List of NBA annual blocks leaders explained

In basketball, a blocked shot occurs when a defender deflects or stops a field goal attempt without committing a foul.^[1] The National Basketball Association's (NBA) block title is awarded to the player with the highest blocks per game average in a given season. The block title was first recognized in the 1973–74 season when statistics on blocks were first compiled.^[2] To qualify for the blocks title, the player must appear in at least 70 percent of the season's games (58 games in typical 82-game season). However, a player who appears in fewer than the minimum games may qualify as annual blocks leader if his block total would have still given him the highest average, even had he appeared in the extra required games and recorded 0 blocks in these extra games. This has been the requirement since the 2013–14 season.^{[3] [4]}

Mark Eaton holds the all-time records for total blocks (456) and blocks per game (5.56) in a season; both achieved in the 1984–85 season.^[2] Manute Bol holds the rookie records for total blocks and blocks per game when he had 397 and averaged 5.0 in the 1985–86 season.^[2] Among active players, Hassan Whiteside had the highest season block average (3.68) in the 2015–16 season.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Eaton and Marcus Camby all won the most block titles, with four.^[2] George Johnson, Manute Bol, Hakeem Olajuwon, Dikembe Mutombo, Alonzo Mourning, Theo Ratliff, Dwight Howard, Anthony Davis, Serge Ibaka, and Jaren Jackson Jr. have also won the title more than once. Both Mutombo and Camby have also won the most consecutive block titles, with three. Two players have won both the block title and the NBA championship in the same season: Bill Walton in 1977 with the Portland Trail Blazers and Abdul-Jabbar in 1980 with the Los Angeles Lakers.^[5]

Key

^	Denotes player who is still active in the NBA
	Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
†	Not yet eligible for Hall of Fame consideration
‡	Denotes player who won the Defensive Player of the Year award that year
Player (X)		Denotes the number of times the player had been the blocks leader up to and including that season
G	Guard		F	Forward	C	Center

Annual leaders

Season	Player	Pos	Team(s)	Games played	Total blocks	Blocks per game
		C	Los Angeles Lakers	81	393	4.85	^[6] ^[7]
		C	Milwaukee Bucks	65	212	3.26	^[8] ^[9]
	(2)	C	Los Angeles Lakers	82	338	4.12	^[10]
		C/F	Portland Trail Blazers	65	211	3.25	^[11] ^[12]
		C/F	New Jersey Nets	81	274	3.38	^[13] ^[14]
	(3)	C	Los Angeles Lakers	80	316	3.95	^[15]
	(4)	C	Los Angeles Lakers	82	280	3.41	^[16]
	(2)	C/F	San Antonio Spurs	82	278	3.39	^[17]
	(3)	C/F	San Antonio Spurs	75	234	3.12	^[18]
		C	Atlanta Hawks	80	343	4.29	^[19] ^[20]
		C	Utah Jazz	82	351	4.28	^[21] ^[22]
‡	(2)	C	Utah Jazz	82	456	5.56	^[23]
		C	Washington Bullets	80	397	4.96	^[24] ^[25]
	(3)	C	Utah Jazz	79	321	4.06	^[26]
	(4)	C	Utah Jazz	82	304	3.71	^[27]
	(2)	C	Golden State Warriors	80	345	4.31	^[28]
		C	Houston Rockets	82	376	4.59	^[29] ^[30]
	(2)	C	Houston Rockets	56	221	3.95	^[31]
‡		C	San Antonio Spurs	68	305	4.49	^[32] ^[33]
‡	(3)	C	Houston Rockets	82	342	4.17	^[34]
		C	Denver Nuggets	82	336	4.10	^[35] ^[36]
‡	(2)	C	Denver Nuggets	82	321	3.91	^[37]
	(3)	C	Denver Nuggets	74	332	4.49	^[38]
		C	New Jersey Nets Dallas Mavericks	73	248	3.40	^[39] ^[40]
		C/F	Toronto Raptors	63	230	3.65	^[41] ^[42]
‡		C	Miami Heat	46	180	3.91	^[43] ^[44]
‡	(2)	C	Miami Heat	79	294	3.72	^[45]
		C/F	Philadelphia 76ers	50	187	3.74	^[46] ^[47]
‡		F/C	Detroit Pistons	80	278	3.48	^[48] ^[49]
	(2)	C/F	Atlanta Hawks	81	262	3.23	^[50]
	(3)	C/F	Atlanta Hawks Portland Trail Blazers	85	307	3.61	^[51]
		F	Utah Jazz	41	136	3.32	^[52] ^[53]
	(2)	C/F	Denver Nuggets	56	184	3.29	^[54]
‡	(3)	C/F	Denver Nuggets	70	231	3.30	^[55]
	(4)	C/F	Denver Nuggets	79	285	3.61	^[56]
‡	^†	C	Orlando Magic	79	231	2.92	^[57]
‡	^† (2)	C	Orlando Magic	82	228	2.78
		C	Milwaukee Bucks	65	168	2.58	^[58]
	^†	F	Oklahoma City Thunder	66	241	3.65	^[59]
	^† (2)	F	Oklahoma City Thunder	80	242	3.03
	^	F/C	New Orleans Pelicans	67	189	2.82	^[60]
	^ (2)	F/C	New Orleans Pelicans	68	200	2.94
		C	Miami Heat	73	269	3.68	^[61]
	Rudy Gobert^	C	Utah Jazz	81	214	2.64	^[62]
	^ (3)	F/C	New Orleans Pelicans	75	193	2.57
	^	C	Indiana Pacers	74	199	2.69	^[63]
	(2)	C	Portland Trail Blazers	67	196	2.93	^[64]
	^ (2)	C	Indiana Pacers	47	159	3.38	^[65]
	^	F/C	Memphis Grizzlies	78	177	2.27	^[66]
‡	^ (2)	F/C	Memphis Grizzlies	63	189	3.00
	^	C	San Antonio Spurs	71	254	3.58

