Eighties big men came in every build: skyhook royalty, shot-blocking giants, bruising enforcers and soft-handed passers who rarely made headlines. Only one gets to own the paint here.
1Kareem Abdul-JabbarThe skyhook master who won four of his six titles with the Showtime Lakers in the 1980s and passed Wilt as the NBA's all-time scorer in 1984.1000pts
2Moses MaloneThree-time MVP (1979, 1982, 1983) and relentless rebounder who led the 1983 76ers to the title with his famous 'fo, fo, fo' prediction.714pts
3Bob LanierThe Hall of Fame big man who gave Milwaukee's early-1980s division winners his soft lefty touch and an All-Star nod in 1982.599pts
4Hakeem OlajuwonHouston's 1984 No. 1 pick whose footwork and shot-blocking took the Rockets to the 1986 Finals within two seasons.494pts
5Mark EatonUtah's 7-foot-4 shot-blocker who set the single-season record of 456 blocks in 1984-85 and won two Defensive Player of the Year awards.428pts
6Bill LaimbeerThe physical, much-hated enforcer and rebounder of Detroit's 'Bad Boys' Pistons, champions in 1989.350pts
7Dan IsselDenver's durable scoring big man who averaged over 20 points a game into the early 1980s before retiring in 1985.350pts
8Ralph SampsonThree-time college player of the year and 1984 Rookie of the Year who formed Houston's 'Twin Towers' with Olajuwon.350pts
9Patrick EwingThe 1985 No. 1 pick and Rookie of the Year who became the Knicks' franchise cornerstone by the end of the decade.257pts
10Jack SikmaSeven-time All-Star with Seattle and Milwaukee, known for his reverse pivot move and rare shooting range for a center.257pts
11Bill WaltonThe injury-hampered former MVP who won Sixth Man of the Year and a ring with the 1986 Celtics.257pts
12Brad DaughertyCleveland's 1986 No. 1 pick, a skilled passing center who made his first All-Star teams in 1988 and 1989.257pts
13Manute BolThe 7-foot-7 Sudanese rookie who led the league in blocks in 1985-86 and remains one of its most remarkable shot-swatters.257pts
14Robert Parish'The Chief', the steady Celtics center who anchored Boston's titles in 1981, 1984 and 1986 alongside Bird and McHale.0pts
15Artis GilmoreThe towering, ultra-efficient Bulls and Spurs center who led the NBA in field-goal percentage four straight seasons from 1981 to 1984.0pts
16Bill CartwrightThe Knicks' All-Star center of 1980 who was later traded to Chicago in 1988 to help build the Bulls' first title team.0pts
Photo credits
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar — Yahoo from Sunnyvale, California, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Bob Lanier — Philip Nelson from San Antonio, TX, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Bill Laimbeer — Lorie Shaull, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Ralph Sampson — Houston50, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Patrick Ewing — AlexanderJonesi, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Brad Daugherty — Darryl Moran, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Artis Gilmore — Mark Bruner, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Bill Cartwright — COD Newsroom, CC BY 2.0
