19, and his elite defending was a large reason for both of those titles.

Top defensive accolades: Nine All-Defensive Team selections, two years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 107th in blocks, 158th in steals, 308th in defensive rebounds

Share of the vote: 80.30 percent of the maximum amount possible

One of the most underrated two-way swingmen in league history, Hall of Fame forward Bobby Jones used his athleticism, length and timing extremely well on the defensive end, averaging 1.5 steals and 1.4 blocks for his career.

Jones was a 1st Team All-Defender in the NBA eight times, tied for the fifth most such honors by a single player ever. What’s more, among those who played in the ABA and NBA, Jones ranks among the Top 70 players ever in career steals and blocks.

Jones’ defense was also hugely impactful, as he made the playoffs all 12 years of his professional career, including in 1982-83 when he played a part in the Philadelphia 76ers’ championship run of that season.

Top defensive accolades: Eight All-Defensive Team selections, seven years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 382nd in steals, 453rd in blocks

Share of the vote: 76.01 percent of the maximum amount possible

One of the most tenacious wing defenders ever, Bruce Bowen earned 1st Team All-Defense honors five times in his career and 2nd Team All-Defense three times. Bowen was an elite 3-and-D player in his prime, shooting 39.3 percent from three for his career and playing a huge part as a role player on three championship-winning Spurs teams.

Bowen was so well thought of as a one-on-one defender on the wing, almost always against stars, that he finished second in the Defensive Player of the Year vote three times despite averaging just 0.8 steals and 0.4 blocks in that stretch. Bowen’s impact as a perimeter defender went far beyond the stat sheet.

On the other hand, Bowen’s tenacity on the defensive end bordered on the dirty at times, with the former standout defender developing a negative reputation due to repeated instances of him putting his feet under where opposing shooters were going to land, which would be a flagrant foul in today’s game.

And those were just examples againstVince Carter.

Nevertheless, dirty tactics or not, Bowen, along with a player coming up later on this list, is tied for having the most All-Defensive Team honors in a single career (eight) without being in the Hall of Fame, so clearly his tactics on the point-stopping end of he floor were effective.

Top defensive accolades: Six All-Defensive Team selections, five years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 112th in steals, 452nd in blocks

Share of the vote: 75.25 percent of the maximum amount possible

Undersized but quite strong and extremely intense, Memphis Grizzlies legend Tony Allen played with a whole lot of toughness and lateral quickness, giving him the ability to remain glued to the opponents he was tasked with shutting down. Allen was a six-time All-Defender, three times as a 1st Teamer, all as a member of the Grizzlies from his age-29 season and onward.

Top defensive accolades: Two Defensive Player of the Year awards, two All-Defensive 1st Team selections, two times NBA blocks leader, five years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 11th in blocks, 99th in defensive rebounds

Share of the vote: 74.75 percent of the maximum amount possible

A two-time Defensive Player of the Year winner, Hall of Fame big man Alonzo Mourning was a monster defensively for the Charlotte Hornets and the Miami Heat in the ‘90s, leading the league in blocks in ‘99 and ‘00 when he averaged 3.8 rejections overall.

Mourning is a bit underrated defensively historically due to the fact he played in an era with so many elite defensive centers. As such, the big man only made two All-Defensive Teams in his career (both times as 1st Teamer) even though he averaged nearly 3.0 blocks per game during his time in the NBA.

The Georgetown legend ranks 11th all-time in career blocks to this day.

Top defensive accolades: One Defensive Player of the Year award, four All-Defensive Team selections, eight years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 24th in steals, 250th in defensive rebounds, 276th in blocks

Share of the vote: 74.75 percent of the maximum amount possible

One of the toughest and scariest defenders of all time (just ask James Harden or Pistons fans who were at the Palace on Nov. 19, 2004, about that), Metta World Peace, formerly known as Ron Artest, won Defensive Player of the Year in 2003-04, beating out Detroit’s Wallace in the vote that season.

Wallace, if you recall, was in the midst of winning the award four out of five years during that time, so for World Peace to have been so good on the defensive end that he managed to break the big man’s near-perfect five-year streak says a lot about his level as a defender. World Peace also finished second in the Defensive Player of the Year vote in ‘03.

World Peace was so effective defensively because not only did he have great size on the wing at 6-foot-7, but he was also very likely the strongest pound-for-pound player of his era, officially listed at 260 pounds with boulders for shoulders and great lower-body power. World Peace was also quick laterally and had very fast hands, enjoying an eight-year stretch in which he averaged 2.2 steals.

The Queensbridge native ranks just inside the Top 25 all-time in career steals with 1,721.

Top defensive accolades: Five All-Defensive Team selections, three times NBA blocks leader, six years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 25th in blocks, 44th in defensive rebounds, 169th in steals

Share of the vote: 72.47 percent of the maximum amount possible

One of the most impactful defenders in NBA history to have never won Defensive Player of the Year, Mavericks big man Anthony Davis came close in 2019-20 when he finished second in the vote, losing to Antetokounmpo. Besides that, Davis has never finished higher than third in the vote despite leading the league in blocks three times, averaging 2.3 blocks for his career and earning 1st Team All-Defense honors three times.

Davis, a freakish defender thanks to his ridiculous 7-foot-6 wingspan and unbelievable lateral quickness, just recently entered the all-time Top 25 in career blocks and should finish pretty high on the list considering he’s just 31 with a game that should age quite well.

Top defensive accolades: Five All-Defensive Team selections

NBA rank: 250th in blocks

Share of the vote: 72.22 percent of the maximum amount possible

A two-time 1st Team All-Defender, Warriors legend Nate Thurmond thrived in the ‘60s and ‘70s when he made seven All-Star appearances and five All-Defensive Teams overall. Thurmond was a shot-blocking extraordinaire, one who protected the paint at a very high level in his prime.

The NBA didn’t officially start tracking blocked shots until the final four seasons of Thurmond’s career, starting in 1973-74. Despite Thurmond already being in his 30s by then, the big man still averaged 2.9, 2.4, 1.3 and 1.7 blocks over his final four campaigns, making us wonder what that number might have been like at his athletic peak.

Top defensive accolades: One Defensive Player of the Year award, four All-Defensive Team selections, four times NBA blocks leader, six years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 12th in blocks, 36th in defensive rebounds, 199th in steals

Share of the vote: 71.97 percent of the maximum amount possible

One of the best shot-blockers in league history, 17-year NBA veteran Marcus Camby was a game-changer on the defensive end during his prime. Camby enjoyed a four-year stretch in which he blocked 3.3 shots per game, leading the league in rejections three times during that span of time.

Camby won Defensive Player of the Year once during that time, in 2006-07, and finished second in the voting the following season, ‘08. Using his excellent length and timing to block shots, Camby ranks 12th all-time in career blocks to this day.

