Wilt Chamberlain holds four of the top 5 spots on the singles season rebounding list.
The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most iconic franchises in the world, and they’ve had a number of legendary players don the purple and gold throughout their 78-year history in the NBA. Today, we’re taking a look at the players who produced the top five single season rebounds per game during their tenures in LA.
Wilt Chamberlain – 1969, 21.1 RPG
Chamberlain spent his final five seasons in the NBA with the Lakers from 1968 to 1973, and all but one of those campaigns made their way on this list. After winning three consecutive MVP awards with the Philadelphia 76ers, ‘Wilt the Stilt’ put up 20.5 points, 4.5 assists and a league-leading 21.1 rebounds across 81 contests in his first year in LA. It was Chamberlain’s fourth straight season in which he led all players in rebounding, field goal percentage (58.3) and minutes (45.3) while also pacing the league in free throw attempts (10.6) for the eighth time overall.
Elgin Baylor – 1961, 19.8 RPG
At 26 years of age in his third season, and the first-ever for the Lakers in Los Angeles, Baylor finished third in the MVP race by averaging 34.8 points, 19.8 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 73 outings. He led the NBA in made free throws (9.3) for a second consecutive year while hoisting up nearly 30 shots a night (29.7 FGA). Baylor, who holds the all-time record for field goal attempts (23.8) per game, was the 1959 Rookie of the Year, an 11-time All-Star, 10-time All-NBA, a member of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1977. ‘Elg’ spent his entire 14-year career with the Lakers and recorded 27.4 ppg, 13.5 rpg and 4.3 apg in 846 games.
Wilt Chamberlain – 1972, 19.2 RPG
Chamberlain, at age-35, played in all 82 games during the 1971-72 season and posted 14.8 ppg, 4.0 apg and a league-leading 19.2 rpg. It was the tenth occasion in which he led the NBA in rebounding and the ninth time he recorded the best field goal percentage (64.9). The 1979 Hall of Fame inductee tallied 61 games with at least 15 boards that year, grabbing 20 or more in 34 of those outings. Chamberlain would end up winning his second NBA championship after the Lakers took down the New York Knicks in five games, and the Philadelphia native earned his lone Finals MVP award by averaging 19.4 points, 23.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 47.2 minutes.
Wilt Chamberlain – 1973, 18.6 RPG
In his final season as a pro, Chamberlain appeared in all 82 games while leading the NBA in rebounding (18.6) and field goal percentage (72.7) to go along with his 13.2 points and 4.5 assists. He grabbed at least ten rebounds in all but two outings and pulled down 20 or more 35 times. All in all, ‘The Big Dipper’ was an 11-time rebounding champ, seven-time scoring champ, the 1967-68 assist champ (8.6), a two-time NBA champion, 13-time All-Star, 10-time All-NBA, two-time All-Defensive, the 1960 Rookie of the Year and a four-time league MVP.
Wilt Chamberlain – 1971, 18.2 RPG
Following the 1969-70 campaign, when he suited up for just 12 games, Chamberlain bounced back to average 20.7 ppg, 4.3 apg and a league-best 18.2 rpg across a full 82 contests. Over the course of his 14 seasons in the NBA, the 7-foot-1, 275-pound center posted career averages of 30.1 points, 22.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 1,045 games with the Lakers, Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors and the Philadelphia 76ers. To this day, Chamberlain holds the NBA’s all-time record for total rebounds (23,924), rebounds per game (22.9), free throw attempts (11.4), made field goals (12.1) and minutes played (45.8), making him an easy selection for the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021-22.
