Top 10 Most Rebounds in a Game (Since 1983-84)
The most rebounds in a game by an NBA player is 55 by Wilt Chamberlain on November 24th, 1960, against the Boston Celtics. This is no surprise. Throughout his career, Chamberlain averaged 22.9 rebounds. In the 1960-61 NBA season, Chamberlain averaged 27.2 rebounds a game.
IN ADDITION, Wilt Chamberlain has had 38+ rebounds in a game 29 TIMES and Bill Russell 23 TIMES! There are no players from the 1983-84 NBA Season and onwards with 38+ rebounds in a game. The only other players to have more than 38+ rebounds in a game were:
Jerry Lucas (40 Rebounds)
Neil Johnston (39 Rebounds)
Maurice Stokes (38 Rebounds)
As a result, when looking at which players had the most rebounds in a game, we'll look from the 1983-84 NBA Season and onwards. If we were to include players from before then, we would only be talking about Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell.
However, I do want to briefly cover Maurice Stokes and his 38 rebound game. Stokes was drafted in the 1955 NBA Draft by the Rochester Royals as the second pick!
Unfortunately, Stokes had an extremely short three-season career as he was diagnosed with post-traumatic encephalopathy (i.e., paralyzation). Nonetheless, he still made the best of his three-season career. He was a:
3x All-Star
3x All-NBA Second Team
Rookie of the Year
1955-56 Rebounding Leader
Hall of Famer
Stokes was always a fantastic rebounder. At only 6'7," throughout his career, he averaged 17.3 rebounds. As a rookie in the 1955-56 NBA season, he led the league in rebounds per game (16.3). This also happened to be the same season where Stokes had his 38 rebound game.
On January 14th, 1956, against the Rochester Royals, Stokes put up:
26 Points, 14 Assists, 38 Rebounds
11/18 FG, 4/9 FT
45 Minutes
Not only did Stokes grab 38 rebounds, but he also had a triple-double! What makes this more impressive is that he was a rookie!
In addition, he was playing against one of the best Power Forwards in the league back then, Adolph Schayes, who, in the 1955-56 NBA season, averaged 20.4 points and 12.4 rebounds! This would be Stokes career-high in rebounds in a game.
Heads up, but if a player is on this list multiple times (ex: Dennis Rodman, Dikembe Mutombo, etc.), I will only go in-depth into their highest-rebound game, so I can use more space to talk about other players that only appear once.
Now back to the players who recorded the most rebounds in a game from the 1983-84 NBA Season and onwards!
Table of Contents:
26 Rebounds (24 Players)
24 PLAYERS are tied for the tenth-most rebounds in a game. The 24 players that have grabbed 26 rebounds in a game are:
One 26 Rebound Game: Clint Capela, Anthony Davis, Enes Kanter, DeAndre Jordan, Reggie Evans, Tim Duncan, Joel Przybilla, Andre Biedrins, Erick Dampier, Shaquille O' Neal, Lorenzen Wright, Chris Webber, Jayson Williams, Ervin Johnson, Charles Barkley, Dikembe Mutombo, Patrick Ewing, Charles Shackleford, Otis Thrope, and Charles Oakley.
Two 26 Rebound Games: Andre Drummond and Al Jefferson.
Four 26 Rebound Games: Dwight Howard.
Seven 26 Rebound Games: Dennis Rodman.
As said previously, if a player here doesn't show up under this section, that means that they've had a game where they grabbed EVEN MORE rebounds!
Clint Capela
To start the list of players with the tenth-most rebounds in a game is Clint Capela. Clint Capela's 26 rebound game happened on January 20th, 2021, against the Detroit Pistons. This beat his previous career-high of 25 rebounds during the 2017-2018 NBA season when Capela was still with the Houston Rockets.
It's not surprising that Capela was able to grab 26 rebounds this game. Capela was against the Detroit Pistons, the worst team in the Eastern Conference during the 2020-2021 NBA season. In addition, Capela led the league in RPG in the 2020-2021 NBA season with 14.3 rebounds a game.
In just the Second Quarter, Capela grabbed 10 REBOUNDS! This was the same number of rebounds the entire Detroit Pistons' roster had in the Second Quarter!
However, if the game didn't go into Overtime, Capela would not have beaten his previous career-high. By the end of the fourth quarter, Capela 'only' had 24 rebounds, one away from tying his last career-high and two from beating it. Thankfully, in OT, Capela would grab two more rebounds, beating his previous record.
Besides his rebounding, Capela was also the best player in this game. He put up:
27 Points, 26 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 1 Steal, and 5 Blocks
10/18 FG, 7/12 FT
39 Minutes
Anthony Davis
Anthony Davis' 26 rebound game happened on January 2nd, 2019, against the Brooklyn Nets.
This is slightly more surprising than Capela's 26 rebound game, as although Davis is a good rebounder, that's not what he's known for.
This game happened amid Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers trade 'rumors.' Rumors are in quotation marks because it was basically guaranteed that AD was leaving for the Lakers.
As a result, he only played 56 games for the New Orleans Pelicans this season. With more time to rest, maybe that was what led to his increase in rebounds. As not only did he have a 26 rebound game, but this was his career-high in RPG as well (13.1)
As for the game, although AD and the resting of the Pelicans starting five played well, the bench was half-asleep, ending in a 121-126 loss to the Brooklyn Nets.
AD outrebounded his entire team this game! The next two players with the most rebounds were Jrue Holiday and Julius Randle with four! Altogether, besides AD, the Pelicans only had 15 rebounds...
AD's 26 rebound game is impressive as the Brooklyn Nets had five players grab more than five rebounds this game:
Ed Davis: 12 Rebounds
Jarrett Allen: 11 Rebounds
DeMarre Carroll: 6 Rebounds
D'Angelo Russell: 5 Rebounds
Like Capela, AD was the best player in this game. He put up:
34 Points, 26 Rebounds, 4 Assists, 1 Steal, and 3 Blocks
12/25 FG, 2/6 3P, 8/10 FT
42 Minutes
Reggie Evans
Reggie Evans' 26 rebound game happened on March 27th, 2013, against the Portland Trailblazers. Throughout his thirteen-year career, Evans averaged 7.1 rebounds, so not a lot. He only averaged more than ten rebounds in two seasons. One of those seasons, being the same season, he would record his 26 rebound game.
The Brooklyn Nets didn't lack any decent rebounders. They had prime Brook Lopez and Gerald Wallace, but I guess Evans just took over this game.
Evans almost had as many rebounds as the entire Nets team. Everybody but Evans grabbed 28 rebounds. However, he did outrebound the Portland Trailblazers' starting lineup by four!
J.J. Hickson: 7 Rebounds
LaMarcus Aldridge: 4 Rebounds
Damian Lillard, Wesley Matthews, and Nicolas Batum: 3 Rebounds
Like Capela, Evans grabbed 10 REBOUNDS in a single quarter! What makes it more impressive than Capela's ten rebounds is that 5/10 of the rebounds were offensive rebounds.
Offensive rebounds are harder to grab, and in the 2012-2013 NBA season, Evans averaged 3.3 offensive rebounds. That means in just a quarter, he already exceeded his season average by 1.7.
Like everybody else on this list so far, Evans also had a fantastic performance:
22 Points, 26 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 1 Steal
9/13 FG, 4/9 FT
35 Minutes
Al Jefferson
Al Jefferson had TWO 26 rebound games. The first game happened on January 13th, 2010, against the Houston Rockets. The second game happened on April 16th, 2012, against the Dallas Mavericks.
Unlike everyone on this list so far, Jefferson's 26 rebound games happened during down-seasons. In the 2009-10 NBA season, Jefferson was averaging 9.3 rebounds. That still is a lot, but in the previous season, he was averaging 11.0 rebounds.
In the 2011-2012 NBA season, Jefferson averaged 9.6 rebounds. Better than 9.3, but not by a lot.
