NBA Best Power Forwards of All Time Ranked

Throughout history, the power forwards had a clear framework for success. It was often the second tallest player on the lineup, able to support the center when defending the paint. Offensively, the power forward was usually asked to do more than a center. They were supposed to be a bruiser in the paint but also have a soft touch from the midrange, offering more versatility. The simplest way to put it is that they had the size of the center but more of the skill of a small forward. At BetUS, we have tried to create the best frontcourt player using players between 2000 and 2010.

However, with the evolution of the five-out offense and teams focusing so heavily on shooting threes, NBA power forwards seem to be a dying breed. Because fewer teams are driving to the paint, you only need one big rim defender, which allows power forwards to be substituted by a “taller” small forward.

Still, the power forward position played a crucial part in NBA history. Elite players such as Anthony Davis, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Karl-Anthony Towns are still trying to recreate the position in their own way.

Top 10 Power Forwards in NBA

10. Kevin McHale

Kevin McHale had an odd career in the NBA. While he might not have the stats as other players on this list and come off the bench for most of the early part of his career, it’s difficult not to include McHale. He spent all his 13 years in the league with the Boston Celtics from 1980 to 1993, winning three NBA titles and two Six-Man of the Year awards.

Throughout McHale’s career, he would average 17.9 points and 7.3 rebounds while proving to be one of the best offensive post players ever. He had a series of pump fakes, japs, and pivots to get defenders off-balanced, giving him wide-open scoring opportunities. On top of that, McHale was an elite defender, making six All-Defensive teams.

9. Anthony Davis

Anthony Davis is the only player on this list who has a chance of moving up the best power forwards of all time ranking. At 31 years old, Davis is the only player still active in the league on the Los Angeles Lakers. Still, that should not take away from a Hall-of-Fame career, with likely more on the horizon.

Davis spent his first seven seasons with the team that drafted him first overall in 2012, the New Orleans Hornets, which was renamed the Pelicans in 2013. He averaged 23.7 points and 10.5 rebounds and was an All-Star in every season but his rookie year. In 2019, Davis was traded to the Lakers to join LeBron James. He went on to win the 2020 NBA Finals during the COVID-19 bubble.

For his career, Davis is averaging 24.1 points and 10.6 rebounds per game over 12 seasons. While he has transitioned to center in recent seasons, he is still considered a power forward, making him one of the league’s best.

8. Dennis Rodman

There is no better word to describe Dennis Rodman than a winner. Over his 14-year career, despite being undersized for an NBA power forward, Rodman won five championships and repeatedly led the league in rebounding.

Rodman was not known for scoring, averaging only 7.3 points per game, but he did everything else at an elite level. He won two Defensive Player of the Year awards in back-to-back seasons, 1989-90 and 1990-91. He also led the league in rebounding for seven straight seasons from 1991 to 1997, averaging 13.1 for his career.

While Rodman only has two All-Stars, everything he did led to him winning two rings with the Detroit Pistons and three more with the Chicago Bulls. All five championship teams couldn’t have won without Rodman’s defense and rebounding.

7. Charles Barkley

It almost feels wrong to have Charles Barkley this low on a list of the best power forwards of all time, but his lack of an NBA championship is why The Round Mound of Rebound is here. He is on a short list of some of the best players to never win a ring, which again almost feels wrong, given how great he was in his career.

Barkley averaged 22.1 points and 11.7 rebounds and was a 6-foot-6-inch power forward, very much undersized. He would also win the 1992-93 MVP, stealing one from Michael Jordan. However, when the two met in the Finals that season, Jordan got the best of Barkley.

Beyond that, Barkley is still among the best players in the league’s history. In 11 straight seasons, he had at least 20 points and 10 rebounds and made 11 All-NBA and All-Star appearances, more than enough to secure him a spot on this list.

6. Elvin Hayes

The following two players are often forgotten but instrumental in creating the NBA power forward position as we know it. Not only were they pioneers of the position, but they also had remarkable careers.

Elvin Hayes is one of the forgotten names that really shouldn’t be. In his rookie season, 1968-69, after being selected first overall by the San Diego Rockets, Hayes led the NBA in scoring, immediately announcing himself. That would be the start of a career in which he averaged 21 points and 12.5 rebounds per game, winning a championship in 1978.

