Charles Barkley, an 11-time NBA All-Star, is in the top 5 in Phoenix Suns’ history for single season rebounds per game.
The Phoenix Suns have had several notable rebounding performances throughout their decades 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 The Valley.
Paul Silas – 1971, 12.5 RPG
Silas spent three seasons in the desert, from 1969 to 1972, where he averaged a double-double in scoring and rebounding each year. During his second campaign in Phoenix at age-27, ‘Papa Bear’ put up 11.9 points, 12.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists across 81 appearances, earning him the first of five career All-Defensive Team honors (two First, three Second). At 6-foot-7, Silas recorded 44 double-doubles and had six outings with at least 20 boards, including his career high of 27 rebounds in a win over the Cincinnati Royals. Over his 246 games with the Suns, Silas tallied 14.1 ppg, 12.1 rpg, 3.4 apg in 37.1 minutes a night.
Neal Walk – 1973, 12.4 RPG
The second overall pick in the 1969 NBA Draft by the Suns, Walk played the first five of his eight total seasons in the league in Phoenix. In 1972-73, the Cleveland, Ohio native produced the most successful individual campaign of his career, recording career-best marks in points (20.2), rebounds (12.4), minutes (38.4), and field goals made (8.4) and attempted (18.0) in 81 outings. Walk also suited up for the New Orleans Jazz and New York Knicks before leaving the NBA to play professionally overseas in 1977. In 568 total appearances, the big man averaged 12.6 ppg, 7.7 rpg and 2.1 apg in 24.4 minutes.
Charles Barkley – 1993, 12.2 RPG
Following a successful eight years in Philadelphia from 1984 to 1992, Barkley was traded to the Suns prior to the 1992-93 campaign. In his first season in Phoenix, Barkley won his lone MVP award after posting 25.6 points, 12.2 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.0 blocks in 76 games. He recorded 55 double-doubles and six triple-doubles while generating 52.0 / 30.5 / 76.5 shooting splits in 37.6 minutes, extending his consecutive streak of All-Star appearances to seven and All-NBA honors to eight. In total, Barkley was an 11-time All-Star and All-NBA selection, the 1986-87 rebounding champ (14.6 rpg) and a Hall of Fame inductee in 2006, earning ‘The Round Mound of Rebound’ a spot on the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team. He led the league in offensive rebounding three times and, according to Basketball-Reference, Barkley is the NBA’s all-time leading rebounder among players listed 6-foot-6 or shorter with 12,546.
Paul Silas – 1972, 11.9 RPG
In his final season as a member of the Suns, Silas compiled career-best numbers in scoring (17.5) and assists (4.3) to go along with his 11.9 rpg. He earned his first-ever All-Star appearance and was named to the second straight All-Defensive Second Team, helping him finish 14th in the MVP race in 1972. Over the course of his 16-year career in the NBA, Silas spent time with the St. Louis / Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Denver Nuggets and Seattle Supersonics in addition to Phoenix, collecting averages of 9.4 ppg, 9.9 rpg and 2.1 apg across 1,254 outings. The two-time All-Star was also a three-time NBA champion, winning twice with the Celtics and once as a Supersonic.
Curtis Perry – 1975, 11.9 RPG
After playing with the San Diego / Houston Rockets and Milwaukee Bucks through the first half of his eight-year career as a pro, Perry spent his final four seasons in Phoenix from 1974 to 1978. The Missouri State product put together his best statistical campaign in his debut season in the desert, averaging career-highs in points (13.4), rebounds (11.9), steals (1.4) and minutes (34.0) while adding 2.4 assists and 1.0 blocks in 79 contests. Perry finished with averages of 9.5 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.2 spg and 0.9 bpg across 480 total games.