There are a lot of peculiar similarities in both games. Obviously, Jefferson grabbed 26 in both games, but in both games:
Went to THREE OVERTIMES!
Jefferson would have ended with 20 rebounds if the games didn't go into overtime.
In OT1 and OT2, Jefferson grabbed three rebounds. In OT3, Jefferson didn't grab any rebounds.
January 13th, 2010 Stats:
26 Points, 26 Rebounds, 1 Assist, 1 Steal, 1 Block
12/26 FG, 2/3 FT
49 Minutes
April 16th, 2012 Stats:
28 Points, 26 Rebounds, 1 Assist, 1 Steal, and 2 Blocks
14/25 FG
54 Minutes
Joey Przybilla
Joey Przybilla's 26 rebound game happened on March 22nd, 2008, against the Los Angeles Clippers. I would not have expected Przybilla to hold the tenth most rebounds in a game. Mainly because I don't know him, but also since he only averaged 4.3 rebounds throughout his career.
In addition, unlike everyone here so far, Przybilla has not had a single season where he averaged more than ten rebounds.
However, this was probably the perfect game for Przybilla to become a rebounding beast. The Los Angeles Clippers were pretty garbage back then, and 5/8 of their players shot less than 40% from the field:
Cuttino Mobley: 38.5 FG%
Dan Dickau: 37.5 FG%
Smush Parker: 37.5 FG%
Nick Fazekas: 33.3 FG%
Al Thornton: 18.2 FG%
In addition, it also helps that outside of LaMarcus Aldridge, all of Przybilla's teammates were shooting horribly as well.
Steve Blake: 1/8 FG
Jarrett Jack: 1/8 FG
Travis Outlaw: 1/9 FG
This allowed Przybilla to record eight offensive rebounds this game. That doesn't sound like a lot, but Przybilla only averaged 1.9 offensive rebounds throughout his career!
Joey Pryzbilla's Stats:
14 Points, 26 Rebounds, 1 Block
7/10 FG
35 Minutes
Andris Biedrins
Andris Biedrins' 26 rebound game happened on January 27th, 2008, against the New York Knicks. Like with Przybilla, I didn't expect Biedrins to hold the tenth most rebounds in a game, primarily due to the same reasons. However, Biedrins was actually a good rebounder and averaged 7.0 rebounds throughout his career.
Biedrins' 26 rebound game wasn't super impressive since no one on the Golden State Warriors besides Biedrins was good at rebounding (or tall). Biedrins was the only player above 6'10" on the Warriors.
Like Capela and Evans, Biedrins also grabbed ten rebounds in a single quarter!
Although other players have grabbed more offensive rebounds, Biedrins grabbing six offensive rebounds against the New York Knicks was pretty impressive. Back then, the Knicks had pretty good rebounds like Zach Randolph, David Lee, and Eddy Curry.
Andris Biedrins' Stats:
11 Points, 26 Rebounds, 2 Assists
4/6 FG, 3/5 FT
41 Minutes
Erick Dampier
Erick Dampier's 26 rebound game happened on January 29th, 2005, against the Philadelphia 76ers. Like Joey Przybilla's 26 rebound game, this game was the perfect setup for Dampier to beat his last rebounding record.
Dampier's last rebounding record was in the previous season, where he grabbed 25 rebounds against the Los Angeles Clippers. The same team that Przybilla went against when he caught 26 rebounds.
This game was the perfect setup because the Philadelphia 76ers were an extremely short team. The only 76ers player above 6'10" this game was Samuel Dalembert, and he only played eighteen minutes this game.
In addition, two of the Mavericks' best players, Dirk Nowitzki and Michael Finely, were bricking every shot. Nowitzki went 7/25 while Finely went 6/23. This probably was what led to Dampier's impressive TEN OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS!
Finally, since the 76ers players were so short, blocking their shots was no problem for Dampier. In this game, he had SEVEN BLOCKS! If Dirk Nowitzki wasn't playing, I'm pretty sure Dampier would have 30+ rebounds and 10+ blocks, but they would have lost the game.
Erick Dampier's Stats:
14 Points, 26 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 7 Blocks
6/11 FG, 2/4 FT
44 Minutes
Lorenzen Wright
Lorenzen Wright's 26 rebound game happened on November 4th, 2001, against the Dallas Mavericks. Like Przybilla, Wright has never had a season where he averaged more than ten rebounds.
This happened to be the perfect season for Wright to show off his skills since he was on the second-worst team on the Western Conference, the Memphis Grizzlies. The Grizzlies had ZERO All-Stars. The only All-Star was Pau Gasol, but he was a rookie in the 2001-02 NBA season.
In this game, Wright had a 32.5% usage rate. 2015-2016 MVP Stephen Curry had the SAME usage rate!
It also helps that Dirk Nowitzki wasn't playing this game, so Wright was undoubtedly the best player in this game. Wright honestly looked like prime Wilt Chamberlain this game.
Lorenzen Wright's Stats:
33 Points, 26 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 1 Steal, and 1 Block
10/21 FG, 13/17 FT
44 Minutes
During the 2001-02 NBA season, Wright was only averaging 12.4 points and 7.5 rebounds. Not only did this game lead to Wright's most rebounds in a game, but also in points!
Chris Webber
Chris Webber's 26 rebound game happened on January 5th, 2001, against the Indiana Pacers. It's not that surprising that Webber holds the record for the tenth-most rebounds in a game since he's actually a good rebounder and the first Hall of Famer we've mentioned thus far.
Throughout his career, Webber averaged 9.8 rebounds! If it weren't for his last few seasons, he would have a 10+ RPG. In addition, in the 1998-99 NBA season, Webber was the Rebounding Champion with 13.0!
Although Webber is a Hall of Famer, in my opinion, it was surprising that Webber was able to grab 26 rebounds in a game with Vlade Divac and Jermaine O' Neal. However, this game did go into overtime, where he would grab an additional three rebounds. If it weren't for OT, Webber would NOT be on this list.
What's crazy is that Webber's 26 rebounds aren't' even the most impressive stat recorded by Webber this game. In this game, Webber had a:
45.0% Usage Rate
39.1% Assist Percentage
26.5% Rebounding Percentage
51 POINTS
47 Field Goal Attempts
Webber only had five assists but still had a higher assist percentage than rebounding percentage! Then again, the Kings only had fourteen assists this game.
Like Lorenzen Wright, this is definitely Chris Webber's best game. This was also the game that led to Webber's career-high in rebounds AND points!
Chris Webber's Stats:
51 Points, 26 Rebounds, 5 Assists, 3 Steals, and 2 Blocks
24/47 FG, 0/1 3P, 3/6 FT
50 Minutes
Webber's 51 points is much more impressive than his 26 rebounds. His second career-high in rebounds is 22, while for points, it's 40.
Jayson Williams
Jayson Williams' 26 rebound game was on November 13th, 1997, against the Cleveland Cavaliers. This entry isn't that surprising as it honestly seemed like Williams' was on the road to having the most rebounds in a game (since 1983-84).
In the 1995-96 NBA season, Williams had a 25 rebound game. The following season, he had a 24 rebound game, and in his final season, he had a 21 rebound game. From 1996-99, he was averaging 13 rebounds a game! He was also on the New Jersey Nets, which had no good rebounders besides Williams.
Unfortunately, he had to retire early due to a broken leg, so we'll never know if Williams could have broken the record.
This also isn't that surprising because the New Jersey Nets were shit this game. Everybody was missing, which just gave Williams more opportunities to grab rebounds.
The Nets' shooting was atrocious. The team ended with a 30.7 FG%! Only Sam Cassell had a FG% that was above 36%! 6/8 of the players shot LESS THAN 30% from the field:
Jayson Williams: 27.3%
Kendall Gill: 25.0%
David Benoit: 20.0%
Chris Gatling: 0%
Yinka Dare: 0%
Michale Cage: Played 23 Minutes and Didn't Shoot the Ball Once
The Nets would only end up with 74 points this game...