Top defensive accolades: Two All-Defensive Team selections, eight years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 20th in steals, 102nd in defensive rebounds, 215th in blocks

Share of the vote: 71.21 percent of the maximum amount possible

Boasting a career steals average of 1.4, Andre Iguodala was a two-time All-Defender, once as a 1st Teamer in 2013-14. He also earned Defensive Player of the Year votes eight times in his career, albeit without finishing higher than fifth in the vote. Iguodala had elite length and moved very well laterally in his prime. To this day, he ranks 20th all-time in career steals.

Iguodala was such a good role player, primarily thanks to his versatile defense, that he wound up being impactful on four NBA championship teams, all in Golden State. He also used his defensive chops to make two Team USA rosters, for the 2010 World Championship and 2012 Olympics, both gold-medal-winning squads.

Iguodala’s defensive skills were also the primary reason why he won Finals MVP in ’15 overSteph Curry, as Iguodala was credited with at least somewhat slowing down a primeLeBron James in that series.

Top defensive accolades: Three All-Defensive 2nd Team selections, five years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 8th in blocks, 11th in defensive rebounds, 352nd in steals

Share of the vote: 70.45 percent of the maximum amount possible

Defense probably isn’t the first thing you think about when you remember Shaquille O’Neal’s illustrious NBA career but the Big Aristotle was a deterrent on that end of the floor, especially during his time with the Lakers. O’Neal’s sheer size was a hugely intimidating factor, leading many opponents to avoid driving into the paint when the big man was in the game. That alone made him a defensive asset even if he didn’t always put his best effort on that end of the floor.

O’Neal’s 1999-00 season was one of the greatest individual campaigns ever by a player, a league year that saw the 7-foot behemoth be named regular-season MVP, earn 1st Team All-NBA honors, be named an All-Star, win his first career championship and win Finals MVP. What many may not remember is that O’Neal averaged 2.4 blocks that season and finished second in the Defensive Player of the Year vote, meaning that the all-time big man came that close to sweeping just about every major accolade possible in that campaign.

Regardless, for his career, it’s true that outside of blocking shots, O’Neal conserved energy at times on the defensive end. As such, even despite his outrageous physical talent, he made just three 2nd Team All-Defenses. O’Neal is eighth all-time in career blocks at 2,732.

Top defensive accolades: Eight All-Defensive Team selections

NBA rank: 81st in total rebounds

Share of the vote: 69.44 percent of the maximum amount possible

Celtics legend John Havlicek made five 1st Team All-Defenses in his career as well as three 2nd Team All-Defenses.

Steals weren’t recorded as an official stat until the final five years of his career but even then, Havlicek averaged 1.2 steals in his NBA days despite those days being far beyond his athletic prime.

Havlicek won eight championships in Boston, including in ‘74 when he earned Finals MVP honors.

Top defensive accolades: One Defensive Player of the Year award, eight All-Defensive Team selections, five years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 167th in steals, 273rd in blocks

Share of the vote: 67.17 percent of the maximum amount possible

A recent Hall of Fame inductee, Michael Cooper got into the Hall in large part due to his defense.

Cooper was an excellent one-on-one defender who was a vaunted player on that end of the floor in his prime despite not posting huge steal or block numbers. Overall, Cooper didn’t put up huge marks on either end but he was still an important member of the Showtime Lakers, helping the team win five championships in the ‘80s with his one-on-one defending on the outside.

Cooper was an eight-time All-Defender, five times as a 1st Teamer, and he finished Top 5 in the Defensive Player of the Year vote six times, even winning the prestigious accolade in 1986-87.

Top defensive accolades: Nine All-Defensive Team selections, nine years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 6th in steals, 7th in defensive rebounds, 75th in blocks

Share of the vote: 66.41 percent of the maximum amount possible

Four-time NBA MVPLeBron James never won Defensive Player of the Year but he did finish second twice in the vote, losing to Dwight Howard in 2008-09 and then toMarc Gasol in 2012-13.

That second shortcoming had to irk James just a bit more considering the fact he was league MVP that year, as well as an All-Star, a 1st Team All-NBAer, won a championship and earned Finals MVP honors, meaning he just missed out on sweeping every major accolade that season.

James even took a slight shot at Gasol on his HBO show,The Shop, pointing out that Gasol didn’t earn 1st Team All-Defense honors yet was still named Defensive Player of the Year:

“The year I finished second… the guy who won Defensive Player of the Year didn’t even make 1st Team All-Defense”

Regardless, although James has spent a lot of the late part of his career conserving energy on the defensive end of the floor, he was an outstanding defender in his prime, one who earned 1st Team All-Defense honors five times. His outrageous athleticism and strength made it so he could defend pretty much every position at a very high level in his prime.

He also owns arguably the most famous block in NBA history when he had the crucial chase-down rejection on Iguodala late in Game 7 of the ’16 Finals.

Top defensive accolades: Seven years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 21st in steals, 25th in defensive rebounds, 62nd in blocks

Share of the vote: 66.16 percent of the maximum amount possible

Another Swiss Army Knife on both ends of the floor,Shawn Marion could defend multiple positions, be it guards, bigs or wings. Perhaps he didn’t defend all of those positions at an elite level, but he defended them well enough to give his teams good versatility on that end of the floor.

Marion was even better as a help defender, one capable of racking up steals and blocks leading to various transition opportunities, an area in which he thrived.

Although Marion finished Top 10 in Defensive Player of the Year voting four times in his career, including finishing as high as fourth in ’07, he somehow never earned All-Defensive Team honors, a fact so hard to believe we had to double-check it when researching for this article.

Top defensive accolades: Three All-Defensive Team selections, five years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 7th in blocks, 12th in defensive rebounds, 123rd in steals

Share of the vote: 65.91 percent of the maximum amount possible

On this list in large part thanks to his shot-blocking longevity,Knicks legendPatrick Ewing was a great rim protector in his prime, one who enjoyed a five-year stretch early in his career where he averaged 3.3 blocks (and 1.1 steals) per game.

Even by ’99, the year New York made the surprising NBA Finals trip in the lockout-shortened season when Ewing was already 36, the Georgetown legend was blocking 2.6 shots per game. Blessed with great size, length and timing, Ewing was a borderline eraser down low for a lot of his Knicks career.

Top defensive accolades: Three All-Defensive Team selections, one time NBA blocks leader, six years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 42nd in blocks, 136th in steals, 314th in defensive rebounds

Share of the vote: 65.91 percent of the maximum amount possible

A Swiss Army Knife on both ends of the floor, former NBA swingman Andrei Kirilenko might have been even more impactful in today’s spaced-out NBA with his excellent blend of size, length and defensive instinct.