However, while Hayes would never win an MVP, he did make 12 All-Star games in his 16-year career. He also racked up accolades on both sides of the ball, with one scoring title, two rebounding titles, six All-NBA selections, and two All-Defensive selections.

5. Bob Pettit

Bob Pettit’s career might have been short—only 11 years—but he made a lasting impact. In each season Pettit played in the league, he was an All-Star and was selected to the All-NBA team.

Those were not the only awards that Pettit racked up in his career, winning an NBA championship in 1958, two MVPs, two scoring titles, and one rebounding title. He would finish his career averaging 26.4 points and 16.2 rebounds per game, being a complete offensive juggernaut throughout his 11 seasons.

4. Dirk Nowitzki

If Pettit is the perfect archetype and creator of the power-forward position, then Dirk Nowitzki is the one who brought the position into the modern era, and it is often the style that player teams are looking for now. Nowitzki, from Germany, is the father of the stretch four, a power forward that can hit threes.

By the time he retired, Nowitzki had averaged 3.4 threes attempted per game, making 1.3 for a 38% shooting percentage from deep. That effectively changed how the power forward was viewed, with teams wanting someone who could now space the floor at that position.

However, that is not the only reason Nowitzki is so high on this list. Nowitzki averaged 20.7 points and 7.5 rebounds throughout his 21-year career, spending his whole time with the Dallas Mavericks. He won an MVP in the 2006-07 season, making 14 All-Star appearances and 12 All-NBA teams. His most significant accomplishment is the 2011 NBA championship, beating a stacked Miami Heat team while being the core centerpiece of the Mavericks.

3. Kevin Garnett

Kevin Garnett is another player who completely embodied what it meant to be an NBA power forward. He was a menace on both sides of the ball, dominating the glass, being an elite defender, and was an efficient scorer.

There was a lot of hype around Garnett when the Minnesota Timberwolves drafted him fifth overall out of high school in 1995. It would take little to no time for him to fit in throughout his 21-year career, averaging 17.8 points and 10 rebounds per game. However, his stats are slightly skewed due to him getting off to a slow start coming straight out of high school and maybe playing too long, struggling in the later seasons of his career.

Even despite that, by the end of his career, Garnett made his mark on the game. He finished with 15 All-Star appearances and nine All-NBA selections while making 12 All-Defensive teams. He would win an MVP for the 2003-04 season with the Timberwolves but won his only NBA Championship in 2008 with the Boston Celtics, the same season he won Defensive Player of the Year.

2. Karl Malone

Here is another player, Karl Malone, who has never won an NBA championship. However, what separates Malone from Barkley is their overall careers. Malone would average 25 points and 10.1 rebounds over his 19 years in the NBA, retiring with the second most points in the league’s history at that time,.

Outside of his final season, Malone would play nearly all of his career with the Utah Jazz, going to the NBA Finals twice, only losing to Jordan both times. However, Malone would also steal an MVP from Jordan, winning one in 1996-97, before losing in the finals like Barkley. Malone would pick up a second MVP in the 1998-99 season despite that being one of the few years he wasn’t an All-Star.

Overall, Malone finished with 14 All-Star appearances, 14 All-NBA selections, and four All-Defensive teams, showing he was not just a scorer. If Malone gets one finals victory, he could sneak into the top spot, but that is a big blemish on his career.

1. Tim Duncan

Finally, Tim Duncan is the top NBA power forward in the league’s history, and there isn’t much to argue against that. Duncan might not be among the most exciting players to watch, nicknamed The Big Fundamental, but it is hard to argue with his success.

In 19 seasons in the NBA, all with the San Antonio Spurs, who selected him first in 1997, he led the team to five championships. While the Spurs never won the Finals in back-to-back seasons, they were always a contender every year, and Duncan was a massive part of that.

In those 19 seasons, Duncan was a two-time MVP and made 15 All-Star games, 15 All-NBA selections, and 15 All-Defensive teams. While Duncan was far from flashy, there is very little to argue against him being the best power forward of all time, given his success individually and for the Spurs. He averaged 19 points and 10.8 rebounds for his career. ​​

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