So far, everybody on this list has had really impressive games. However, even though Williams grabbed 26 rebounds, this wasn't that good of a game.
Jayson Williams' Stats:
13 Points, 26 Rebounds, 2 Steals, and 1 Block (5 Turnovers)
3/11 FG, 7/10 FT
41 Minutes
Ervin Johnson
Ervin Johnson's 26 rebound game was on April 19th, 1997, against the Dallas Mavericks. Out of everybody listed so far, this is probably the most surprising yet unsurprising performance.
It's not surprising because, in the 1996-97 NBA season, Johnson joined the third-worst team in the Western Conference, the Denver Nuggets. With the Nuggets, Johnson would average a career-high 11.1 rebounds and played 31.7 minutes per game.
He would never have another season where he averaged more than ten rebounds and played more than 30 minutes a game.
It's also not surprising because this was the last game for the Denver Nuggets and Dallas Mavericks. The Nuggets and Mavericks had no chance of making the playoffs, so I doubt anyone cared about the game.
It is surprising because Johnson had a lot of competition in regards to rebounding. Three other players had 10+ rebounds this game:
Shawn Bradley: 16 Rebounds
A.C. Green: 11 Rebounds
Anthony Goldwire: 11 Rebounds
Also, Shawn Bradley is 7'6" while Johnson is 6'11." even with a seven-inch disadvantage, Johnson was able to outrebound the fourth tallest player in NBA history.
Ervin Johnson's Stats:
21 Points, 26 Rebounds, 1 Steal, 2 Blocks
7/13 FG, 7//8 FT
46 Minutes
Patrick Ewing
Patrick Ewing's 26 rebound game was on December 19th, 1992, against the Miami Heat. This is surprising for the wrong reason. I expected Ewing to have more rebounds in a game. Throughout his 17 season career, Ewing has had 12 seasons where he had a game with 20+ REBOUNDS!
This game was more of a rebounding contest between Patrick Ewing and Rony Seikaly rather than an actual game. Although it's nowhere near Ewing, Seikaly still grabbed 17 rebounds this game.
In addition to Seikaly, both Grant Long and John Salley had nine rebounds this game. If Seikaly, Long, and Salley didn't decide to go off on rebounding, I'm pretty sure Ewing would have had 30 rebounds this game.
I also found it interesting because Ewing's teammate, Charles Oakley, only recorded four rebounds this game.
Oakley is only a 1x All-Star, so you wouldn't think that deep into his four rebounds, but Oakley holds the record for the most rebounds in a game. I'm not going to talk about Oakley any further, but he also had a 26 rebound game!
Back to Ewing, he outrebounded the entire Knicks team and had a 51.1% defensive rebounding percentage!
Patrick Ewing's Stats:
24 Points, 26 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 1 Steal, and 1 Block
9/14 FG, 6/7 FT
44 Minutes
Charles Shackleford
Charles Shackleford's 26 rebound game was on February 20th, 1990, against the Milwaukee Bucks. THIS is probably the MOST unexpected performance ever, not just in terms of rebounds but also in general. During the 1991 NBA season, Shackleford only averaged:
8.2 Points, 6.8 Rebounds, 0.8 Assists, 0.6 Steals, and 0.5 Blocks
46.2 FG%, 68.7 FT%
22.2 Minutes
No offense to Shackleford, but he wasn't the best player. He would only play six seasons in the NBA, and within those six seasons, Shackleford also played in Italy, Turkey, and Greece. The only reason why he had such a fantastic performance was that the New Jersey Nets were god awful (17-65).
In addition, unlike everyone else here, whose second most rebound game was relatively close to their most rebounds in a game, the second-most rebounds Shackleford has ever had was only 18.
However, just so I don't sound so toxic, I will commend Shackleford for being able to grab 26 rebounds while having to also play with Sam Bowie and Joe Barry Carroll, the other two New Jersey Nets' Centers.
In this game, Shackleford set a career-high in points, rebounds, and defensive rebounds!
Charles Shackleford's Stats:
23 Points, 26 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 2 Steals
9/15 FG, 5/8 FT
40 Minutes
Otis Thorpe
Finally, the last player to tie for the tenth-most rebounds in a game is Otis Thrope. Otis Thorpe's 26 rebound game was on February 15th, 1990, against the New York Knicks. This was just five days before Shackleford would record a 26 rebound game!
Thorpe was already a good rebounder for his height (6'9"), but what makes this performance so impressive is who he was playing with. Thorpe played with Hakeem Olajuwon and Larry Smith this game. Olajuwon was the rebounding leader this season (14.0), and Larry Smith was known for being an elite rebounder!
Playing with two prolific rebounders, you would think it would be hard to set a rebounding record. In addition, in the game, Olajuwon had 15 rebounds, and Smith had 14 rebounds!
Sidetracking a bit, but surprisingly, Olajuwon has never had a 26 rebound game. He's had multiple 25 rebound games, but nothing more. Olajuwon is one of, if not the best, Center in NBA History. He was also a 2x Rebounding Champion, 3x Blocking Champion, and MVP, yet he's never had a 26 rebound game.
Not only were Thorpe's teammates good rebounders but the opposition as well. Thrope was against previously mentioned Patrick Ewing and Charles Oakley. However, they had pretty poor rebounding performances in this game.
If Olajuwon and Smith weren't playing, imagine how many rebounds Thrope would have gotten!
Otis Thrope's Stats:
21 Points, 26 Rebounds, 4 Assists
8/16 FG, 5/8 FT
42 Minutes
27 Rebounds (14 Players)
14 PLAYERS are tied for the ninth-most rebounds in a game. The 14 players that have grabbed 27 rebounds in a game are:
One 27 Rebound Game: Karl-Anthony Towns, Andre Drummond, Tyson Chandler, Deandre Jordan, Andrew Bogut, Tim Duncan, Marcus Camby, Ben Wallace, Charles Barkley, James Donaldson, Buck Williams, Moses Malone.
Six 27 Rebound Games: Dennis Rodman
This will be the last time that 10+ players have had 'x' most rebounds in a game, so I'll finally be able to rest my fingers. Pain.
Karl-Anthony Towns
To start the list of players with the ninth-most rebounds in a game is Karl-Anthony Towns. It's been a while since we've heard a name from the modern era. KAT's 27 rebound game was on January 12th, 2019, against the New Orleans Pelicans.
This was a remarkably consistent game by KAT. It looks like he put up the same stats in every quarter:
Quarter 1: 6 Points, 8 Rebounds
Quarter 2: 8 Points, 7 Rebounds
Quarter 3: 4 Points, 6 Rebounds
Quarter 4: 9 Points, 6 Rebounds
Initially, it seemed like Anthony Davis was going to set a rebounding record this game. In the first quarter, he had 14 points and seven rebounds. Davis still ended the game with 14 rebounds, so still pretty good. This also makes KAT's 27 rebound game more impressive. In addition, Julius Randle had 11 rebounds this game.
Also, KAT outrebounded the team by four rebounds.
KAT: 27 Rebounds
Rest of the Timberwolves: 23 Rebounds
KAT's only been in the league for six seasons and averaged 11.6 rebounds a game. I'm pretty sure KAT will break this record soon.
KAT's Stats:
27 Points, 27 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 2 Steals, and 4 Blocks
10/23 FG, 3/8 3P, 4/6 FT
37 Minutes
DeAndre Jordan
The player known for rebounding, dunking, and defending has the ninth-most rebounds in a game? I did not see that coming (*sarcasm*). DeAndre Jordan's 27 rebound game was on February 9th, 2015, against the Dallas Mavericks.
