NBA Career Blocks Records
Hakeem Olajuwon is the NBA's all-time career leader
in blocked shots with 3,830. He is followed by
Dikembe Mutombo with 3,289 and
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with 3,189.
Mark Eaton ranks fourth with 3,064 blocks, while
Tim Duncan rounds out the top five with 3,020.
The totals below include NBA regular-season games only. Blocked shots
became an official NBA statistic beginning with the
1973-74 season.
NBA All-Time Career Blocks Leaders
| Rank |
Player |
Blocks |
| 1 |
Hakeem Olajuwon |
3,830 |
| 2 |
Dikembe Mutombo |
3,289 |
| 3 |
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
3,189 |
| 4 |
Mark Eaton |
3,064 |
| 5 |
Tim Duncan |
3,020 |
| 6 |
David Robinson |
2,954 |
| 7 |
Patrick Ewing |
2,894 |
| 8 |
Shaquille O'Neal |
2,732 |
| 9 |
Tree Rollins |
2,542 |
| 10 |
Robert Parish |
2,361 |
| 11 |
Alonzo Mourning |
2,356 |
| 12 |
Marcus Camby |
2,331 |
| 13 |
Dwight Howard |
2,228 |
| 14 |
Brook Lopez |
2,147 |
| 15 |
Ben Wallace |
2,137 |
| 16 |
Shawn Bradley |
2,119 |
| 17 |
Manute Bol |
2,086 |
| 18 |
George Johnson |
2,082 |
| 19 |
Kevin Garnett |
2,037 |
| 20 |
Larry Nance |
2,027 |
| 21 |
Theo Ratliff |
1,968 |
| 22 |
Pau Gasol |
1,941 |
| 23 |
Anthony Davis |
1,848 |
| 24 |
Rudy Gobert |
1,842 |
| 25 |
Elton Brand |
1,828 |
| 26 |
Jermaine O'Neal |
1,820 |
| 27 |
Elvin Hayes |
1,771 |
| 28 |
Serge Ibaka |
1,759 |
| 29 |
Artis Gilmore |
1,747 |
| 30 |
Moses Malone |
1,733 |
NBA Blocked Shot Records
| Record |
Player |
Total |
Details |
| Career Blocks |
Hakeem Olajuwon |
3,830 |
1984-85 through 2001-02 |
| Single-Season Blocks |
Mark Eaton |
456 |
1984-85, Utah Jazz |
| Single-Game Blocks |
Elmore Smith |
17 |
October 28, 1973 |
NBA Blocks Facts
-
Hakeem Olajuwon holds the NBA career record with
3,830 blocked shots.
-
Dikembe Mutombo finished second all-time with
3,289 blocks and won four NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards.
-
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar recorded 3,189 official blocks,
even though blocked shots were not tracked during the first four
seasons of his NBA career.
-
Mark Eaton owns the NBA single-season record with
456 blocks for the Utah Jazz during the 1984-85 season.
-
Eaton also holds the highest qualifying career blocks-per-game
average at approximately 3.5 blocks per game.
-
Elmore Smith holds the NBA single-game record with
17 blocked shots for the Los Angeles Lakers against the Portland Trail
Blazers on October 28, 1973.
-
Dwight Howard finished with 2,228 blocks, placing him
13th on the NBA's all-time career list.
-
Brook Lopez has moved into the top 15 in NBA history
with 2,147 career blocks through the end of 2025-26.
-
Anthony Davis and Rudy Gobert have
both moved into the top 25 in career blocked shots.
2025-26 NBA Blocks Leader
Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs led the NBA
with 197 blocked shots during the 2025-26 regular
season.
Wembanyama also led the league in blocks in each of his first two NBA
seasons, recording 254 blocks in 2023-24 and 176 in 2024-25. His
197 blocks in 2025-26 gave him the league lead for a third consecutive
season.
Why Official NBA Block Records Begin in 1973-74
Blocked shots were not officially recorded by the NBA until the
1973-74 season. Because of this, career totals for
many of the greatest big men of the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s are
incomplete or nonexistent.
Players such as Wilt Chamberlain and
Bill Russell were renowned shot blockers, but neither
has an official NBA career block total. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar entered the
NBA in 1969, meaning his first four seasons are also missing from his
official career total.
For that reason, career block rankings should be viewed specifically
as records from the NBA's official blocked-shot era rather than a
complete measurement of shot-blocking throughout league history.
Elmore Smith's 17-Block Game
On October 28, 1973, Los Angeles Lakers center
Elmore Smith blocked an NBA-record
17 shots in a 111-98 victory over the Portland Trail
Blazers.
Smith also finished the game with 12 points and 16 rebounds, giving
him a rare triple-double involving blocked shots. His record has stood
since the NBA's first season officially tracking blocks.
