Kareem Abdul-Jabbar steals the show in terms of single season rebounds in Milwaukee Bucks history.
The Bucks have had some great rebounders over the course of their franchise history. In this article, we’ll highlight the best single-season rebounding efforts by any Milwaukee Bucks. Hoops historians will not be surprised to find that one name stands out above the rest in this category.
Yes, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Swen Nater have had terrific rebounding seasons for the Bucks, but it’s Kareem Abdul-Jabbar who has a monopoly on the franchise’s top five rebounding seasons.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – 1972, 16.6 RPG
The NBA’s No.3 rebounder all-time had his best season on the boards with the Bucks in 1972 when he averaged an incredible 16.6 RPG. Abdul-Jabbar dominated across the board, for lack of a better word, that season as he also led the league in points per game (34.8). That Herculean effort from Kareem earned him his second consecutive NBA MVP trophy.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – 1973, 16.1 RPG
Abdul-Jabbar showed no signs of slowing down following the 1972 season as he maintained an unbelievable baseline in the rebounds per game category. Kareem averaged 16.1 RPG, which ranked fourth in the league behind Wilt Chamberlain, Nate Thurmond and Dave Cowens, who unseated Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA MVP. Abdul-Jabbar still had a monstrous season overall and finished second in MVP voting. He had 15 games with at least 20 rebounds.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – 1971, 16.0 RPG
1971 was a big year for both Abdul-Jabbar and the Bucks. The big man was in his second season after a standout rookie season and was ready to reach new heights. Abdul-Jabbar bumped his RPG average from 14.5 to 16.0 and led the league in scoring (31.7 PPG). Abdul-Jabbar’s dominance helped fuel the Bucks to their first NBA title with a sweep over the Baltimore Bullets.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – 1974, 14.5 RPG
Abdul-Jabbar returned to MVP form in 1974, capturing his third such award in a four-year span. Though his rebounding was below the incredibly high bar he had set in his previous three seasons, Abdul-Jabbar’s 14.5 rebounds per game still ranked fourth in the NBA and he was third in scoring (27.0 PPG) to boot. Abdul-Jabbar’s Bucks would go on to make the NBA Finals where they would fall to the Celtics in a seven-game classic.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – 1970, 14.5 RPG
A young Abdul-Jabbar took the league by storm as a rookie following his legendary college career at UCLA. Abdul-Jabbar averaged 28.8 points and 14.5 rebounds while appearing in all 82 games. That production landed Abdul-Jabbar the Rookie of the Year award and placed him third in MVP voting.