Again, as said in the last paragraph, this is not surprising. This was in the midst of Lob City and was during DeAndre Jordan's prime. In addition, Jordan was the only Center on the Los Angeles Clippers this season. Twenty players were on the Clippers, and Jordan was the only Center...
ADDING ON to all that, Blake Griffin, the second-best rebounding player on the Clippers, was not playing during this game.
As for the opposition, the Dallas Mavericks had rebounding threats like Dirk Nowitzki and Tyson Chandler, but Nowitzki was having an off-game (and was old), and Tyson Chandler didn't play. The only other rebounding threat was Chandler friggin Parsons. It was free real-estate for DeAndre Jordan.
In Quarter 3, Jordan had 8 points and ten rebounds. To put that into perspective, in the 2019-2020 NBA season, Jordan averaged 8.3 points and ten rebounds per 22 minutes.
DeAndre Jordan's Stats:
22 Points, 27 Rebounds, 1 Steal, and 3 Blocks
8/12 FG, 6/9 FT
39 Minutes
Andrew Bogut
Andrew Bogut's 27 rebound game was on January 7th, 2011, against the Miami Heat. It's been a while, but this game went to overtime. If this game didn't go into OT, Bogut would have only had 24 rebounds and wouldn't be on this list.
Most players so far have played pretty well. I mean, if you have more than 20+ rebounds, it's a good game, but Bogut's shooting was awful this game. He shot 23.5% from the field and only shot 50.0% from the free-throw line. In addition, he had four turnovers and three personal fouls.
Even though Bogut grabbed 27 rebounds, his offensive rating was 72, and his defensive rating was 86. Out of all the players that played 30+ minutes this game, Bogut had the worst offensive rating.
Nevertheless, Bogut still broke a rebounding record, so still a big flex. Also, this was against the Miami Heat's Big 3: Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.
Andrew Bogut's Stats:
12 Points, 27 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 3 Steals, and 2 Blocks
4/17 FG, 4/8 FT
48 Minutes
Tim Duncan
Tim Duncan's 27 rebound game was on January 27th, 2010, against the Atlanta Hawks. This performance isn't that surprising because Tim Duncan is the best Power Forward in NBA history (at least, in my opinion). However, if everyone, including Duncan, didn't shoot like shit this game, Duncan would not have been able to grab 27 rebounds.
7/11 of the Atlanta Hawks' players shot less than 35.0% from the field:
Mike Bibby: 0/7 FG
Al Horford: 3/9 FG
Josh Smith: 3/9 FG
Zaza Pachulia: 0/3 FG
Jeff Teague, Joe Smith, and Mario West: 0/1 FG
As for the San Antonio Spurs, they shot a lot better, but still, bad shooting. Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili shot less than 40.0% from the field:
Tim Duncan: 5/20 FG
Tony Parker: 4/10 FG
Manu Ginobili: 5/16 FG
Although Duncan shot like dookie, grabbing 27 rebounds at the age of 33 is an impressive achievement.
Which performance do you think was better? Andrew Bogut's or Tim Duncan's? Both shot horribly, but Duncan had more than 20+ points and played fewer minutes. On the other hand, Bogut's defense was much better.
Tim Duncan's Stats:
21 Points, 27 Rebounds, 6 Assists, 1 Block
5/20 FG, 11/11 FT
35 Minutes
Marcus Camby
Marcus Camby's 27 rebound game was on December 17th, 2008, against the Chicago Bulls. Like Bogut, if this game didn't go to overtime, Camby would not be on this list. In OT, Camby was able to grab four rebounds! He grabbed fewer rebounds in Quarter 2 (3) and Quarter (4), yet he played six minutes in both quarters and only five in OT.
Even though Camby grabbed 27 rebounds, his Total Rebound Percentage (36.5%) was less than Baron Davis' Total Assist Percentage (42.4%), even though Davis only had twelve assists this game.
Unlike Bogut and Duncan, Camby shot well from the field. Besides that, there's not much else to say. Surprisingly, the Los Angeles Clippers lost this game because all the starters outside of Baron Davis played excellently. Everyone had more than 15 points, and Zach Randolph had 30 points!
Marcus Camby's Stats:
19 Points, 27 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 1 Steal, and 4 Blocks
9/16 FG, 1/2 FT
42 Minutes
James Donaldson
James Donaldson's 27 rebound game was on December 29th, 1989, against the Portland Trailblazers. Now, don't get me wrong. Being on a list of players with the most rebounds in a game is a fantastic accomplishment, but Donaldson's incredible achievement was being selected to be an All-Star.
Why's that? In the 1987-88 NBA season, Donaldson was selected to be an All-Star while averaging:
9.1 Points, 10.8 Rebounds, 0.8 Assists, 0.5 Steals, and 1.3 Blocks
55.8 FG%, 77.8 FT%
31.1 Minutes
I know most people think Kyle Korver is the worst All-Star selection in NBA history. Still, since Donaldson's All-Star selection was such a long time ago, people forget that a player who averaged role-player numbers was selected as an All-Star player.
To put this into perspective, Mason Plumlee... yes, Mason Plumlee has better stats than Donaldson. And guess what? Plumlee only plays 27 minutes.
Regardless of my James Donaldson All-Star rant, this was Donaldson AND the Dallas Maverick's best performance. Rolando Blackman scored 35 points on 48 FG%, while Derek Harper scored 42 points on 58 FG%.
Also, this game went to three overtimes. Unfortunately, since this game was two decades ago, I have no idea how many rebounds Donaldson had during overtime, but I'm pretty sure he wouldn't be on this list if it weren't for those three OTs.
James Donaldson's Stats:
19 Points, 27 Rebounds, 1 Steal
6/14 FG, 7/12 FT
58 Minutes
Buck Williams
Buck Williams' 27 rebound game was on February 1st, 1987, against the Golden State Warriors. The 1986-87 NBA season was when Williams averaged his career-high in rebounds per game (12.5), so a high rebounding game by Williams' was no surprise, but a 27 rebound game?
Hell no.
So far, we've had games go to one overtime, two, even THREE OTs, but this is the first game so far that has gone to FOUR OTs. There's no way that Williams would have grabbed 27 rebounds if it weren't for the FOUR OTs.
Since the game went on for so long, this game looks like a rebounding frenzy. Besides Williams, Williams' teammates, Orlando Woolridge and Mike Gminski also had 10+ rebounds this game:
Orlando Woolridge: 11 Rebounds
Mike Gminski: 13 Rebounds
Although Woolridge and Gminski grabbed a good amount of rebounds, and Williams, a crazy amount, Williams was not the only player to have more than 20 rebounds this game.
On the other team, in five fewer minutes than Williams, Joe Barry Carroll grabbed 24 rebounds! In addition, Caroll grabbed five more offensive rebounds than Williams (10)! If Caroll had played the same amount as Williams (60 minutes), they could have potentially both been on here.
Buck Williams' Stats:
18 Points, 27 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 1 Block
7/13 FG, 4/4 FT
60 Minutes
Moses Malone
I was saving the best for last. The last player to record the ninth-most rebounds in a game was Moses Malone. Moses Malone's 27 rebound game was on March 25th, 1984, against the Boston Celtics. This is the least surprising entry. Moses Malone led the league in rebounding in SIX different seasons. In the 1978-79 NBA season, he was averaging 17.6 rebounds!
Also, Malone is a 13x All-Star, 3x MVP, and Hall of Famer. I wouldn't be surprised if Malone has broken a record in every single stat.
Now you might be thinking, Malone has definitely had more than 27 rebounds in a game, right? You would be right! However, as mentioned earlier, we're looking from the 1983-84 NBA season and onwards, or else it would just be Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell.
Before the 1983-84 NBA season, Malone already had two 27 rebound games. However, as said earlier, Malone has had higher rebounding games.
In the 1977-78 and 1979-80 NBA season, Malone had a 29 rebound game! What's crazy is that that's not even the highest rebounding game Malone has had. In the 1981-82 NBA season, Malone had a 32 REBOUND game! And you know what? This STILL isn't his highest rebounding game.