Multiple-time leaders

Rank	Player	Team(s)	Times leader	Years
1	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar	Milwaukee Bucks (1); Los Angeles Lakers (3)	4	,,,
	Marcus Camby	Toronto Raptors (1); Denver Nuggets (3)		,,,
	Mark Eaton	Utah Jazz		,,,
2	Anthony Davis	New Orleans Pelicans	3	,,
	George T. Johnson	New Jersey Nets (1); San Antonio Spurs (2)		,,
	Dikembe Mutombo	Denver Nuggets		,,
	Hakeem Olajuwon	Houston Rockets		,,
		Philadelphia 76ers (1); Atlanta Hawks (1); Atlanta Hawks/Portland Trail Blazers (1)		,,
3	Manute Bol	Washington Bullets (1); Golden State Warriors (1)	2	,
	Dwight Howard	Orlando Magic		,
	Serge Ibaka	Oklahoma City Thunder		,
	Jaren Jackson Jr.	Memphis Grizzlies		,
	Alonzo Mourning	Miami Heat		,
	Myles Turner	Indiana Pacers		,
	Hassan Whiteside	Miami Heat (1); Portland Trail Blazers (1)		,

See also

• NBA records
• List of National Basketball Association career blocks leaders
• List of National Basketball Association annual scoring leaders
• List of National Basketball Association annual 3-point scoring leaders
• List of National Basketball Association annual assists leaders
• List of National Basketball Association annual rebounding leaders
• List of National Basketball Association annual steals leaders
• List of National Basketball Association annual field goal percentage leaders

References

General

• Web site: Yearly Leaders and Records for Blocks Per Game. basketball-reference.com. March 7, 2010.