Kirilenko had good athleticism as well as long arms, on top of being a borderline savant when it came to help defending. For his career, Kirilenko averaged 1.4 steals and 1.8 blocks per game, even leading the NBA in nightly rejections in ‘05 at an unbelievable 3.3 per game (albeit in just 41 games). Kirilenko finished as high as third in Defensive Player of the Year voting in his career, which came in 2005-06 when he averaged 1.5 steals and 3.2 blocks per game, ridiculous marks considering he spent most of his time at small forward that season.

Kirilenko ranks 42nd in NBA history in career blocks at 1,461. Oh, and for an even more impressive stat, Kirilenko is one of just three players in NBA history to average 1.8 steals and 1.4 blocks for his entire career. The other two? A couple of Hall of Famers in Olajuwon and Robinson. Kirilenko is also second in career five-by-five games (when a player totals at least five points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks in a single outing) with three, trailing just Olajuwon, too.

We might be underrating Kirilenko here if anything.

Top defensive accolades: 12 All-Defensive Team selections, 10 years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 16th in steals, 61st in defensive rebounds, 210th in blocks

Share of the vote: 65.66 percent of the maximum amount possible

As competitive as any player ever,Kobe Bryant prided himself in defending as hard as any superstar the league has ever seen. Bryant finished as high as third in the Defensive Player of the Year vote, which came in 2001-02, at the height of the Lakers’ early 2000s dynasty.

Bryant had incredible lateral quickness, great strength for a guard and played with such intensity on the defensive end, leading him, and his Lakers, to enormous heights over two different eras.

Top defensive accolades: Four All-Defensive Team selections, four years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 270th in defensive rebounds, 287th in blocks

Share of the vote: 63.89 percent of the maximum amount possible

A one-time NBA champion and two-time gold medalist with Team USA,Tayshaun Prince was an elite defender in his prime with the Pistons, which coincided with Ben Wallace’s tenure there, giving Detroit two all-time defenders at one time during that stretch, one on the wing and one down low.

Prince had very good lateral quickness but really excelled thanks to his long arms, fast hands and great instincts on that end of the floor. And although it was nowhere near as consequential as James’ famous playoff chase-down block, Prince had a historic chase-down block of his own during his breakout sophomore-year postseason run, the victim of the play being Hall-of-Fame guard Reggie Miller:

Top defensive accolades: Five All-Defensive Team selections, four years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 240th in steals

Share of the vote: 62.88 percent of the maximum amount possible

Pistons legendJoe Dumars made four 1st Team All-Defenses in his career thanks to his stout, strong defending out of the Detroit backcourt. Dumars never put up huge counting stats defensively but he was an elite one-on-one perimeter defender.

Michael Jordan considered Dumars one of the players who defended him the best throughout his early prime (via Basketball Network):

“He thought well, and he was very smart about his defense. I think he approaches the game as trying to dissect his opponents and try to find weaknesses or try to force them to do things they didn’t feel comfortable doing. He introduced certain tricks to make me expand on my talents as an offensive player, and that is why I consider him one of the best,”Jordan said.

The underrated Dumars was a huge reason why the Pistons won back-to-back championships during his time there.

Top defensive accolades: One Defensive Player of the Year award, six All-Defensive Team selections, three times NBA steals leader, five years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 11th in steals, 418th in defensive rebounds, 469th in blocks

Share of the vote: 61.36 percent of the maximum amount possible

One of the most underrated defenders in NBA history, Alvin Robertson isone of just four shooting guards ever to win Defensive Player of the Year.

He led the league in steals three times, including in ’86 when he set the single-season steals average record with 3.7 per game, a record that still stands to this day. Robertson is also nearly Top 10 all-time in career steals.

Here’s how another elite defensive guard historically, Gary Payton, talked about Robertson’s defending back in 2009 (via ESPN):

Alvin Robertson would make your life miserable. He was a hawkish defensive player. He’s who I modeled my defense after. I was looking at the NBA through him. He’s one of those guys who’ll stay with you for 94 feet. If he was in front of me and it was my last day on earth, I wouldn’t want him there. How do I beat him? I would just do what I did in the later part of my career. I started turning my back to him and go down, so he wouldn’t get a beat on me or take the ball from me. I’d back him down real slow.

Top defensive accolades: Nine All-Defensive Team selections, three years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 56th in steals, 197th in blocks, 345th in defensive rebounds

Share of the vote: 61.11 percent of the maximum amount possible

Many rememberDennis Johnson as a great sidekick on the offensive end to Larry Bird during the Celtics’ dynasty of the ’80s, but he was also a top-notch defender, earning 1st Team All-Defense honors six times, the ninth most of any player ever. In total, Johnson earned All-Defense honors for nine straight years.

The greatMagic Johnson, who had to match up against Dennis Johnson a lot during the iconic Lakers-Celtics battles of the ’80s, called him one of the best defensive players ever (via Basketball Network):

Still, some players made life difficult for him, which headmittedas much. But the defender Magic has often spotlighted happened to play for the Lakers’ archrivals, theBoston Celtics, as he has constantly reiterated how tough of a matchupDennis Johnson was.“Then on their defense, they always played a great team defense,”saidEarvin in 2008 when the Lakers and Celtics met in the NBA Finals for the first time in over two decades.“They had one of the best individual defensive players probably to ever play in the league, that being Dennis Johnson. I had to match up against him. Boy, that was a tough matchup every time.”

Johnson’s toughness, intensity and basketball IQ made him a terror for opposing guards to deal with during his heyday.

Top defensive accolades: One Defensive Player of the Year award, three All-Defensive Team selections, six years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 33rd in defensive rebounds, 50th in blocks, 449th in steals

Share of the vote: 60.86 percent of the maximum amount possible

The Defensive Player of the Year in 2011-12, big man Tyson Chandler also made three All-Defensive Teams in his career, once as a 1st Teamer. Chandler wasn’t the most fleet of foot defender nor was he some monster shot-blocker but he was an expert in using verticality, often forming a wall near the rim to make it difficult for opponents to score on paint forays.

Chandler used his defensive skills to make three Team USA rosters, including once for the Olympics in 2012 and another time for the FIBA World Championship in 2010. That’s the level of defensive intensity and impact Chandler offered in his prime, that he was even deemed Team USA-worthy despite not having much of an offensive game to speak of outside of dunking.

Top defensive accolades: Nine All-Defensive Team selections, two years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 2nd in steals, 32nd in defensive rebounds, 321st in blocks

Share of the vote: 60.86 percent of the maximum amount possible

No. 2 all-time in steals,Jason Kidd was a borderline savant on the hardwood, and that extended to both ends of the floor. Kidd had a great ability to read passing lanes and jump them to initiate consistent fastbreaks going the other way. He may not have been the most athletic but he did have great strength and solid lateral quickness, which made the one-time Cal Bear an effective defender.