In the 1978-79 NBA season, Malone had a 37 REBOUND GAME!
I know this is supposed to highlight Malone's 27 rebound game, but I'm pretty sure you'd be much more interested in Malone's 37 REBOUND GAME.
Malone was on the Houston Rockets, and during this game, the rest of the starters just let Malone do all the rebounding. Rick Barry only had two rebounds, Rudy Tomjanovich and Calvin Murphy only had one rebound, and Mike Dunleavy didn't record a single rebound.
By the end of the game, Malone had NINE more rebounds than the entire team. What's even more insane is that Malone almost ended up outrebounding their opponent, the then New Orleans Jazz, who had 42 rebounds.
Also, this is the first time I've seen a player have more offensive rebounds (19) than defensive rebounds (18).
Even if we included games before the 1983-84 NBA season, Malone wouldn't even be Top 30 in most rebounds in a game since Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell have every single rebound record.
Moses Malone's Stats:
33 Points, 37 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 1 Steal, and 2 Blocks
12/24 FG, 9/13 FT
44 Minutes
28 Rebounds (7 Players)
7 PLAYERS are tied for the eighth-most rebounds in a game. The seven players that have grabbed 28 rebounds in a game are:
One 28 Rebound Game: Rudy Gobert, Tyson Chandler, Popeye Jones, Dennis Rodman, Dikembe Mutombo, Shaquille O' Neal.
Two 28 Rebound Games: Ben Wallace
Rudy Gobert
To start the list of players with the eighth-most rebounds in a game is Rudy Gobert. Rudy Gobert's 28 rebound game was on March 14th, 2021, against the Golden State Warriors. Considering how short everybody on the Utah Jazz and Golden State Warriors are besides Gobert, it wasn't surprising to see him grab this many rebounds.
In the other two games against the Golden State Warriors this season, Gobert grabbed 14 and 15 rebounds. No offense to these two players, but Gobert's competition was a 6'9," Kevon Looney and a rookie James Wiseman. What I'm trying to say is that Gobert had no competition.
By the end of the game, Gobert had a 45.5% Total Rebound Percentage and a 77.8% Total Defensive Rebound Percentage! Although this doesn't sound like a lot, Gobert also had a 10.2% block percentage. This means that Gobert blocked 10.2% of the Golden State Warrior's two-point field goal attempts!
What's also impressive is that Gobert recorded 28 rebounds in just 32 minutes of play. If he had the opportunity to go into overtime or play more minutes, I'm 100% sure Gobert would have had 30+ rebounds.
Rudy Gobert's Stats:
24 Points, 28 Rebounds, 1 Assist, 2 Steals, and 4 Blocks
8/10 FG, 8/13 FT
32 Minutes
Tyson Chandler
Tyson Chandler's 28 rebound game was on February 27th, 2013, against the Golden State Warriors. Once again, another 28 rebound game against the Warriors. Even though this game and Rudy Gobert's 28 rebound game are seven years apart, it's basically the same Warriors' team.
David Lee, the only decent Center on the Golden State Warriors during the 2012-2013 NBA season, was not playing this game, so it was a cakewalk for Chandler.
In the first quarter, Chandler grabbed 13 REBOUNDS! I'm pretty sure Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell have had more in a quarter, but out of everyone on this list so far, I think this is the most rebounds a player has grabbed in a quarter.
13/15 of the New York Knicks' rebounds in the first quarter were by Chandler. The Golden State Warriors only had 11 rebounds in the first quarter!
Except for Stephen Curry, Amar'e Stoudemire, and J.R. Smith, everybody shot horribly:
Klay Thompson: 3/13 FG
Harrison Barnes: 1/4 FG
Jarrett Jack: 6/15 FG
Carmelo Anthony: 10/26 FG
Raymond Felton: 3/10 FG
Iman Shumpert: 1/6 FG
Hence, Chandler was able to grab 18 DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS, half of which were recorded in the first quarter (as the Warriors shot 26.3% from the field in the first quarter), and 10 OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS!
Tyson Chandler's Stats:
16 Points, 28 Rebounds, 1 Assist, 2 Steals, and 1 Block
5/9 FG, 6/7 FT
42 Minutes
Ben Wallace
Ben Wallace's 28 rebound game was on April 17th, 2001, against the Toronto Raptors. However, Wallace would have ANOTHER 28 rebound game on March 24th, 2002, against the Boston Celtics the following season.
A 2x Rebounding Champion holding the record for the eighth-most rebounds in a game isn't surprising. What is surprising is when you do it TWICE within two seasons!
In his first game against the Toronto Raptors, if it weren't for overtime, Wallace wouldn't even be Top 10. In overtime, Wallace was able to grab four rebounds. In addition, the Raptors shot 35.5% from the field this game.
As for the second game against the Boston Celtics, that was just pure rebounding finesse by Wallace. Both teams shot 46% from the field, yet Wallace was still able to grab 28 rebounds. In the third quarter, Wallace had 12 REBOUNDS. Just one shy from Chandler's 13 rebounds in one quarter.
Ben Wallace's Stats: (Game 1)
9 Points, 28 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 2 Steals, and 3 Blocks
4/5 FG, 1/4 FT
45 Minutes
Ben Wallace's Stats: (Game 2)
13 Points, 28 Rebounds, 1 Steal, and 6 Blocks
6/9 FG, 1/2 FT
43 MInutes
Popeye Jones
Time to switch it up a notch. If you're an NBA fan, you've probably heard of everybody I've listed under the 28 Rebound Section, but there's no way in hell you've heard of Popeye Jones. Popeye Jones' 28 rebound game was on January 9th, 1996, against the Indiana Pacers.
What makes this record so impressive is that Popeye Jones is only 6'8." In addition, Jones was against Rik Smits. For those of you that don't know, Rik Smits is 7'4!"
Even though Smits was 7'4," Jones was able to dominate and still grab 11 OFFENSIVE rebounds. On the other hand, Smits grabbed ZERO offensive rebounds and only SEVEN defensive rebounds. Just visualize a 6'8" Jones jumping up and down and outrebounding a 7'4" Smits.
In Smits' defense, Jones was a pretty big dude for his size. They were both 250 pounds. However, if you can't box out someone that's six inches shorter than you, that's pretty sad. That's like if LeBron James got outrebounded by Stephen Curry.
Like most players, the team that Jones was on, the Dallas Mavericks, were dogshit, so it was easier to get more rebounds. In addition, their starting Center, Lorenzo Williams, only played 7 minutes.
Popeye Jones' Stats:
11 Points, 28 Rebounds, 5 Assists, 2 Blocks
5/16 FG, 1/2 FT
47 Minutes
Shaquille O' Neal
The last player to record 28 rebounds in a game is none other than, in my opinion, the best Center in NBA History, Shaquille O' Neal. Shaq's 28 rebound game was on November 20th, 1993, against the New Jersey Nets.
What's crazy about this game is that Shaq's 28 rebounds wasn't even the most impressive part. I'm surprised that this is Shaq's highest rebound game. I would have thought he had a 30 rebound game while with the Los Angeles Lakers, but I guess not.
The most impressive part about this game was how many blocks Shaq had. Shaq had 15 BLOCKS! 15! Not only did he set his career-high in rebounds, but in blocks as well. Reminder, but this was during his SECOND year in the NBA.
To put into perspective how impressive 15 blocks are, Shaq's 15 blocks are tied for the SECOND-MOST blocks in an NBA game. The only other player to record 15+ blocks were Manute Bol (15) and Elmore Smith (17).
Following this game, Shaq would never even touch double-digits when it came to blocks. I don't understand how Shaq could record 28 rebounds AND 15 blocks because the New Jersey Nets weren't even that short of a team.
