Who is the greatest shot blocker in NBA history?

Blocks were not an official statistic until 1973, so the argument reaches back through eyewitness accounts and forward through the era of highlight swats. Who protected the rim best?

1. 1
   Hakeem Olajuwon

   The official all-time blocks leader, with the footwork to guard the rim and the perimeter in the same possession.
   1000pts
2. 2
   Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

   Ranks near the top of the official list despite the statistic only existing for the second half of his career.
   647pts
3. 3
   Wilt Chamberlain

   Contemporary accounts credit him with double-digit blocks in single games years before the league counted them.
   560pts
4. 4
   Bill Russell

   Blocks went unrecorded in his era, but teammates described a defender who turned shots into fast breaks instead of swatting them into the crowd.
   560pts
5. 5
   Manute Bol

   At 7-foot-7 he once blocked more shots in a season than he scored points.
   560pts
6. 6
   Bill Walton

   When healthy, the best defensive centre of the late 1970s and the anchor of Portland's title team.
   560pts
7. 7
   Rudy Gobert

   The modern standard for rim deterrence, with defensive ratings that reshaped how teams valued a centre.
   485pts
8. 8
   Tim Duncan

   Rarely spectacular, consistently in the right place, and near the top of the career blocks list.
   485pts
9. 9
   David Robinson

   Combined sprinter's speed with a centre's reach, leading the league in blocks and winning a scoring title.
   485pts
10. 10
    Shaquille O'Neal

    Deterrence more than volume — opponents changed their shots before they left the ground.
    397pts
11. 11
    Alonzo Mourning

    Twice led the league in blocks and made Miami's defence a wall for a decade.
    397pts
12. 12
    Mark Eaton

    Holds the single-season blocks record and built an entire career out of standing between the ball and the basket.
    291pts
13. 13
    Anthony Davis

    Blocks shots from the weak side as well as anyone since Robinson, from either frontcourt position.
    291pts
14. 14
    Dikembe Mutombo

    Four Defensive Player of the Year awards and a finger wag that became the sport's most recognisable taunt.
    162pts
15. 15
    Ben Wallace

    Blocked shots at centre height while giving up several inches to nearly everyone he guarded.
    162pts
16. 16
    Victor Wembanyama

    Arrived with a wingspan the league had never measured before and led it in blocks almost immediately.
    162pts