basketball

Top 10 NBA Career Blocks Leaders by Total Blocks of All Time

Hakeem Olajuwon's 3,830 regular-season blocks lead Dikembe Mutombo by 541, and no active player is in the NBA's career top ten.

Updated October 23, 2026 10 ranked 1 sources

Quick answer

Hakeem Olajuwon has the most blocks in NBA history, 3,830 in the regular season. Dikembe Mutombo is second with 3,289 and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar third with 3,189. The ranking uses career NBA regular-season blocked shots (playoffs not included) from Wikipedia's list of NBA career blocks leaders, with statistics accurate as of October 21, 2026.

Hakeem Olajuwon is the only player in the top ten with more than 3,300 career blocks, and Mark Eaton has the highest average here at 3.50 per game. This list ranks players by career NBA regular-season blocked shots, with statistics accurate as of October 21, 2026. Blocks were first officially recorded in the 1973-74 season. No active player is in the top ten; the highest-ranked active player is Brook Lopez, 14th with 2,148.

Career blocks (NBA regular season)

Career blocks (NBA regular season)
Hakeem Olajuwon
3830 blocks
Dikembe Mutombo
3289 blocks
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
3189 blocks
Mark Eaton
3064 blocks
Tim Duncan
3020 blocks
David Robinson
2954 blocks
Patrick Ewing
2894 blocks
Shaquille O'Neal
2732 blocks
Tree Rollins
2542 blocks
Robert Parish
2361 blocks

The ranking

1

Hakeem Olajuwon

Olajuwon holds the NBA career record with 3,830 blocks, 541 more than Dikembe Mutombo, at 3.09 per game over 1,238 games. He played for the Houston Rockets (1984-2001) and Toronto Raptors (2001-2002).

Position: CTeams (years): Houston Rockets (1984-2001), Toronto Raptors (2001-2002)Games played: 1238Blocks per game: 3.09Hall of Fame: Inducted
2

Dikembe Mutombo

Mutombo is second with 3,289 blocks at 2.75 per game, playing for six franchises from Denver to Houston. He finishes 100 ahead of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Position: CTeams (years): Denver Nuggets (1991-1996), Atlanta Hawks (1996-2001), Philadelphia 76ers (2001-2002), New Jersey Nets (2002-2003), New York Knicks (2003-2004), Houston Rockets (2004-2009)Games played: 1196Blocks per game: 2.75Hall of Fame: Inducted
3

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Abdul-Jabbar's 3,189 blocks and 1,239 games count only from 1973-74 onward, because blocks were not recorded during his Milwaukee Bucks seasons from 1969 to 1973.

Position: CTeams (years): Milwaukee Bucks (1969-1973, blocks not recorded), Milwaukee Bucks (1973-1975), Los Angeles Lakers (1975-1989)Games played: 1239Blocks per game: 2.57Hall of Fame: Inducted
4

Mark Eaton

Eaton blocked 3,064 shots in 875 games, all for the Utah Jazz. His 3.50 per game is the highest average in this top ten, and his 875 games are the fewest.

Position: CTeams (years): Utah Jazz (1982-1993)Games played: 875Blocks per game: 3.5Hall of Fame: Not marked as inducted in source
5

Tim Duncan

Duncan is fifth with 3,020 blocks, all with the San Antonio Spurs, at 2.17 per game over 1,392 games. He is 66 blocks ahead of David Robinson, the other Spurs-only player in the top ten.

Position: PF/CTeams (years): San Antonio Spurs (1997-2016)Games played: 1392Blocks per game: 2.17Hall of Fame: Inducted
6

David Robinson

Robinson recorded 2,954 blocks in 987 games for the San Antonio Spurs. His 2.99 per game is the third-highest average in the top ten, behind Mark Eaton and Hakeem Olajuwon.

Position: CTeams (years): San Antonio Spurs (1989-2003)Games played: 987Blocks per game: 2.99Hall of Fame: Inducted
7

Patrick Ewing

Ewing has 2,894 blocks at 2.45 per game, for the New York Knicks (1985-2000), Seattle SuperSonics (2000-2001) and Orlando Magic (2001-2002).

Position: CTeams (years): New York Knicks (1985-2000), Seattle SuperSonics (2000-2001), Orlando Magic (2001-2002)Games played: 1183Blocks per game: 2.45Hall of Fame: Inducted
8

Shaquille O'Neal

O'Neal ranks eighth with 2,732 blocks at 2.26 per game, playing for six franchises from Orlando to Boston.