Earlier, I said that Rudy Gobert's ~10% Block Percentage was impressive. Well, in this game, Shaq had a 22.2% Block Percentage! To me, his 15 blocks completely overshadows his 28 rebounds since two other Orlando Magic players also had 10+ rebounds:
Anfernene Hardaway: 11 Rebounds
Greg Kite: 10 Rebounds
If it weren't for Anfernee Hardaway and Greg Kite suddenly going off on rebounding, Shaq would have had a 30 rebound, 15 block game.
In addition, Shaq only played 36 minutes this game, while during the 1993-94 NBA season, he was averaging 40 minutes. If he had gotten to play another four minutes (or more), he could have tied with Elmore Smith with the most rebounds in a game!
Shaquille O' Neal's Stats:
24 Points, 28 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 1 Steal, and 15 Blocks
12/19 FG, 0/1 FT
36 Minutes
29 Rebounds (6 Players)
6 PLAYERS are tied for the seventh-most rebounds in a game. The six players that have grabbed 29 rebounds in a game are:
One 29 Rebound Game: Andre Drummond, Timofey Mozgov, Nikola Vucevic, Herb Williams
Two 29 Rebound Games: Dikembe Mutombo and Dennis Rodman.
Andre Drummond
The most recent player to have the seventh-most rebounds in a game is Andre Drummond. Andre Drummond's 29 rebound game was on November 3rd, 2015, against the Indiana Pacers.
Andre Drummond is this decade's (2010-2020) best rebounder, so it's no surprise that he's had a 29 rebound game. In the eight seasons that Drummond has been in the NBA, he was the Rebounding Champion in four seasons! However, Drummond's 29 rebound game wasn't during one of the seasons where he was a Rebounding Champion.
Like Tyson Chandler, Drummond had a quarter where he had 13 REBOUNDS! This happened to be in the last quarter when the Indiana Pacers decided to shoot a tremendously horrible 19.0% from the field. The only Pacers player that hit a shot in this quarter was Rodney Stuckey.
In addition, the Detroit Pistons were shooting just as horrible. They shot 24.0% from the field. The only player on the Pistons to shoot more than 50% from the field and hit more than three field goals was Andre Drummond.
Combining these horrible shooting splits allowed Drummond to pop off in the last quarter, grabbing eight defensive rebounds and five offensive rebounds. Drummond would still be on this list if every player shot like they usually did, but just not as high.
Andre Drummond's Stats:
25 Points, 29 Rebounds, 3 Steals, 1 Block
12/17 FG, 1/2 FT
43 Minutes
Timofey Mozgov
Timofey Mozgov's 29 rebound game was on April 10th, 2014, against the Golden State Warriors. Sorry in advance to Mozgov, but how do you let Timofey Mozgov grab 29 rebounds? He's not a bad rebounder, but we've probably covered 20+ players already, and they're all better than Mozgov at rebounding.
Throughout his career, Mozgov has only averaged 4.9 rebounds. Remember, he is 7'1." His highest RPG season was in the 2014-2015 NBA season, and it was still only 7.8 rebounds. His second-most rebounds in a game was only 16! Andre Drummond averaged 16 rebounds in the 2017-18 NBA season!
It feels like the 2010-2020 Golden State Warriors have allowed the most 20+ rebound games, yet, they didn't even play bad or shoot that poorly. Mozgov just channeled his inner Wilt Chamberlain this game, and this game only.
Besides rebounds, this game also happened to tie Mozgov's career-high in points (23 points). Also, for some reason, Mozgov had two three-point attempts in this game. Mozgov does not shoot threes. He must have been feeling himself.
Timofey Mozgov's Stats:
23 Points, 29 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 1 Steal, and 3 Blocks
10/15 FG, 0/2 3P, 3/4 FT
43 MInutes
Nikola Vucevic
Nikola Vucevic's 29 rebound game was on December 31st, 2012, against the Miami Heat. In my opinion, Vucevic has been one of the most underrated Centers in the NBA (2010-2020). Although he's had two All-Star appearances, he honestly deserves more. However, I am surprised that Vucevic has had a 29 rebound game.
What makes this even more surprising is that Vucevic's 29 rebound game was during his second season in the NBA. In addition, it was against the Miami Heat's then Big 3 of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.
Also, neither team shot or played poorly. The Miami Heat shot 47.1% from the field, and the Orlando Magic shot 47.7% from the field. However, in the second quarter, the Miami Heat were shooting an abysmal 22.2% from the field, and Vucevic took over in that second quarter:
Vucevic's Second Quarter Stats:
11 Points, 11 Rebounds, 1 Assist, 3 Steals, and 1 Block
59 FG, 1/3 FT
12 Minutes
By the end of the game, Vucevic almost outrebounded the entire Miami Heat team (33 rebounds).
Nikola Vucevic's Stats:
20 Points, 29 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 3 Steals, and 2 Blocks
9/17 FG, 2/4 FT
47 Minutes
Herb Williams
The last player to hold the record for the seventh-most rebounds in a game is Herb Williams. Williams' 29 rebound game was on January 23rd, 1989, against the Denver Nuggets. The past three players with 29 rebound games were all between 2010-2020, so this is an extremely sudden change.
First off, yes, I also had no idea who Herb Williams was before looking this up. Williams grabbing 29 rebounds is just as surprising as Timofey Mozgov's 29 rebound game. Through his 18 season career, Williams only averaged 5.9 rebounds. The most rebounds that Williams has ever averaged was 9.1 in the 1985-86 NBA season.
In addition, Williams' second career-high in rebounds was only 17.
As for the game, both teams played decently. The Denver Nuggets had three players grab more than ten rebounds this game:
Elston Turner: 14 Rebounds
Wayne Cooper and Blair Rasmussen: 11 Rebounds
So it's impressive that Williams was still able to grab 29 rebounds.
Although this has nothing to do with Williams, if Blair Rasmussen played the same amount of minutes as Williams (40 minutes), Rasmussen would have had at least 30+ rebounds as Rasmussen only played 13 minutes.
Herb Williams' Stats:
21 Points, 29 Rebounds, 1 Assist, 1 Steal, and 3 Blocks
9/21 FG, 3/5 FT
40 Minutes
30 Rebounds (5 Players)
We are finally in the 30s! 5 PLAYERS are tied for the sixth-most rebounds in a game. The five players that have grabbed 30 rebounds in a game are:
One 30 Rebound Game: Enes Kanter, Dwight Howard, Andrew Bynum, Dennis Rodman, and Michael Cage.
Enes Kanter
Since publishing this article, Kanter is the most recent NBA player to record 30 rebounds in a game! Kanter's 30 rebound game was on April 10th, 2021, against the Detroit Pistons. This is surprising, yet, not too surprising at the same time.
Kanter has always been a decent rebounder, averaging 10+ rebounds in three seasons, and he previously had a 26 rebound game in the 2018-19 NBA season with the New York Knicks. In addition, this 30 rebound game was against the worst team in the Eastern Conference, the Detroit Pistons.
However, I don't think anyone was expecting him ever to have a 30 rebound game.
I expected that both teams were shooting horribly this game, so Kanter was able to grab 30 rebounds, but both teams shot 45%+ from the field. Kanter just had a fantastic rebounding game.
Kanter ended up with 30/49 of the Portland Trailblazers rebounds. He also had a 44.7% Total Rebound Percentage and a whopping 53.0% Total Defensive Rebound Percentage! This is undoubtedly Kanter's best game throughout his nine-season career. Unless he somehow gets another 30+ rebound game, there's no way he'll have a better game.
Enes Kanter's Stats:
24 Points, 30 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 1 Steal, and 2 Blocks
9/16 FG, 6/8 FT
37 Minutes
Dwight Howard
Dwight Howard's 30 rebound game was on March 21st, 2018, against the Brooklyn Nets. Dwight Howard having a 30 rebound game is no surprise.