Even in 2011 in his age-37 season, Kidd earned acclaim in the NBA Finals as a member of the Mavericks for the job he did helping slow down LeBron James, refusing to give up an inch when the much bigger James would try to post him up.

Kidd was a four-time 1st Team All-Defender.

Top defensive accolades: Six All-Defensive Team selections, five years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 59th in steals, 249th in defensive rebounds, 268th in blocks

Share of the vote: 59.60 percent of the maximum amount possible

A three-time 1st Team All-Defender,Jrue Holiday is one of the best defensive players of his era, using his fantastic lateral quickness and strength to remain glued to opposing ball-handlers and his long arms to poke away balls to rack up steals for his teams. Had Holiday just had better size, he surely would have taken home a Defensive Player of the Year award or two, as his peers have always talked very highly about his impact and toughness on the defensive end.

Here’s how Holiday’s teammate, another great backcourt defender in Derrick White, discussed the former UCLA standout’s defending:

Holiday is such a well-thought-of defender that he parlayed his point-stopping abilities into two Team USA selections, helping the Americans take home gold at the 2020 and 2024 Olympic Games.

NBA rank: 95th in defensive rebounds, 408th in blocks, 451st in steals

Share of the vote: 57.07 percent of the maximum amount possible

Hall of Fame big manWes Unseld wasn’t much of a shot-blocker but he was extremely strong, which helped him slow down opposing bigs attempting to post him up. And that was an era in which post-ups were much more common than they are today, so that skill set was hugely valuable in his heyday. Unseld was also a fantastic rebounder on the defensive end, an underrated skill when it comes to defending.

Top defensive accolades: One Defensive Player of the Year award, one All-Defensive Team selection, four years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 60th in blocks, 78th in defensive rebounds, 310th in steals

Share of the vote: 56.06 percent of the maximum amount possible

The younger NBA Gasol brother, Marc won Defensive Player of the Year in 2012-13 when he was also named a 2nd Team All-Defender. That season for the Grizzlies, the Spanish big man led a defense that gave up just 99.1 points per 100 possessions, the second-best mark in the NBA that year.

Gasol also played a large part in the Raptors’ run to the 2018-19 championship, particularly in Toronto’s second-round matchup against Philadelphia and superstar big manJoel Embiid. In that series, Gasol played fantastic defense on his All-NBA foe, holding Embiid to 17.6 points nightly on 37 percent shooting from the floor over seven games.

Gasol wasn’t the quickest or most athletic big man but he made up for that by using his great basketball instincts and IQ to almost always be in the right position to deter rim attacks by foes. He also had quick hands that would help him pick up opportune blocks and steals from time to time.

Top defensive accolades: Eight All-Defensive Team selections

NBA rank: 328th in steals

Share of the vote: 55.30 percent of the maximum amount possible

Defensive Player of the Year didn’t exist as an award until four years afterNorm Van Lier retired. Additionally, steals and blocks weren’t counted until the final six years of his career. Even then, Van Lier averaged 1.8 steals for his NBA career despite the stat not being recorded until later in his athletic prime.

Van Lier’s time in the NBA would be over by his age-31 campaign due to injuries sapping away his athleticism as well as drug problems. Van Lier became addicted to Quaaludes after taking a lot of painkillers to deal with “constant pain” during his playing career.

Regardless, Van Lier was a tenacious and impactful defender, earning 1st Team All-Defense honors three times and overall All-Defensive Team honors eight times. Van Lier and Bruce Bowen, are the retired players with the most All-Defensive Teams on their resume not to be in the Hall of Fame.

Top defensive accolades: Nine All-Defensive Team selections, six times NBA steals leader, eight years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 2nd in steals, 86th in defensive rebounds

Share of the vote: 51.77 percent of the maximum amount possible

Defense may not be the first thing you think of withChris Paul due to his lack of size, but the future Hall of Famer used his smaller stature expertly on the defensive end, combining it with his outrageous quickness to be an absolute pest on the defensive end. Although he never finished Top 10 in the final ranking, Paul received Defensive Player votes eight times in his career despite being six feet tall (on a good day).

He was also a 1st Team All-Defender seven times, the ninth-most such honors for any player ever. On top of that, Paul has enjoyed great longevity and has been able to pick up so many steals over such a long career that he ranks third all-time in career takeaways.

Top defensive accolades: Seven All-Defensive 1st Team selections

NBA rank: 407th in steals

Share of the vote: 51.77 percent of the maximum amount possible

The greatWalt Frazier, best remembered for his smooth, crafty scoring and playmaking, has become underrated for his defensive contributions. Frazier made an astounding seven 1st Team All-Defenses in his career, earning the accolade every year from ’69 to ’75.

His career steals numbers also would have been more impressive if the stat had been recorded earlier than 1973-74 when Frazier was already in his age-28 season. Even then, the Knicks legend averaged 2.0 steals from ’74 to ’77 despite no longer being in his athletic prime by then.

Frazier’s two-way play was hugely impactful to New York’s two championships during his time there, especially in the 1973 NBA Finals againstJerry West and the Lakers. Frazier held West to just 21.4 points per game in the five-game series victory for the Knicks, a far cry from the 27.0 points per game West averaged for his career.

Top defensive accolades: Two Defensive Player of the Year awards, five All-Defensive Team selections, four years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 226th in steals

Share of the vote: 51.26 percent of the maximum amount possible

A two-time Defensive Player of the Yearas a guard,Sidney Moncrief was one of the best one-on-one defenders ever and a player who would rank higher on all-time debates had his peak not been cut short by injuries.

After four straight seasons in which he finished both Top 8 in the MVP vote and Top 3 in the Defensive Player of the Year vote, Moncrief would play in just 39, 56, 62 and 72 regular-season games respectively over his final four campaigns, including one year near the middle of that stretch when he had fully retired, before his career was a wrap by the time he was 34.

To this day, Moncrief is the only guard to win Defensive Player of the Year more than once. Even the great Gary Payton, known for his elite defending, only won the award one time. Moncrief also had the respect of legends of his era, such as Larry Bird and Michael Jordan, for his point-stop prowess (via Whole Hog Sports):

“When you play against Moncrief, you’re in for a night of all-around basketball,” Michael Jordan, a Hall of Famer who led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships, told the Los Angeles Times in 1986. “He’ll hound you everywhere you go, both ends of the court. You just expect it.” Moncrief sometimes guarded forwards, including 6-9 Larry Bird, a Hall of Famer who won three NBA titles with the Boston Celtics. Bird first faced Moncrief in the 1979 NCAA Tournament when Indiana State beat Arkansas 73-71 in the Midwest Regional final. “Moncrief does everything you’re supposed to do on defense and doesn’t take any shortcuts,” Bird told Sports Illustrated in 1985. “Plus he does it every night.”