Position: CTeams (years): Orlando Magic (1992-1996), Los Angeles Lakers (1996-2004), Miami Heat (2004-2008), Phoenix Suns (2008-2009), Cleveland Cavaliers (2009-2010), Boston Celtics (2010-2011)Games played: 1207Blocks per game: 2.26Hall of Fame: Inducted
9

Tree Rollins

Rollins blocked 2,542 shots in 1,156 games at 2.20 per game, starting with the Atlanta Hawks (1977-1988). He and Mark Eaton are the two players in this top ten not marked by the source as Hall of Fame inductees.

Position: CTeams (years): Atlanta Hawks (1977-1988), Cleveland Cavaliers (1988-1990), Detroit Pistons (1990-1991), Houston Rockets (1991-1993), Orlando Magic (1993-1995)Games played: 1156Blocks per game: 2.2Hall of Fame: Not marked as inducted in source
10

Robert Parish

Parish rounds out the top ten with 2,361 blocks. His 1,611 games are the most in this top ten, and his 1.47 per game is the lowest average here; Alonzo Mourning is 11th, 5 blocks behind him.

Position: CTeams (years): Golden State Warriors (1976-1980), Boston Celtics (1980-1994), Charlotte Hornets (1994-1996), Chicago Bulls (1996-1997)Games played: 1611Blocks per game: 1.47Hall of Fame: Inducted

Full comparison

# Name PositionTeams (years)Games playedBlocks per gameHall of Fame
1 Hakeem Olajuwon CHouston Rockets (1984-2001), Toronto Raptors (2001-2002)12383.09Inducted
2 Dikembe Mutombo CDenver Nuggets (1991-1996), Atlanta Hawks (1996-2001), Philadelphia 76ers (2001-2002), New Jersey Nets (2002-2003), New York Knicks (2003-2004), Houston Rockets (2004-2009)11962.75Inducted
3 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar CMilwaukee Bucks (1969-1973, blocks not recorded), Milwaukee Bucks (1973-1975), Los Angeles Lakers (1975-1989)12392.57Inducted
4 Mark Eaton CUtah Jazz (1982-1993)8753.5Not marked as inducted in source
5 Tim Duncan PF/CSan Antonio Spurs (1997-2016)13922.17Inducted
6 David Robinson CSan Antonio Spurs (1989-2003)9872.99Inducted
7 Patrick Ewing CNew York Knicks (1985-2000), Seattle SuperSonics (2000-2001), Orlando Magic (2001-2002)11832.45Inducted
8 Shaquille O'Neal COrlando Magic (1992-1996), Los Angeles Lakers (1996-2004), Miami Heat (2004-2008), Phoenix Suns (2008-2009), Cleveland Cavaliers (2009-2010), Boston Celtics (2010-2011)12072.26Inducted
9 Tree Rollins CAtlanta Hawks (1977-1988), Cleveland Cavaliers (1988-1990), Detroit Pistons (1990-1991), Houston Rockets (1991-1993), Orlando Magic (1993-1995)11562.2Not marked as inducted in source
10 Robert Parish CGolden State Warriors (1976-1980), Boston Celtics (1980-1994), Charlotte Hornets (1994-1996), Chicago Bulls (1996-1997)16111.47Inducted

How we ranked this

Players are ranked by total career NBA regular-season blocked shots, most first, as listed on Wikipedia's List of NBA career blocks leaders (revision 1381486331; the page states its statistics are accurate as of October 21, 2026). Only regular-season games count, so playoff blocks are excluded. The source notes that its team listings do not include American Basketball Association (ABA) teams other than those admitted into the NBA in 1976. Blocked shots were first officially recorded in the 1973-74 season, and the source excludes games from earlier seasons from both games played and the per-game average. Games played, blocks per game (rounded to the nearest hundredth by the source), team spans and Hall of Fame status are taken from the same table; Hall of Fame status follows the source's marker for Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees. Team year spans are given as the source displays them. There are no ties in the top ten.

FAQ

Who has the most blocks in NBA history?

Hakeem Olajuwon, with 3,830 regular-season blocks in 1,238 games. Dikembe Mutombo is second with 3,289.

Are any active players in the top 10 for career blocks?

No. As of October 21, 2026, none of the ten is marked as an active player by the source. The highest-ranked active player is Brook Lopez, 14th with 2,148 blocks, 213 behind Robert Parish at No. 10.

Why are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's games and blocks lower than his full career?

Blocks were first officially recorded in the 1973-74 season. The source counts only games from that season onward, so his Milwaukee Bucks seasons from 1969 to 1973 are not in his 3,189 blocks or 1,239 games.

Do these totals include ABA or playoff blocks?

Playoff blocks are not included: the source ranks career regular-season blocked shots. On the ABA, the source says only that ABA teams other than those admitted into the NBA in 1976 are not included in its team listings.

Sources

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