He is a 5x Total Rebounding Champion, 8x All-Star, and 8x All-NBA. So far, throughout his career, he's averaged 12.1 rebounds. He has also had THREE 26 rebound games throughout his career!
However, this is just as surprising as Enes Kanter's 30 rebound game because of when it took place.
It wasn't when Dwight Howard was with the Orlando Magic. It wasn't when he was with the Houston Rockets. It wasn't even when he was on the Los Angeles Lakers. This was in the 2017-2018 NBA season when Howard was with the Charlotte Hornets.
If you didn't know, this was the "lowest" of Dwight Howard's career. After being crowned as one of the best Centers in the NBA, and potentially in NBA history, after his brief stints with the Lakers and Rockets, Howard's reputation as 'one of the best' diminished.
He was tossed from team to team, one of those teams being the Charlotte Hornets.
When he was with the Hornets, Howard was still averaging 12.5 rebounds, but he was far from the prime of his career, so it's surprising that his 30 rebound game was during such a weird season in his career.
Dwight Howard's Stats:
32 Points, 30 Rebounds, 1 Assist
10/17 FG, 12/21 FT
34 MInutes
Andrew Bynum
Andrew Bynum's 30 rebound game was on April 11th, 2012, against the San Antonio Spurs. This game kind of sucks, not because Bynum did badly. If you grab 30 rebounds, you're obviously amazing, but because this was the season before, Bynum would end up having his career-ending injury.
Who would have known whether Bynum would have gotten an even higher rebounding game! He was also looking to become the next best Center in the league, just being selected for his first All-Star appearance (2011-12). In the same season, he was also averaging a career-high in points (18.7) and rebounds (11.8) this season!
As for the game itself, there's nothing exceptional about it besides the fact that Bynum had 30 rebounds. He almost outrebounded the San Antonio Spurs, who had 33 rebounds, but that's the only 'crazy' fact.
Kobe Bryant sat out this game as well, so if Kobe played this game, Bynum would have probably ended up with fewer rebounds.
Andrew Bynum's Stats:
16 Points, 30 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 2 Blocks
7/20 FG, 2/4 FT
37 Minutes
Michael Cage
The last player to have the sixth-most rebounds in a game is Michael Cage. Cage's 30 rebound game was on April 24th, 1988, against the Los Angeles Clippers. This is similar to Herb Williams' 29 rebound game in that this was YEARS ago, and the most random NBA player holds the record.
This isn't as surprising as Williams' 29 rebound game because Cage was good at rebounding. He led the league in rebounding in the 1987-88 NBA season with 13 rebounds. Cage has also had two other seasons where he averaged 10+ rebounds and a couple of 20+ rebound games.
Although Cages' 30 rebounds were impressive, he was an offensive liability. Rebounding does help offense, even if it is a defensive rebound, as without getting a rebound, how the hell would the team start going on offense.
Cage was specifically an offensive liability when it came to shooting. Out of everybody in the game, including the opposing team, Cage played the most minutes (48 minutes) yet only made EIGHT shot attempts. Kevin Williams played 12 minutes and made SEVEN shot attempts.
What makes this worst is that Cage only made ONE out of the EIGHT shot attempts. Again, 48 minutes of play just for one field goal. In the end, Cage still grabbed 30 rebounds, so it honestly doesn't matter.
Michael Cage's Stats:
8 Points, 30 Rebounds, 3 Assist, 1 Steal, and 3 Blocks
1/8 FG, 6/6 FT
48 Minutes
31 Rebounds (4 Players)
WE'RE HALFWAY! 4 PLAYERS are tied for the fifth-most rebounds in a game. The four players that have grabbed 31rebounds in a game are:
One 31 Rebound Game: Kevin Love, Dikembe Mutombo, Dennis Rodman, and Kevin Willis
Kevin Love
To start the list of players (i.e., two players) with the fifth-most rebounds in a game is Kevin Love. Kevin Love's 31 rebound game was on November 12th, 2010, against the New York Knicks. Although current Kevin Love isn't the best, Minnesota Timberwolves was a whole other animal.
However, this wasn't during prime Timberwolves Kevin Love. This 31 rebound performance was during Love's second season when he was still only averaging 14/11/2 and still wasn't a bonafide superstar. 14/11/2 is an impressive stat-line, but prime Timberwolves Love was averaging up to 26/13/4.
At first, it didn't seem like Love would beat any record or even have a good performance. In the first quarter, he only had two assists, two rebounds and missed all three of his field-goal attempts.
Love stepped it up a notch in the second quarter, putting up 6 points, grabbing seven rebounds, and getting two assists. However, Love would go apesh*t in the third quarter. He put up:
11 Points, 15 Rebounds, 1 Assist
3/8 FG, 5/6 FT
11 Minutes
So far, this is the most rebounds a player has grabbed in a quarter. The last two players with the most rebounds in a quarter, specific to this list, were Tyson Chandler (13) and Andre Drummond (13).
Kevin Love's Stats:
31 Points, 31 Rebounds, 5 Assists, 1 Block
11/26 FG, 1/4 3P, 8/10 FT
41 Minutes
Dikembe Mutombo
Dikembe Mutombo's 31 rebound game was on March 26th, 1996, against the Charlotte Hornets. Now, I would be doing a disservice if I didn't mention the other rebounding records that Mutombo had that was also on this list:
1x 26 Rebound Game
1x 28 Rebound Game
2x 29 Rebound Games
Mutombo was a 2x Rebounding Champion, 8x All-Star, 3x All-NBA, and Hall of Famer, so it's no surprise that he's on here. However, it is surprising that it was during the 1995-96 NBA season since this is one of Mutombo's lower average rebounding seasons (11.8).
This game was a rebounding match between Dikembe Mutombo and the Charlotte Hornets' Larry Johnson, Robert Parish, and Matt Geiger. They grabbed:
Robert Parish: 17 Rebounds
Larry Johnson and Matt Geiger: 13 Rebounds
So it's surprising that Mutombo was still able to grab 31 rebounds when the opposing team had THREE players grab 10+ rebounds. What's even more surprising is that Mutombo's Total Rebound Percentage was only 29.1%. There are players earlier on in this list that have had higher TRP%.
Dikembe Mutombo's Stats:
16 Points, 31 Rebounds, 1 Steal, 6 Blocks
5/9 FG, 6/8 FT
51 Minutes
32 Rebounds (1 Player)
The only player to hold the record for the fourth-most rebounds in a game is Dennis Rodman. Rodman had TWO 32 rebound games. His first 32 rebound game was on January 28th, 1992, against the Charlotte Hornets. His second 32 rebound game was on January 22nd, 1994, against the Dallas Mavericks.
However, since Rodman has had higher rebounding games, we're going to save him for later. I haven't counted, but I think that Rodman holds at least 10+ rebounding records on this list. If you are interested in these two games, I'll still put the stats up:
Dennis Rodman's Game 1 Stats:
16 Points, 32 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 1 Block
6/9 FG, 1/1 3P, 3/5 FT
50 Minutes
(This was the only season Rodman took three-pointers)
Dennis Rodman's Game 2 Stats:
8 Points, 32 Rebounds, 5 Assists, 1 Steal, and 1 Block
4/8 FT
43 Minutes
33 Rebounds (2 Players)
2 PLAYERS are tied for the third-most rebounds in a game. The two players that have grabbed 32 rebounds in a game are Charles Barkley and Kevin Willis.
Charles Barkley
Charles Barkley's 32 rebound game was on November 2nd, 1996, against the Phoenix Suns. Barkley was on the Suns just a season before his 32 rebound game, so this was an excellent way to take revenge on the Suns. However, I'm pretty sure that Barkley left the Suns on good terms.
Again, a 1x Total Rebounding Champion, 1x MVP, 11x All-Star, 11x All-NBA, and Hall of Famer breaking a rebounding record is not surprising. In addition, Barkley is known as the Round Mound of Rebound.
