Serge Ibaka holds the top five spots for blocks per game in a single season for the Thunder.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have had a number of talented rim protectors throughout their 59 years in the NBA between OKC and Seattle. This article will dig into the greatest shot-blocking seasons in franchise history, with Serge Ibaka filling out the entire list. Note that blocks did not become an official NBA stat until the 1973-74 season.
Serge Ibaka – 2012, 3.7 BPG
In a lockout-shortened 2011-12 campaign, a 22-year-old Ibaka led the NBA with a career-high 3.7 blocks per game while appearing in all 66 contests for the Thunder. He added 9.1 points and 7.5 rebounds to earn his first career All-Defensive First Team selection, and finished a close second in the Defensive Player of the Year race to Tyson Chandler. The Republic of the Congo native notched 12 double-doubles and the only triple-double of his 14-year tenure that season, and recorded 21 outings with five or more rejections, including his personal best of 11 in his lone triple-double. Ibaka’s 241 total blocks rank second all-time in OKC franchise history, an impressive feat when considering he accomplished it with 16 less games due to the lockout.
Serge Ibaka – 2013, 3.0 BPG
The following year, ‘I-block-a’, the 24th overall pick by the Seattle SuperSonics in 2008, once again led the league in blocks at 3.0 per game, and he set the all-time Thunder record for total swats in a single season with 242 across 80 appearances. His scoring jumped up to 13.2 points to go along with 7.7 boards, helping the forward-center grab a second consecutive All-Defensive First Team award for his phenomenal efforts. Ibaka finished third in the DPOY voting. Through his first three seasons in OKC, from 2011 to 2013, he averaged 10.8 ppg, 7.6 rpg and 3.0 bpg in 228 total contests (190 starts).
Serge Ibaka – 2014, 2.7 BPG
In his fifth campaign, Ibaka averaged 15.1 points, a career-high 8.8 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 2.7 blocks across 81 games. Ibaka was a menace on the defensive end, yet his efficiency at the other end of the court gets overlooked at times, as he recorded shooting splits of 53.6 / 38.3 / 78.4 that year. At age-24, he earned his third straight All-Defensive First Team selection and finished fourth in the DPOY race.
Serge Ibaka – 2015, 2.4 BPG
In 2014-15, ‘Air Congo’ put up 14.3 points, 7.8 boards and 2.4 blocks per game across 64 outings, compiling 17 double-doubles and hauling in a career-high 22 rebounds in the process. It was the fifth consecutive season in which he averaged at least 2.4 rejections a night, and he tallied 28 games with three or more, including eight outings with at least five swats. Over the course of his seven years in Brick Town, Ibaka recorded 11.6 ppg, 7.4 rpg and 2.5 bpg in 524 appearances (413 starts).
Serge Ibaka – 2011, 2.4 BPG
Ibaka broke out during his second season with the Thunder in 2010-11, the only campaign in his 14-year career where he played in all 82 games (44 starts). ‘Mafuzzy Chef’ registered 9.9 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.4 blocks in 27.0 minutes per, making it the first of five straight years with at least 2.4 bpg. He received votes for DPOY at just 21-years-old, finishing 14th while putting himself and a young, hungry OKC squad on the map, and also led all playoff teams with 3.1 rejections a night through 17 outings. Ibaka went on to suit up for the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Clippers, Milwaukee Bucks and Toronto Raptors, winning the 2019 NBA championship when his Raps defeated the Golden State Warriors for their first and only title in franchise history.
