Michael Jordan is widely considered the greatest basketball player of all time. LeBron James is his strongest challenger for that title. Neither came particularly close to being named the greatest defender in NBA history.
Bleacher Report released its ranking of the league’s 99 best defenders Tuesday, placing Boston Celtics icon Bill Russell at No. 1. Tim Duncan finished second, followed by Kevin Garnett, Hakeem Olajuwon and Ben Wallace.
Jordan landed at No. 15, while James finished at No. 22.
Russell’s selection created an unusual challenge because many of the statistics normally used to evaluate defense did not exist during his career. The NBA did not officially track blocks or steals while Russell played, and the Defensive Player of the Year award was not introduced until 1982-83. Bleacher Report still considered Russell the obvious choice.
“This one may have been as obvious as Stephen Curry being the greatest shooter in NBA history,” Andy Bailey wrote in the original Bleacher Report ranking.
Russell’s statistical record may be incomplete, but his impact on winning is impossible to miss.
Why Bill Russell ranked as NBA’s greatest defender
Russell played 13 seasons for the Celtics and won 11 championships. Boston’s defense was significantly better than the league average in every one of those seasons. The most dramatic example came in 1963-64, when the Celtics’ defensive rating was 10.8 points better than the NBA average. Russell won his third consecutive MVP award that season and led Boston to another championship.
The lack of blocks and steals in Russell’s official record could have hurt him in a ranking that included modern stars with detailed advanced statistics. Instead, Bleacher Report viewed it as evidence that his influence went beyond the box score. Russell controlled the paint, dominated the glass, organized Boston’s defense and discouraged opponents from attempting shots that might have resulted in blocks for another center.
His 133.6 career defensive win shares remain the highest total listed among the 99 players.
Tim Duncan finishes ahead of Hakeem Olajuwon
Duncan received the No. 2 spot despite never winning Defensive Player of the Year, something Bleacher Report called “maybe the biggest miss in the history of individual NBA awards. The Spurs legend earned a record 15 All-Defensive selections and served as the foundation of one of the league’s most consistent defenses for nearly two decades.
Garnett ranked third because of his versatility, intensity and influence on the Celtics’ championship defense in 2007-08. Olajuwon, the NBA’s all-time leader in officially recorded blocks, finished fourth. Four-time Defensive Player of the Year winner Wallace rounded out the top five. Dikembe Mutombo, Dennis Rodman, Scottie Pippen, Rudy Gobert and Draymond Green completed the top 10.
Where Michael Jordan and LeBron James ranked
Jordan was the highest-ranked player known primarily for his offensive greatness, landing at No. 15. The Chicago Bulls legend won Defensive Player of the Year in 1988, made nine All-Defensive First Teams and averaged 2.3 steals over his career. During his first nine seasons, Jordan averaged 2.7 steals and one block per game despite playing shooting guard.
James finished seven spots lower. Bleacher Report argued that younger fans may not fully appreciate how dominant James was defensively before the later stages of his Lakers career. At his peak, James could smother guards and wings, switch across multiple positions and turn forced turnovers into devastating transition opportunities.
Neither resume could match Russell’s impact. Jordan and James may continue to dominate the broader GOAT debate, but Bleacher Report believes the defensive version of that discussion has a much clearer answer.
It is Bill Russell, just as it has been for generations.