Top defensive accolades: Two All-Defensive Team selections, one year receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 9th in defensive rebounds, 29th in blocks, 138th in steals

Share of the vote: 50.25 percent of the maximum amount possible

Hall of Fame big manMoses Malone made just two All-Defensive Teams in his career, once a 1st Teamer in ’83) but he ranks Top 30 all-time in blocks and Top 10 in defensive rebounds.

Malone was hugely intimidating during his time in the NBA due to his size and strength, with opponents often choosing to settle for jumpers rather than challenge him near the rim.

That helped lead to a whole lot of team success for Malone, who played 100 playoff games in his career and won a championship in 1982-83.

Top defensive accolades: Six All-Defensive 1st Team selections

NBA rank: 47th in total rebounds

Share of the vote: 47.73 percent of the maximum amount possible

Hall of Fame forwardDave DeBusschere made six straight All-Defensive 1st Teams from ’69 through ’74. His defending was also hugely impactful, as the Knicks, DeBusschere’s team for the final five-plus seasons of his career, won two championships during his time there, in no small part due to his all-out effort on the less glamorous end of the floor.

A counterpart of DeBusschere’s from that era,Bill Bridges, once discussed how hard DeBusschere played on a nightly basis (via the NBA’s official website):

“There’s not one other guy in this league who gives the 100 percent DeBusschere does, every night, every game of the season, at both ends of the court,” Bill Bridges of the Atlanta Hawks once toldNewsday.

DeBusschere was so tough that he played minor league baseball as well as professional basketball over his first three NBA seasons. He was also named the Pistons’ player-head coach from ’64 though ’67, first receiving the honor when he was just 24 years old, making him the youngest head coach in league history.

Top defensive accolades: Six All-Defensive Team selections, one year receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 32nd in blocks, 111th in defensive rebounds

Share of the vote: 47.73 percent of the maximum amount possible

Possessing long arms and great timing, Celtics legendKevin McHale was a top-notch shot-blocker in the ’80s, averaging at least two blocks per game in five of his 13 career seasons. For his entire time in the NBA, McHale averaged 1.7 rejections.

Part of the reason Boston built such an impressive dynasty was not just Dennis Johnson’s perimeter defense but also McHale’s ability to protect the paint.

McHale earned 1st Team All-Defense honors three straight years from 1985-86 to 1987-88.

Top defensive accolades: Two All-Defensive 2nd Team selections, six years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 123rd in blocks, 189th in steals, 340th in defensive rebounds

Share of the vote: 45.96 percent of the maximum amount possible

Duke product and two-time NBA champion Shane Battier is a prime example of how much of a popularity contest NBA award voting can be. Battier never made a 1st Team All-Defense in his career (just two 2nd Team appearances) even though he got Defensive Player of the Year votes six times, including three Top 5 finishes.

Regardless, anyone who grew up idolizing Kobe Bryant also grew up with a healthy respect for Shane Battier and his defensive aptitude. The swingman was a nuisance defensively, one who was always willing to put his body on the line to draw charges. He also had a smart technique for contesting shots, putting his hand in the shooter’s face to block his line of sight to the basket rather than trying to block jumpers.

After productive stints with the Memphis Grizzlies and Houston Rockets, Battier joined the Heat where he helped the team win two championships with his still-solid defending in his mid-30s.

Top defensive accolades: Five All-Defensive 2nd Team selections, one time NBA steals leader, six years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 70th in steals, 280th in defensive rebounds, 403rd in blocks

Share of the vote: 45.71 percent of the maximum amount possible

A feisty defender with a mean competitive streak,Jimmy Butler has made five All-Defensive Team appearances in his career thus far, though never as a 1st Teamer.

Butler has great size and side-to-side quickness, as well as a fantastic nose for jumping passing lanes to pick up steals and get quick transition buckets going the other way, plays that Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra labels as pick-sixes.

Butler’s high-level defending led to two Finals trips during his time in Miami and another trip to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, exemplifying how elite his two-way play was in his prime.

Top defensive accolades: Four All-Defensive Team selections, four years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 49th in defensive rebounds, 75th in blocks, 119th in steals

Share of the vote: 44.95 percent of the maximum amount possible

A four-time 2nd Team All-Defender,Horace Grant saw a lot of success as a member of the Bulls and Magic, winning three championships in Chicago and then reaching the Finals with Orlando in ’96.

Grant wasn’t just a good face-up midrange-shooting big man, but also a solid defender. Grant could bang with bigger foes down low, block some shots and switch when asked to. Grant was never a super elite point-stopper but he was an effective one for a long time thanks to his toughness and effort, hence, his place on this list.

Top defensive accolades: One Defensive Player of the Year award, three All-Defensive Team selections, five years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 134th in blocks, 175th in defensive rebounds

Share of the vote: 44.70 percent of the maximum amount possible

If his peak hadn’t been so short,Joakim Noah would have certainly finished within the Top 50 of this ranking – and probably a good bit higher.

Prior to the injury troubles that shortened his prime, Noah was an extremely unique and impactful defender. He was a big man who played with KG-like intensity, had extremely quick feet laterally, great instincts on the defensive end, and could not only protect the paint at a high level but also defend well enough on switches.

In the cult classic first-round series between Boston and Chicago in the ’09 playoffs, the Bulls were down three games to two and facing elimination in triple overtime at home. With the game tied and under a minute left, Noah used all of his aforementioned attributes to jump a passing lane, steal a ball, bring it down the other way himself and dunk it on Paul Pierce. The huge play helped the Bulls eventually secure the win and force Game 7 against the defending champions.

Pre-injury Joakim was a special defender and player overall, it’s just a shame his body couldn’t hold up.

Noah was a two-time 1st Team All-Defender and won Defensive Player of the Year in 2013-14.

Top defensive accolades: Five All-Defensive Team selections, five years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 7th in steals, 435th in defensive rebounds

Share of the vote: 43.94 percent of the maximum amount possible

Younger people may better remember him for his time as a head coach but Maurice Cheeks was even better as a player, earning Hall of Fame honors in 2018 thanks to his four-time All-Star, one-time champion playing career.

Of course, there have been Hall of Fame snubs with better accolades than that, but what those players lacked that Cheeks had was defensive acumen. Cheeks made five straight All-Defensive Teams in his career, including four straight 1st Teams from ’83 to ’86. Elite quickness combined with great instincts, Cheeks averaged 2.1 steals for his career, the ninth-highest such average of any player ever. To this day, he ranks just outside the Top 5 in all-time steals.