Specific

Notes and References

1. Web site: Basketball glossary. https://web.archive.org/web/20100516175956/http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/baskBasi/glos.asp. dead. May 16, 2010. FIBA.com. April 20, 2010.
2. Web site: Regular Season Records: Blocked Shots. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. April 20, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20110224200319/http://www.nba.com/history/records/regular_blockedshots.html. February 24, 2011. dead.
3. News: Upon further review, Myles Turner wins 2020-21 blocked-shot season title. May 19, 2021. NBA.com. Associated Press. May 19, 2021.
4. Web site: Rate Statistic Requirements. basketball-reference.com. February 6, 2020.
5. Web site: NBA Honors: Blocks Leaders, Year by Year. Land of Basketball. October 15, 2020.
6. Web site: League Leaders: Blocks – 1973–74. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 7, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20140818172515/http://www.nba.com/history/blocks/19731974.html. August 18, 2014. dead.
7. s/smithel01. Elmore Smith. March 7, 2010.
8. Web site: League Leaders: Blocks – 1974–75. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 7, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20140728190844/http://www.nba.com/history/blocks/19741975.html. July 28, 2014. dead.
9. a/abdulka01. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. March 7, 2010.
10. Web site: League Leaders: Blocks – 1975–76. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 7, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20140730035923/http://www.nba.com/history/blocks/19751976.html. July 30, 2014. dead.
11. Web site: League Leaders: Blocks – 1976–77. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 7, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20140728190826/http://www.nba.com/history/blocks/19761977.html. July 28, 2014. dead.
12. w/waltobi01. Bill Walton. March 7, 2010.
13. Web site: League Leaders: Blocks – 1977–78. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 7, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20150218065840/http://www.nba.com/history/blocks/19771978.html. February 18, 2015. dead.
14. j/johnsge02. George Johnson. March 7, 2010.
15. Web site: League Leaders: Blocks – 1978–79. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 7, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20140818174757/http://www.nba.com/history/blocks/19781979.html. August 18, 2014. dead.
16. Web site: League Leaders: Blocks – 1979–80. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 7, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20140728190947/http://www.nba.com/history/blocks/19791980.html. July 28, 2014. dead.
17. Web site: League Leaders: Blocks – 1980–81. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 7, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20140818174802/http://www.nba.com/history/blocks/19801981.html. August 18, 2014. dead.
18. Web site: League Leaders: Blocks – 1981–82. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 7, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20140802115425/http://www.nba.com/history/blocks/19811982.html. August 2, 2014. dead.
19. Web site: League Leaders: Blocks – 1982–83. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 7, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20140802160014/http://www.nba.com/history/blocks/19821983.html. August 2, 2014. dead.
20. r/rollitr01. Tree Rollins. March 7, 2010.
21. Web site: League Leaders: Blocks – 1983–84. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 7, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20140818174840/http://www.nba.com/history/blocks/19831984.html. August 18, 2014. dead.
22. e/eatonma01. Mark Eaton. March 7, 2010.
23. Web site: League Leaders: Blocks – 1984–85. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 7, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20140802115438/http://www.nba.com/history/blocks/19841985.html. August 2, 2014. dead.
24. Web site: League Leaders: Blocks – 1985–86. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 7, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20140818172336/http://www.nba.com/history/blocks/19851986.html. August 18, 2014. dead.
25. b/bolma01. Manute Bol. March 7, 2010.
26. Web site: League Leaders: Blocks – 1986–87. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 7, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20140728190905/http://www.nba.com/history/blocks/19861987.html. July 28, 2014. dead.
27. Web site: League Leaders: Blocks – 1987–88. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 7, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20140728190856/http://www.nba.com/history/blocks/19871988.html. July 28, 2014. dead.
28. Web site: League Leaders: Blocks – 1988–89. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 7, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20140818172536/http://www.nba.com/history/blocks/19881989.html. August 18, 2014. dead.
29. Web site: League Leaders: Blocks – 1989–90. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 7, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20140730035919/http://www.nba.com/history/blocks/19891990.html. July 30, 2014. dead.
30. o/olajuha01. Hakeem Olajuwon. March 7, 2010.
