NBA Players with the Highest Rebounding Averages in Playoffs in Their 3rd Season

Explore the NBA players who delivered the best stats ever in a 3rd NBA season, ranked by playoff rebounds per game. See how the all-time greats compare in this top-50 historical list.

Year:

3rd

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Show: Season - Playoffs / Other Stats

Other Stats

Rebounds Per Game

3-Pointers Made Per Game

Total

Which NBA player averaged the most rebounds in the Playoffs in his 3rd year?

Playing for the 1959 Boston Celtics, Bill Russell averaged 27.7 rebounds in 11 games — the highest playoff rebounds per game average by any NBA player in his 3rd season.

Rebounds Per Game, 3rd Season

27.7 rpg
Bill Russell
(1959 Boston Celtics)

Note: No game minimums were used for this list / = NBA champion in this season.

Rebounds Per Game in a Player's 3rd Season - Top 50

Playoffs

		Rebounds			Other stats
Rk	Player (Team)	Per Game	Total	Gms	Pts	Ast	Stl	Blk	3pm
1	Bill Russell (1959 Celtics)	27.7	305	11	15.5	3.6	-	-	-
2	Wilt Chamberlain (1962 Warriors)	26.6	319	12	35.0	3.1	-	-	-
3	Moses Malone (1979 Rockets)	20.5	41	2	24.5	1.0	0.5	4.0	-
4	Jerry Lucas (1966 Royals)	20.2	101	5	21.4	2.8	-	-	-
5	Wes Unseld (1971 Bullets)	18.8	339	18	13.2	3.8	-	-	-
6	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1972 Bucks)	18.2	200	11	28.7	5.1	-	-	-
7	Bob Pettit (1957 Hawks)	16.8	168	10	29.8	2.5	-	-	-
8	Bill Bridges (1965 Hawks)	16.8	67	4	13.0	2.3	-	-	-
9	Dave Cowens (1973 Celtics)	16.6	216	13	21.9	3.7	-	-	-
10	Elgin Baylor (1961 Lakers)	15.3	183	12	38.1	4.6	-	-	-

		Rebounds			Other stats
Rk	Player (Team)	Per Game	Total	Gms	Pts	Ast	Stl	Blk	3pm
11	Bill Walton (1977 Trail Blazers)	15.2	288	19	18.2	5.5	1.1	3.4	-
12	Maurice Stokes (1958 Royals)	15.0	15	1	12.0	2.0	-	-	-
	Jim Washington (1968 Bulls)	15.0	75	5	17.2	2.0	-	-	-
14	Jarrett Allen (2020 Nets)	14.8	59	4	10.3	2.3	0.5	1.8	0.0
	Dwight Howard (2007 Magic)	14.8	59	4	15.3	1.8	0.5	1.0	0.0
16	Gene Wiley (1965 Lakers)	14.4	158	11	7.0	2.1	-	-	-
17	Buck Williams (1984 Nets)	14.1	155	11	15.5	1.5	1.4	1.5	0.0
18	Arnie Risen (1951 Royals)	14.0	196	14	19.5	2.4	-	-	-
19	George Yardley (1956 Pistons)	13.9	139	10	23.0	2.6	-	-	-
20	Larry Foust (1953 Pistons)	13.9	111	8	19.1	0.8	-	-	-

		Rebounds			Other stats
Rk	Player (Team)	Per Game	Total	Gms	Pts	Ast	Stl	Blk	3pm
21	Walter Dukes (1958 Pistons)	13.9	97	7	15.9	0.6	-	-	-
22	Red Kerr (1957 Nationals)	13.8	69	5	15.2	1.2	-	-	-
23	Zelmo Beaty (1965 Hawks)	13.8	55	4	19.3	0.3	-	-	-
	Willis Reed (1967 Knicks)	13.8	55	4	27.5	1.8	-	-	-
25	Caldwell Jones (1979 76ers)	13.4	121	9	12.7	2.3	0.4	2.4	-
26	Bob McAdoo (1975 Braves)	13.4	94	7	37.4	1.4	0.9	2.7	-
27	Derrick Coleman (1993 Nets)	13.4	67	5	26.8	4.6	1.2	2.6	1.0
	Karl-Anthony Towns (2018 Timberwolves)	13.4	67	5	15.2	2.2	0.4	1.0	0.6
29	Antonio McDyess (1998 Suns)	13.3	53	4	17.8	1.0	0.5	1.5	0.0
	Alonzo Mourning (1995 Hornets)	13.3	53	4	22.0	2.8	0.8	3.3	1.0

		Rebounds			Other stats
Rk	Player (Team)	Per Game	Total	Gms	Pts	Ast	Stl	Blk	3pm
31	Mickey Johnson (1977 Bulls)	13.0	39	3	27.3	2.3	1.7	0.7	-
	Joakim Noah (2010 Bulls)	13.0	65	5	14.8	2.6	1.8	1.4	0.0
	Oscar Robertson (1963 Royals)	13.0	156	12	31.8	9.0	-	-	-
34	Dolph Schayes (1952 Nationals)	12.9	90	7	20.3	2.1	-	-	-
35	Samuel Dalembert (2005 76ers)	12.8	64	5	11.6	0.4	0.4	1.4	0.0
	Charles Oakley (1988 Bulls)	12.8	128	10	10.1	3.2	0.6	0.4	0.0
37	Patrick Ewing (1988 Knicks)	12.8	51	4	18.8	2.5	1.5	3.3	0.0
	Jeff Ruland (1984 Bullets)	12.8	51	4	24.0	7.8	0.5	0.8	0.0
39	Nathaniel Clifton (1953 Knicks)	12.7	140	11	12.0	3.5	-	-	-
40	Charles Barkley (1987 76ers)	12.6	63	5	24.6	2.4	0.8	1.6	0.2

		Rebounds			Other stats
Rk	Player (Team)	Per Game	Total	Gms	Pts	Ast	Stl	Blk	3pm
41	Larry Bird (1982 Celtics)	12.5	150	12	17.8	5.6	1.9	1.4	0.1
42	Toby Kimball (1969 Rockets)	12.3	74	6	9.8	0.7	-	-	-
43	Shawn Kemp (1992 Supersonics)	12.2	110	9	17.4	0.4	0.6	1.6	0.0
44	Jack Coleman (1952 Royals)	12.2	73	6	9.8	5.8	-	-	-
45	LeRoy Ellis (1965 Lakers)	12.1	133	11	14.4	0.6	-	-	-
46	Cliff Hagan (1959 Hawks)	12.0	72	6	28.5	2.7	-	-	-
	Dikembe Mutombo (1994 Nuggets)	12.0	144	12	13.3	1.8	0.7	5.8	0.0
48	Shaquille O'Neal (1995 Magic)	11.9	250	21	25.7	3.3	0.9	1.9	0.0
49	Deandre Ayton (2021 Suns)	11.8	260	22	15.8	1.1	0.8	1.1	0.0
	Karl Malone (1988 Jazz)	11.8	130	11	29.7	1.5	1.2	0.6	0.0
	Mason Plumlee (2016 Trail Blazers)	11.8	130	11	7.0	4.8	0.6	1.0	0.0

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