#1 - Hakeem 'The Dream' Olajuwon
Hakeem Olajuwon finished his career as the NBA’s All-time leader in blocked shots with 3,830. That is almost 700 more blocked shots than the second place in total blocks, Dikembe Mutombo. That in itself would make Hakeem ‘The Dream’ worthy of our first spot as the best defensive basketball player of all-time. But there is something even more compelling about Olajuwon’s defensive abilities. He is 8th on the NBA’s All-time steals list, with 2,162 steals! That is very rare for a big man, in fact as evidence of this there is not even one other Center that has cracked the top 25 of the all-time steals list. Hakeem is also 11th on the All-time rebounds list. Between all the blocks, steals, and rebounds that Hakeem Olajuwon has logged think about how many ‘new’ possessions he has secured for his team without the opposition scoring! No wonder the Rockets won those NBA Championships.