And despite being an average-sized 6-foot-1 point guard, Cheeks finished Top 5 in Defensive Player of the Year voting three times in his career, including a third-place finish in ’83, all of which prove what an effective defensive pest Cheeks was during his time as a player.

Top defensive accolades: Five All-Defensive Team selections, five years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 213th in defensive rebounds, 302nd in blocks

Share of the vote: 42.93 percent of the maximum amount possible

One of the more underrated defenders of his era due to lack of counting stats,Bam Adebayo is an excellent modern big on the point-stopping end of the floor thanks to his ridiculous lateral quickness for a center, good strength and high-level athleticism.

Adebayo is one of the few centers in the NBA who can actually guard all positions well, be it a guard, wing or center, making him a huge weapon when defending pick-and-rolls. Miami is able to just switch Adebayo onto whoever the ball-handler is in those situations and build an effective defensive scheme off of that.

Adebayo has finished Top 5 in the Defensive Player of the Year vote five times in his career, finishing as high as third in 2023-24. Maybe with better blocks or steals numbers, Adebayo could have snagged a Defensive Player of the Year by now but either way, there are few big men the Heat would trade their starting center for on the defensive end.

Top defensive accolades: Six All-Defensive Team selections

NBA rank: 227th in total rebounds

Share of the vote: 42.93 percent of the maximum amount possible

A four-time 1st Team All-Defender, the legendary Jerry Sloan was hurt by the fact that Defensive Player of the Year didn’t exist as an award until seven years after his retirement, because he certainly would have amassed a lot of votes for that honor, if not won it outright at some point.

Steals also weren’t counted as a stat until the final three seasons of Sloan’s career. Even then, he amassed 381 steals in his career, with Sloan averaging 2.3 steals in his age-31 and age-32 seasons combined. If we extrapolate Sloan’s steals over his final two full campaigns (his age-33 season was technically his last but Sloan played just 22 games that year and was clearly failed by his body), he’d be around 1,797 career steals, which would put him in the Top 20 all-time.

Sloan gave it his all on the defensive end, which he discussed in ’97 (via Deseret News):

“Jerry’s the toughest guy I’ve ever seen,” said Bulls general manager Jerry Krause. During his 10 seasons (1966-76) as a Bulls guard, Jerry Sloan never backed down. “I’d dive all over the place,” Sloan said. “I had to. I had no talent.”

Top defensive accolades: Five All-Defensive Team selections, two times NBA steals leader, two years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 1st in steals, 286th in defensive rebounds, 485th in blocks

Share of the vote: 42.17 percent of the maximum amount possible

John Stockton had great quickness and lightning-fast hands on the defensive end of the floor. Stockton also had ridiculous longevity, playing until his age-40 campaign, which helped him secure the top spot in the NBA’s all-time steals list in what looks like the league’s most unbreakable record right now.

On the other hand, Stockton did develop a reputation for being a dirty player, the annoying type who would get away with elbowing an opponent but flop like he was the one getting fouled to get calls (via ESPN):

Even so, the feisty Stockton never backs down from a challenge. Clarence Weatherspoon, six inches taller and 100 pounds heavier, sets a pick on Stockton. The little man digs an elbow into the big man’s ribs, throws a shoulder into Weatherspoon’s chest, then falls to the floor. The ref whistles the foul against a confused Weatherspoon.

Stockton had to make up for his physical limitations somehow. For what it’s worth, Dennis Rodman respected Stockton for his questionable methods on the defensive end:

The street in Stockton was also what made then-Spurs forwardDennis Rodman respect and admire him. “Stockton’s as mean as they come. Everybody might think he’s a choirboy, but he’ll slip you an elbow when the refs aren’t looking, or he’ll talk some junk. I like that in a guy,” Rodman remarked.

In that same article, you can find a quote from Steve Kerr, who faced off against Stockton a plethora of times in the ’90s, saying he loved Stockton off the court but that on it, he was a “dirty b——“.

Top defensive accolades: Four All-Defensive Team selections, one time NBA steals leader, four years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 52nd in steals, 230th in defensive rebounds

Share of the vote: 40.15 percent of the maximum amount possible

Two-time NBA champRajon Rondo was a point guard known for having a ridiculous 6-foot-9 wingspan and enormous hands, which made him a very impactful defender in his prime, particularly picking pockets and creating havoc off the ball in passing lanes.

A young Rondo was an elite role player for those great Big 3 Celtics teams of the late ’00s, especially as a help defender alongside Garnett. Rondo ranks nearly Top 50 all-time in steals and made two All-Defensive 1st Teams in his career.

Top defensive accolades: One Defensive Player of the Year award, two All-Defensive Team selections, two times NBA blocks leader, two years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 170th in blocks

Share of the vote: 38.38 percent of the maximum amount possible

A mobile big man who can defend switches as well as block shots at an elite level,Jaren Jackson Jr. was crowned Defensive Player of the Year in 2022-23. He led the league in blocked shots that season at 3.0 per game, his second season in a row accomplishing the feat.

If he continues on the trajectory he’s been on early in his career, Jackson should continue to rise up this ranking, as his quick feet and elite rim-protecting make him a very unique and impactful player.

Top defensive accolades: One Defensive Player of the Year award, three All-Defensive Team selections, three years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes, three Hustle awards

NBA rank: 191st in steals

Share of the vote: 38.38 percent of the maximum amount possible

One of just five guards ever to win Defensive Player of the Year, Marcus Smart earned the prestigious honor in 2021-22.

There was some discourse on how deserving of a winner Smart was that year for the award, though. Voter fatigue might have hurt Rudy Gobert in the vote that season, but even so, Boston ranked first in defensive efficiency that year and Smart was probably the team’s most impactful defender.

Regardless, Smart is a tenacious defender who always gives it 100 percent intensity when he’s on the floor. He’s also closing in on 1,000 steals for his career, no small accomplishment.

Share of the vote: 35.86 percent of the maximum amount possible

Want to know how ridiculous of a defender George Mikan was? The legendary big man was such an elite rim-protector, one of the first players possessing the ability to jump above the rim to block shots, that the NCAA invented the goaltending rule in 1944 because of him. The NBA then decided to widen the free-throw lane because of Mikan’s sheer dominance in 1951 in what was known as the “Mikan Rule”.

Credited with being basketball’s first big-man superstar, Mikan played with all-out effort, too, becoming known as an intimidating enforcer down low, making him the total package on both ends of the floor. Here’s how the late, great Red Auerbach described Mikan, according to the New York Times back in 2001:

”Mikan was a giant among men,” said Red Auerbach, who coached against him with the Celtics. ”He was as overpowering around the basket as Shaquille O’Neal is today. George knew how to get position, and he was such a fierce competitor. He would certainly be a standout in today’s game.”