This is surprising because we tend to forget that Barkley was only a 6'6" Power Forward. He was extremely short for his position, and at the same time, overweight for his position (252 pounds).
In addition, this wasn't when Barkley was on the Philadelphia 76ers or Phoenix Suns, but when he was on the Houston Rockets. From 1995-2000, the Houston Rockets were basically a retirement home for former superstars: Clyde Drexler, Hakeem Olajuwon, Scottie Pippen, Charles Barley, etc.
Barkley was already 33 years old, so to be able to grab 32 rebounds still is impressive. He wasn't tall either, so that means he must have had to jump a crap ton to get 32 rebounds.
Before we discuss Barkley's 32 rebound game, Barkley also had a 26 rebound game with the Phoenix Suns and a 27 rebound game when he was with the Houston Rockets.
In the first quarter of the game, it seems like Barkley was only focused on grabbing rebounds as he had 11 rebounds, but besides that, no points, assists, or steals. The only other stat that he recorded in the first quarter was a single block.
After the first quarter, Barkley stayed consistent with his rebounding, never falling under six rebounds within a quarter. By the end of the game, Barkley outrebounded the entire Phoenix Suns team (30 rebounds).
Charles Barkley:
20 Points, 33 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 2 Blocks
5/8 FG, 0/1 3P, 10/14 FT
45 Minutes
Kevin Willis
Kevin Willis' 33 rebound game was on February 19th, 1992, against the Washington Bullets. Willis being so high is surprising. He had only been a 1x All-Star and has never had a season where he led the league in rebounding.
Willis was always a good rebounder, averaging 10+ rebounds in six seasons, but he was never at the same level as Charles Barkley, Hakeem Olajuwon, Dikembe Mutombo, etc. What's even crazier is that this isn't Willis' only 30+ rebound game.
On December 3rd, 1991, against the Dallas Mavericks, Willis had 31 rebounds!
I don't know how many rebounds Willis grabbed in overtime, but if it wasn't for OT, I'm pretty sure Willis wouldn't have gotten 33 rebounds. Nevertheless, this was still an impressive game.
Unlike most players that typically grabbed a lot more defensive rebounds than offensive rebounds, Willis grabbed (almost) the same amount. He had 16 offensive rebounds and 17 defensive rebounds.
Like Dikembe Mutombo's 31 rebound game, everybody just had a good rebounding game. Three other players had 10+ rebounds this game:
Pervis Ellison: 16 Rebounds
David Wingate and Blair Rasmussen: 10 Rebounds
Kevin Willis' Stats:
20 Points, 33 Rebounds, 1 Assist, 2 Steals, and 4 Blocks
10//27 FG, 0/2 FT
45 Minutes
34 Rebounds (2 Players)
We're down to the Final 3 Players! 2 PLAYERS are tied for the second-most rebounds in a game. The two players that have grabbed 34 rebounds are Dennis Rodman and Ron Seikaly.
Dennis Rodman
Dennis Rodman's 34 rebound game was on March 4th, 1992, against the Indiana Pacers. Although 34 rebounds is A LOT, this was actually kind of a letdown since I expected Rodman to have the most rebounds in a game.
Rodman is the BEST rebounder in NBA history and has led the league in rebounding in SEVEN seasons. This 34 rebound game was during the season where he averaged 18.7 rebounds, for god's sake! In addition, as said earlier in the 32 Rebound Section, Rodman holds a crap ton of rebounding records:
7x 26 Rebound Games
6x 27 Rebound Games
1x 28 Rebound Game
2x 29 Rebound Games
1x 30 Rebound Game
1x 31 Rebound Game
1x 32 Rebound Games
Throughout his fourteen-season career, Rodman has had TWENTY 26+ rebound games! This is the most out of every player on this list!
One thing that did surprise me about this rebounding performance was that it was against the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers were one of the most efficient teams in the NBA. In this game, the Pacers shot 51.9% from the field, yet Rodman was still able to grab 16 defensive rebounds.
I also think that this is the first time a player grabbed more offensive rebounds than defensive rebounds. Rodman had 18 offensive rebounds this game! However, that's probably because the Pistons shot a measly 38.8% from the field.
Rodman himself shot 4/15 from the field, so I wouldn't be surprised if many rebounds were from his misses. Nevertheless, 34 rebounds are impressive. Rodman had more rebounds than Isiah Thomas had points (31)!
Dennis Rodman's Stats:
10 Points, 34 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 2 Steals
4/15 FG, 0/1 3P, 2/4 FT
45 Minutes
Rony Seikaly
Rony Seikaly's 34 rebound game was on March 3rd, 1993, against the Washington Bullets. Now, you might be thinking, who? I'm in the same boat. You would expect someone like Hakeem, Shaq, or Dwight Howard to be up here, but Rony Seikaly... who even is he?
Seikaly was not a bad player. He was a very good Center, and I'm pretty sure any playoff team would have wanted Seikaly on their team. In his prime, Seikaly averaged 17/12/1, so obviously, he wasn't bad. However, in an era full of dominant Centers, how did Seikaly get the second-most rebounds in a game?
Also, we haven't mentioned a non-All-Star in a while. The last non-All-Star we mentioned was Michale Cage in the 30 Rebound Section, but at least Cage led the league in rebounding in one season. Seikaly has never been an All-Star and has never been a Rebounding Champion. Also, his second-most rebounds in a game was only 24.
So... the reason why Seikaly was able to grab 34 rebounds? He just played well. Wow, what a surprise. Usually, players rebounds are inflated if both teams shoot horribly, but neither the Miami Heat nor Washington Bullets shot poorly:
Miami Heat: 56.7 FG%
Washington Bullets: 44.2 FG%
Seikaly alone had four more rebounds than the entire Washington Bullets team and outrebounded the Miami Heat by NINE rebounds. Seikaly ended up with a 45.8% Total Rebound Percentage and a 55.7% Defensive Rebound Percentage!
Rony Seikaly's Stats:
12 Points, 34 Rebounds, 4 Assists, 1 Block
6/12 FG
40 Minutes
35 Rebounds!
Finally, the player with the most rebounds in a game is New York Knicks legend Charles Oakley. However, this 35 rebound game was when Oakley was with the Chicago Bulls. On April 22nd, 1988, against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Oakley grabbed 35 REBOUNDS!
I'm not sure if this is as surprising as Ron Seikaly's 34 rebound game. Oakley had six seasons where he had 10+ rebounds, but like Seikaly, he never led the league in rebounding. On the other hand, Oakley was a 1x All-Star and a part of the All-Defensive Team twice.
Besides that, Oakley doesn't have any other accolades that would make you think that he would be the player with the most rebounds in a game. I'm 100% sure that if I gave you ten guesses on which players had the most rebounds in a game, you wouldn't have guessed Charles Oakley.
What's insane is that this game didn't even go into overtime, yet Oakley was still able to grab 35 rebounds. Oakley's second-highest rebounding game went to overtime, and he 'only' ended up with 26 rebounds.
Also, neither team shot horribly. The Chicago Bulls shot 43.6% from the field, and the Cleveland Cavaliers shot 50.6% from the field. Oakley just had an abnormally high rebounding game. I wouldn't be surprised if Oakley caught all of Dave Corzine's ELEVEN missed shots.
Even though Oakley grabbed 35 rebounds and played alongside the GOAT, Michael Jordan, the Chicago Bulls would still somehow lose, 103-107. The Cavaliers had a worst record than the Bulls that season as well.
Oakley played 41 minutes this game. That means, every 70 seconds, Oakley grabbed a rebound. I also think Oakley is the only player who can say they grabbed more rebounds than Michael Jordan scored.
Charles Oakley:
26 Points, 35 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 1 Steal
10/16 FG, 0/1 3P, 6/6 FT
41 Minutes
