Wilt Chamberlain's 23,924 regular-season rebounds lead Bill Russell by 2,304, and all ten of the NBA's career rebounding leaders are retired Hall of Famers.
Wilt Chamberlain has the most rebounds in NBA history, 23,924 in the regular season. Bill Russell is second with 21,620 and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar third with 17,440. The ranking uses career NBA regular-season rebounds (playoffs not included) from Wikipedia's list of NBA career rebounding leaders, with statistics accurate as of October 20, 2026.
The top two, Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell, are more than 4,000 rebounds clear of anyone else, and both averaged more than 22 rebounds a game. This list ranks players by career NBA regular-season rebounds, with statistics accurate as of October 20, 2026. No active player is in the top ten: the source marks all ten as inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Chamberlain holds the NBA career record with 23,924 rebounds, 2,304 more than Bill Russell, at 22.9 per game over 1,045 games. The source also credits him with the most rebounds in a single season.
Russell grabbed 21,620 rebounds in 963 games, all for the Boston Celtics, at 22.5 per game. He held the career rebounding record from 1963 to 1972.
Abdul-Jabbar is third with 17,440 rebounds. His 1,560 games are the second-most in this top ten, behind only Robert Parish.
Hayes collected 16,279 rebounds at 12.5 per game, split between the Rockets and the Bullets. He finishes 67 ahead of Moses Malone.
Malone's 16,212 rebounds are his NBA regular-season total; the source lists his NBA teams starting with the 1976 Buffalo Braves. He played for seven NBA franchises.
Duncan is sixth with 15,091 rebounds, all with the San Antonio Spurs, at 10.8 per game over 1,392 games.
Karl Malone pulled down 14,968 rebounds for the Utah Jazz (1985-2003) and Los Angeles Lakers (2003-2004), averaging 10.1 per game in 1,476 games.
Parish ranks eighth with 14,715 rebounds. His 1,611 games are the most of anyone in the top ten, and his 9.1 per game is the lowest average here.
Garnett has 14,662 rebounds across two stints with Minnesota plus Boston and Brooklyn, at 10.0 per game. He is 35 rebounds ahead of Dwight Howard.
Howard rounds out the top ten with 14,627 rebounds at 11.8 per game, playing for seven franchises including three stints with the Lakers. Nate Thurmond is 11th, 163 rebounds behind him.
| # | Name | Position | Teams (years) | Games played | Rebounds per game | Hall of Fame |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wilt Chamberlain | C | Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors (1959-1965), Philadelphia 76ers (1965-1968), Los Angeles Lakers (1968-1973) | 1045 | 22.9 | Inducted |
| 2 | Bill Russell | C | Boston Celtics (1956-1969) | 963 | 22.5 | Inducted |
| 3 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | C | Milwaukee Bucks (1969-1975), Los Angeles Lakers (1975-1989) | 1560 | 11.2 | Inducted |
| 4 | Elvin Hayes | PF/C | San Diego/Houston Rockets (1968-1972, 1981-1984), Baltimore/Capital/Washington Bullets (1972-1981) | 1303 | 12.5 | Inducted |
| 5 | Moses Malone | C | Buffalo Braves (1976), Houston Rockets (1976-1982), Philadelphia 76ers (1982-1986, 1993-1994), Washington Bullets (1986-1988), Atlanta Hawks (1988-1991), Milwaukee Bucks (1991-1993), San Antonio Spurs (1994-1995) | 1329 | 12.2 | Inducted |
| 6 | Tim Duncan | PF/C | San Antonio Spurs (1997-2016) | 1392 | 10.8 | Inducted |
| 7 | Karl Malone | PF | Utah Jazz (1985-2003), Los Angeles Lakers (2003-2004) | 1476 | 10.1 | Inducted |
| 8 | Robert Parish | C | Golden State Warriors (1976-1980), Boston Celtics (1980-1994), Charlotte Hornets (1994-1996), Chicago Bulls (1996-1997) | 1611 | 9.1 | Inducted |
| 9 | Kevin Garnett | PF | Minnesota Timberwolves (1995-2007, 2015-2016), Boston Celtics (2007-2013), Brooklyn Nets (2013-2015) | 1462 | 10 | Inducted |
| 10 | Dwight Howard | C | Orlando Magic (2004-2012), Los Angeles Lakers (2012-2013, 2019-2020, 2021-2022), Houston Rockets (2013-2016), Atlanta Hawks (2016-2017), Charlotte Hornets (2017-2018), Washington Wizards (2018-2019), Philadelphia 76ers (2020-2021) | 1242 | 11.8 | Inducted |
Players are ranked by total career NBA regular-season rebounds, most first, as listed on Wikipedia's List of NBA career rebounding leaders (revision 1381267627; the page states its statistics are accurate as of October 20, 2026). Only NBA regular-season games count, so playoff rebounds are excluded; the source's team listings also omit ABA teams that were not admitted into the NBA in 1976. The NBA did not record rebounds until the 1950-51 season. Games played, rebounds per game (rounded to the nearest tenth), team spans and Hall of Fame status are taken from the same table. Team year spans are given as the source displays them. There are no ties in the top ten.
Wilt Chamberlain, with 23,924 regular-season rebounds in 1,045 games. Bill Russell is second with 21,620.
No. As of October 20, 2026, all ten are retired and marked as Hall of Fame inductees by the source. The highest-ranked active player is LeBron James, 23rd with 12,104.
No. The ranking counts NBA regular-season rebounds only, and the source's team listings omit ABA teams not admitted into the NBA in 1976. Moses Malone's 16,212, for example, covers the NBA teams the source lists for him, from the 1976 Buffalo Braves onward.
In the 1950-51 season. Rebounds were not recorded before then, so earlier seasons are not part of any player's total.
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