NBA Players with the Most Rebounds Grabbed in Their Rookie Season

Explore the NBA players who delivered the best stats ever in a 1st NBA season, ranked by regular season total rebounds. See how the all-time greats compare in this top-50 historical list.

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3-Pointers Made Per Game

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Which NBA player had the most total rebounds in the Regular Season in his rookie year?

Playing for the 1960 Philadelphia Warriors, Wilt Chamberlain recorded a total of 1,941 rebounds in 72 games — the highest total ever by an NBA player in his 1st season.

Total Rebounds, Rookie Season

1,941 reb
Wilt Chamberlain
(1960 Philadelphia Warriors)

Note: = NBA champion in this season.

Total Rebounds in a Player's Rookie Season - Top 50

Regular Season

		Rebounds			Other stats
Rk	Player (Team)	Total	Per Game	Gms	Pts	Ast	Stl	Blk	3pm
1	Wilt Chamberlain (1960 Warriors)	1,941	27.0	72	2,707	168	-	-	-
2	Walt Bellamy (1962 Packers)	1,500	19.0	79	2,495	210	-	-	-
3	Wes Unseld (1969 Bullets)	1,491	18.2	82	1,131	213	-	-	-
4	Elvin Hayes (1969 Rockets)	1,406	17.1	82	2,327	113	-	-	-
5	Jerry Lucas (1964 Royals)	1,375	17.4	79	1,400	204	-	-	-
6	Dave Cowens (1971 Celtics)	1,216	15.0	81	1,373	228	-	-	-
7	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1970 Bucks)	1,190	14.5	82	2,361	337	-	-	-
8	Elmore Smith (1972 Braves)	1,184	15.2	78	1,352	111	-	-	-
9	Willis Reed (1965 Knicks)	1,175	14.7	80	1,560	133	-	-	-
10	Shaquille O'Neal (1993 Magic)	1,122	13.9	81	1,893	152	60	286	0

		Rebounds			Other stats
Rk	Player (Team)	Total	Per Game	Gms	Pts	Ast	Stl	Blk	3pm
11	Maurice Stokes (1956 Royals)	1,094	16.3	67	1,125	328	-	-	-
12	Moses Malone (1977 more than 1 team)	1,072	13.1	82	1,083	89	67	181	-
13	Artis Gilmore (1977 Bulls)	1,070	13.0	82	1,527	199	44	203	-
14	Gus Johnson (1964 Bullets)	1,064	13.6	78	1,352	169	-	-	-
15	Elgin Baylor (1959 Lakers)	1,050	15.0	70	1,742	287	-	-	-
16	Buck Williams (1982 Nets)	1,005	12.3	82	1,268	107	84	84	0
17	Bob Pettit (1955 Hawks)	994	13.8	72	1,466	229	-	-	-
	Larry Smith (1981 Warriors)	994	12.1	82	785	93	70	63	0
19	Blake Griffin (2011 Clippers)	989	12.1	82	1,845	312	63	45	7
20	David Robinson (1990 Spurs)	983	12.0	82	1,993	164	138	319	0

		Rebounds			Other stats
Rk	Player (Team)	Total	Per Game	Gms	Pts	Ast	Stl	Blk	3pm
21	Luke Jackson (1965 76ers)	980	12.9	76	1,126	93	-	-	-
22	Tim Duncan (1998 Spurs)	977	11.9	82	1,731	224	55	206	0
23	Hakeem Olajuwon (1985 Rockets)	974	11.9	82	1,692	111	99	220	0
24	George McGinnis (1976 76ers)	967	12.6	77	1,769	359	198	41	-
	Lloyd Neal (1973 Trail Blazers)	967	11.8	82	1,097	146	-	-	-
26	Ray Felix (1954 Bullets (1st))	958	13.3	72	1,269	82	-	-	-
27	Pete Cross (1971 Supersonics)	949	12.0	79	630	113	-	-	-
28	Bill Russell (1957 Celtics)	943	19.6	48	706	88	-	-	-
	Sidney Wicks (1972 Trail Blazers)	943	11.5	82	2,009	350	-	-	-
30	Sam Lacey (1971 Royals)	913	11.3	81	1,090	117	-	-	-
	Ralph Sampson (1984 Rockets)	913	11.1	82	1,720	163	70	197	1

		Rebounds			Other stats
Rk	Player (Team)	Total	Per Game	Gms	Pts	Ast	Stl	Blk	3pm
32	Larry Johnson (1992 Hornets)	899	11.0	82	1,576	292	81	51	5
	Maurice Lucas (1977 Trail Blazers)	899	11.4	79	1,599	229	83	56	-
34	Tom Boerwinkle (1969 Bulls)	889	11.1	80	781	178	-	-	-
35	Mel Hutchins (1952 Hawks)	880	13.3	66	607	190	-	-	-
36	Larry Kenon (1977 Spurs)	879	11.3	78	1,705	229	167	60	-
37	Dikembe Mutombo (1992 Nuggets)	870	12.3	71	1,177	156	43	210	0
38	Clifford Ray (1972 Bulls)	869	10.6	82	578	254	-	-	-
39	Swen Nater (1977 Bucks)	865	12.0	72	938	108	54	51	-
	Ray Scott (1962 Pistons)	865	11.5	75	995	132	-	-	-

		Rebounds			Other stats
Rk	Player (Team)	Total	Per Game	Gms	Pts	Ast	Stl	Blk	3pm
41	Clark Kellogg (1983 Pacers)	860	10.6	81	1,625	223	141	43	4
42	Karl-Anthony Towns (2016 Timberwolves)	858	10.5	82	1,503	161	58	138	30
43	Larry Bird (1980 Celtics)	852	10.4	82	1,745	370	143	53	58
44	Rick Barry (1966 Warriors)	850	10.6	80	2,059	173	-	-	-
45	Marques Johnson (1978 Bucks)	847	10.6	80	1,557	190	92	103	-
46	Connie Hawkins (1970 Suns)	846	10.4	81	1,995	391	-	-	-
47	John Drew (1975 Hawks)	836	10.7	78	1,442	138	119	39	-
48	Dwight Howard (2005 Magic)	823	10.0	82	981	75	77	136	0
49	Joe Strawder (1966 Pistons)	820	10.4	79	676	78	-	-	-
50	Elton Brand (2000 Bulls)	810	10.0	81	1,627	155	66	132	0

* The NBA began recording rebounds in 1951, steals and blocks in 1974, and added the 3-point line in 1980.