31. Web site: League Leaders: Blocks – 1990–91. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 7, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20140730041607/http://www.nba.com/history/blocks/19901991.html. July 30, 2014. dead.
32. Web site: League Leaders: Blocks – 1991–92. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 7, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20140802160119/http://www.nba.com/history/blocks/19911992.html. August 2, 2014. dead.
33. r/robinda01. David Robinson. March 7, 2010.
34. Web site: League Leaders: Blocks – 1992–93. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 7, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20140730041617/http://www.nba.com/history/blocks/19921993.html. July 30, 2014. dead.
35. Web site: League Leaders: Blocks – 1993–94. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 7, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20140728190851/http://www.nba.com/history/blocks/19931994.html. July 28, 2014. dead.
36. m/mutomdi01. Dikembe Mutombo. March 7, 2010.
37. Web site: League Leaders: Blocks – 1994–95. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 7, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20140802115455/http://www.nba.com/history/blocks/19941995.html. August 2, 2014. dead.
38. Web site: League Leaders: Blocks – 1995–96. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 7, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20140818174845/http://www.nba.com/history/blocks/19951996.html. August 18, 2014. dead.
39. Web site: League Leaders: Blocks – 1996–97. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 7, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20140818172456/http://www.nba.com/history/blocks/19961997.html. August 18, 2014. dead.
40. b/bradlsh01. Shawn Bradley. March 7, 2010.
41. Web site: League Leaders: Blocks – 1997–98. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 7, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20140818174849/http://www.nba.com/history/blocks/19971998.html. August 18, 2014. dead.
42. c/cambyma01. Marcus Camby. March 7, 2010.
43. Web site: League Leaders: Blocks – 1998–99. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 7, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20140802160024/http://www.nba.com/history/blocks/19981999.html. August 2, 2014. dead.
44. m/mournal01. Alonzo Mourning. March 7, 2010.
45. Web site: League Leaders: Blocks – 1999–2000. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 7, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20140818172345/http://www.nba.com/history/blocks/19992000.html. August 18, 2014. dead.
46. Web site: League Leaders: Blocks – 2000–01. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 7, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20140728190955/http://www.nba.com/history/blocks/20002001.html. July 28, 2014. dead.
47. r/ratlith01. Theo Ratliff. March 7, 2010.
48. Web site: League Leaders: Blocks – 2001–02. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 7, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20140818174854/http://www.nba.com/history/blocks/20012002.html. August 18, 2014. dead.
49. w/wallabe01. Ben Wallace. March 7, 2010.
50. Web site: League Leaders: Blocks – 2002–03. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 7, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20140802115451/http://www.nba.com/history/blocks/20022003.html. August 2, 2014. dead.
51. Web site: League Leaders: Blocks – 2003–04. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 7, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20140818172408/http://www.nba.com/history/blocks/20032004.html. August 18, 2014. dead.
52. Web site: League Leaders: Blocks – 2004–05. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 7, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20140730041611/http://www.nba.com/history/blocks/20042005.html. July 30, 2014. dead.
53. k/kirilan01. Andrei Kirilenko. March 7, 2010.
54. Web site: League Leaders: Blocks – 2005–06. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 7, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20140802160126/http://www.nba.com/history/blocks/20052006.html. August 2, 2014. dead.
55. Web site: League Leaders: Blocks – 2006–07. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 7, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20140728191006/http://www.nba.com/history/blocks/20062007.html. July 28, 2014. dead.
56. Web site: League Leaders: Blocks – 2007–08. NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. March 7, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20151022093544/http://www.nba.com/history/blocks/20072008.html. October 22, 2015. dead.
57. h/howardw01. Dwight Howard. March 7, 2010.
58. b/bogutan01. Serge Ibaka. April 13, 2011.
59. i/ibakase01. Serge Ibaka. April 26, 2011.
60. Web site: Anthony Davis Stats . basketball-reference.com . 13 April 2016.
61. w/whiteha01. Hassan Whiteside. April 14, 2016.
62. g/goberru01. Rudy Gobert. May 6, 2017.
63. t/turnemy01. Myles Turner. May 17, 2021.
64. Web site: Hassan Whiteside. Basketball-Reference.com. July 13, 2020.
65. t/turnemy01. Myles Turner. May 17, 2021.
66. Web site: Jaren Jackson Jr. Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and more . 2023-04-09 . Basketball-Reference.com . en.