Mikan is remembered for his skill and ability to finish with either hand near the basket, but he was also a legendary defender. It’s just a shame basketball wasn’t tracking blocks during his time as a pro. It’s also a shame that Mikan’s career didn’t last longer, as the big man played just 439 games as a pro. Injuries played a part in that but it’s likely that so did the lack of pay for elite NBA players back then. After all, part of the reason that Mikan said he retired before even turning 32 was because he felt it was time to get started with professional life after basketball. Pretty unlikely he would have felt that way making the money today’s players make.

Top defensive accolades: Four All-Defensive Team selections, three years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 14th in defensive rebounds, 84th in blocks, 148th in steals

Share of the vote: 35.35 percent of the maximum amount possible

Blazers legendBuck Williams was a versatile defender, one who could guard bigger ball-handlers as well as protect the paint. Where he really shined, however, was as a rebounder, as Williams averaged 10.0 rebounds per game for his career. To this day, he ranks Top 15 in defensive rebounds in league history.

Williams’ toughness down low helped the Blazers reach two Finals in three years, first in 1989-90 and then in 1991-92. And it was his toughness that the team credits with helping it get over the hump and become a contender.

Williams, for his part, sacrificed a lot going from New Jersey to Portland in the summer of ’89, taking a backseat as a scorer and turning his attention to the other end of the floor (via Kerry Eggers):

“My biggest priority was to contain Karl Malone,” he said. “Utah, Phoenix, Seattle and the Lakers — those teams were real threats in the West. My focus was to do whatever I could to make sure we were able to beat them. It was about bringing toughness and inside scoring and some leadership. Those were the pieces we needed. I sacrificed a lot of my (offensive) game doing that, but it was worthwhile in our quest for a championship.”

Top defensive accolades: Three All-Defensive Team selections, two times NBA blocks leader, four years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 27th in blocks, 119th in defensive rebounds

Share of the vote: 35.35 percent of the maximum amount possible

Early on, Serge Ibaka looked well on his way to an all-time career on the defensive end. By the time he was 23, Ibaka had led the league in blocked shots two times, including at the impressive mark of 3.7 in 2011-12.

Ibaka was extremely explosive athletically in his prime and had long arms and great timing, making him a menace as a rim protector. His defense led to much success for the Oklahoma City Thunder during that time, too, as the team made it to the Finals in ’12 and as far as the Western Conference Finals three other times with Ibaka.

By his late 20s, however, Ibaka had seemed to lose a step athletically and was no longer as impactful a defender. Even so, in 2018-19, he played a large role in Toronto’s run to a championship, although he was arguably more effective on offense by then than at defense, averaging just 1.4 blocks that year.

Top defensive accolades: Five All-Defensive Team selections

NBA rank: 244th in total rebounds

Share of the vote: 32.58 percent of the maximum amount possible

The LogoJerry West is one of the greatest players in NBA history. And though he may be remembered mostly for his smooth off-the-dribble jumper and his playmaking, West was a monster defender, too, earning 1st Team All-Defense honors four times in his career despite the award only starting to exist when he was already 30. Playing with nonstop effort and tenacity, West was willing to put his body on the line to make plays, be it on the offensive or defensive end of the floor.

The NBA didn’t track steals until his final season, but that year, 1973-74 when West was already 35, the legendary guard still averaged 2.6 steals, albeit in 31 games. If we conservatively estimate that West averaged 2.4 steals over the other 901 games of his career, that would put West at 2,243 career steals, firmly in the Top 10 in league history.

Top defensive accolades: Two All-Defensive Team selections

NBA rank: 26th in blocks, 30th in defensive rebounds, 265th in steals

Share of the vote: 32.58 percent of the maximum amount possible

One of the most tenacious players in league history, Hall of Fame power forwardElvin Hayes spent 16 seasons in the NBA and missed just nine games in that entire stretch. Hayes was an elite shot-blocker (as well as rebounder and scorer), so much so that he still ranks Top 25 in blocks all-time despite the fact the NBA wasn’t even counting blocks over the first five seasons of his career.

With 1,771 official career blocks, if we just multiply Hayes’ career average for blocks (2.0) by all the games he played in which blocks weren’t counted (409), the legendary center would actually be closer to the Top 12 all-time in blocked shots at 2,589. And that’s with us estimating very conservatively, as over the final three seasons of Hayes’ career, he significantly lowered his career block average by blocking just 213 shots over his final 244 games. Considering Hayes was averaging over 2.5 blocks over the first four seasons the NBA counted the stat, it’s almost certain he was blocking more than 2.0 shots per game in his first five seasons when the NBA didn’t count the stat yet.

Regardless, that’s all to say, Hayes, who even led the league in scoring once and rebounding twice, was a special player – and that was on both ends of the floor.

Top defensive accolades: Two All-Defensive Team selections, two years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 16th in defensive rebounds, 71st in steals, 383rd in blocks

Share of the vote: 32.32 percent of the maximum amount possible

An intimidating enforcer more than he was an elite defender,Charles Oakley weaponized his toughness and reputation to make opponents think twice about attacking the paint when he was in the game.

Oakley’s physicality is the stuff of legend, as the big man was always ready for a scrap if he felt he needed to protect a teammate.

Horace Grant once discussed what it was like facing Oakley (via SI):

Grantdescribed Oakley as a cross between two physically imposing big men—the late Anthony Mason and Kevin Willis. And every single time he finished a battle against Oakley, Grant said he needed an extra hour or two in the locker room to lick his wounds and recover from the bruises.“I think the most physical was Charles Oakley. He was a combination of the late great Anthony Mason and of Kevin Willis. When I faced those guys, from a physical standpoint, I had to go home and take an ice bath and just sit in there because I was black and blue,”shared the bespectacled forward.

All in all, Oakley was one of the toughest players of his era as well as an excellent rebounder on the defensive end, which is why he ranks where he does in this exercise.

Top defensive accolades: One All-Defensive Team selection

NBA rank: 69th in total rebounds

Share of the vote: 31.57 percent of the maximum amount possible

Hall of Fame big manWillis Reed was one of the most prolific player in Knicks history, leading the team to two championships in the first half of the ’70s, both title runs which saw Reed take home Finals MVP. Reed’s prime was cut short due to injuries as by the time he was 29, he was a role player and by the time he was 32 in the 1974-75 season, he was out of the NBA entirely.

That makes the fact Reed was still able to earn at least one 1st Team All-Defense in his career despite the award not existing until his fifth season all the more impressive. Blocks also weren’t counted until Reed’s final campaign in ’74 when the center was so broken down he was only able to play in 19 games. Even then, Reed still averaged 1.1 blocks per game that league year.

Reed was the anchor for the elite Knicks’ defenses of the ’70s that led the league in points allowed per game various times, including in 1969-70 when New York won the championship and then again the following season in ’71. That’s how impactful of a defender the Louisiana native was.

Top defensive accolades: Three All-Defensive Team selections, five years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes, one Hustle award

NBA rank: 385th in steals, 445th in blocks

Share of the vote: 27.53 percent of the maximum amount possible

A pest of a defender who thrived in one-on-one situations against fellow point guards,Patrick Beverley carved out a solid 12-year NBA career thanks to his hard-nosed, high-effort defending. Beverley was also an elite trash-talker who could get inside the heads of opponents and disrupt opposing teams’ game plans that way.

Beverley made 1st Team All-Defense in 2016-17 and was a respected 3-and-D point guard during his time in the league.

Top defensive accolades: Six All-Defensive Team selections, two times NBA steals leader, three years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 13th in steals, 374th in defensive rebounds

Share of the vote: 26.77 percent of the maximum amount possible

Earning 1st Team All-Defense honors back-to-back years in ’93 and ’94,Mookie Blaylock was a monster defensively, leading the league in steals twice, once in ’97 and then again in ’98. Blaylock’s 2.3 steals per game for his career is the fifth-highest steals average of all-time.

Blaylock also averaged more steals (2.3) than personal fouls (1.9) in his career, a very rare feat for a defensive specialist at the guard position (just as an example, Patrick Beverley, a respected guard defender from this era, averaged 1.1 steals to 2.9 fouls for his career). This was broken down in depth by SBNation back in 2020:

Generally speaking, the average NBA player commits nearly three fouls for every steal they get. For bigs it’s usually more, for perimeter players usually fewer. But even for guards,more steals than fouls is an uncommon occurrence. That’s true of individual seasons, where no more than a few players do so annually, but it’s especially true across an entire career, which we’ll get to in a bit. …. Remember how it’s exceedingly rare for anyone else to have even had a decently voluminousseason with over 1.2 times as many steals as fouls? Well, Blaylock maintained that rate across his entire 13-year career. … It would appear a longshot at best that Blaylock’s career ratio of 1.23 to 1 will ever be approached among high-volume players. In the last few decades, Iverson and Butler are the only players who’ve (barely) eclipsed even 1.1 to 1 — and while Butler’s still active, it’d take a miracle for him to catch up to Blaylock.

Somewhat quietly, Blaylock was a historically impactful defender for a guard, it may have just gone somewhat unnoticed due to him spending his entire prime on good-but-far-from-great Nets and Hawks teams.

Top defensive accolades: Two All-Defensive 2nd Team selections, one time NBA steals leader, three years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 44th in steals, 433rd in blocks, 462nd in defensive rebounds

Share of the vote: 25.25 percent of the maximum amount possible

Top 50 all-time in steals,Nate McMillan led the league in nightly takeaways in 1993-94 with 3.0. McMillan had five seasons in which he averaged at least 2.0 steals, too.

Better known for his long stints as head coach of the Pacers and Hawls, McMillan was able to carve out a solid 12-year NBA career in large part because of his one-on-one and help defending, as the two-time 2nd Team All-Defender never averaged more than 7.6 points in a campaign.

Top defensive accolades: Three All-Defensive 2nd Team selections, two years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 27th in defensive rebounds, 41st in steals, 165th in blocks

Share of the vote: 25.25 percent of the maximum amount possible

Larry Bird’s help defense was an underrated aspect of his game, as the three-time MVP was a three-time 2nd Team All-Defender, every season from ’84 to ’86. Bird even finished third in the Defensive Player of the Year vote, a season that saw the French Lick native average 1.9 steals per game.

As a one-on-one defender, Bird wasn’t at his best, but when it came to jumping passing lanes and picking pockets, Bird had a stretch in his career in which he was downright elite.

Top defensive accolades: Three All-Defensive Team selections, six years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 32nd in steals, 131st in blocks, 200th in defensive rebounds

Share of the vote: 23.23 percent of the maximum amount possible

The all-time leading shot-blocker among players 6-foot-4 or shorter,Dwyane Wade used his long arms (Wade checked in with a near 6-foot-11 wingspan at the 2003 draft combine) and great timing to meet players at the rim to block shots out of nowhere.

He also had great lateral quickness and quick hands to secure a lot of steals in his career, ranking nearly Top 30 all-time in the stat. Wade had some memorable moments on defense, including arguably the best highlight of his career with this steal againstJohn Salmons and subsequent game-winning three-pointer in double-overtime:

Wade was obviously an all-time player but he doesn’t get enough credit for how good he was on defense, especially in his prime.

Top defensive accolades: Four All-Defensive Team selections, two years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 42nd in steals, 379th in blocks, 384th in defensive rebounds

Share of the vote: 22.22 percent of the maximum amount possible

A one-time 1st Team All-Defender in 2002-03,Doug Christie was the defensive muscle for the classic Sacramento Kings teams of the early 2000s, playing the wing enforcer role on some elite squads that won a lot of games. Christie also made 2nd Team All-Defense three times in his career.

Christie was a great one-on-one wing defender but also had fast hands and great instincts jumping passing lanes, which helped him average 1.9 steals per game for his career. That’s one of the 25 highest steals averages for a career in NBA history.

Top defensive accolades: Three All-Defensive Team selections, one year receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 18th in blocks, 89th in defensive rebounds, 258th in steals

Share of the vote: 20.20 percent of the maximum amount possible

A three-time All-Star, Larry Nance Sr. was a great defender during his time in the NBA, earning 1st Team All-Defense honors once and 2nd Team All-Defense honors twice in his career.

Nance’s impact as a defender came thanks to his shot-blocking, as the 6-10 big man was an outstanding rim-protector in his prime, posting six seasons in which he averaged at least 2.4 blocks six times. He peaked in ’92 in that stat at 3.0 blocks per contest, an outstanding mark that played a part in Cleveland getting all the way to Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals that year.

Top defensive accolades: Two All-Defensive 2nd Team selections, three years receiving Defensive Player of the Year votes

NBA rank: 15th in steals, 492nd in defensive rebounds

Share of the vote: 18.69 percent of the maximum amount possible

Mavericks legendDerek Harper made two 2nd Team All-Defenses in his career and also received Defensive Player of the Year votes three times during his time in the NBA, peaking in 1989-90 with a third-place finish.

Harper enjoyed an eight-year stretch in which he averaged 2.0 steals per game, playing tough and impactful perimeter defense for some very good Dallas teams, including one in ’88 that got as far as Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, where they finally eventually fell to the Showtime Lakers.