SALT LAKE CITY – 1997: Hakeem Olajuwon #34 of the Houston Rockets smiles against the Utah Jazz circa 1997.
There have been some monstrous performances on the glass in the NBA’s biggest games with three players tied atop the single-game leaderboard with 26 rebounds. Bismack Biyombo is the most recent player to achieve that feat in 2016, joining Dwight Howard and Hakeem Olajuwon. We will break down the biggest rebounding performances in NBA playoff history
26 Rebounds: Bismack Biyombo (2016), Dwight Howard (2015), Hakeem Olajuwon (1988)
26 has been the high watermark for rebounds in a single NBA Playoff game with three players accomplishing that feat. Olajuwon broke the record in 1988 when he pulled down 26 boards in the Western Conference Finals against the Mavericks. That record stood for nearly 30 years until Dwight Howard ripped down 26 rebounds. Interestingly, both Olajuwon and Howard were members of the Rockets and attained that record against the Mavericks each time. Biyombo was the next member to join the club a year after Dwight Howard when he did so against the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals.
25 Rebounds: Jonas Valanciunas (2022), Tim Duncan (2002), Hakeem Olajuwon (1987)
Olajuwon is unsurprisingly a staple on this list as one of the best rebounders in history. He set the record at the time with 25 boards against the SuperSonics in the Western Conference Semis and that record stood until he broke it again a year later. Tim Duncan grabbed 25 boards against the Lakers in the Western Conference Semis but the Spurs had to wait another year until they got to the mountaintop. Jonas Valanciunas, then with the Pelicans, joined the 25-rebound club against the Suns in the first game of the 2022 NBA playoffs.
24 Rebounds: Dwight Howard (2009), Ben Wallace (2003, 2004), Tim Duncan (2003), Shaquille O’Neal (2000), Charles Oakley (1994), Charles Barkley (1993), Ralph Sampson (1985)
Several players have reached the 24-rebound mark in playoff games, and they are some of the best rebounders the game has seen. Ralph Sampson set the bar in 1985 as a member of the Rockets only to be bested by teammate Hakeem Olajuwon two years later.
The Round Mound of Rebound himself, Charles Barkley, joined the 24-rebound club in 1993 and Charles Oakley did so as well the following postseason.
In the 2000s, Shaq got it started with a dominant effort on the boards against the Pacers in Game 2 of the 2000 NBA Finals. Tim Duncan then followed suit in 2003 during the Spurs’ title run. Ben Wallace got to 24 rebounds in a game in back-to-back playoffs during the Pistons’ impressive run in that era that culminated in an NBA Championship in 2004.
23 Rebounds: Anthony Davis (2024, 2023), Kevon Looney (2023), Giannis Antetokounmpo (2019), Tim Duncan (2008, 2003), Shaquille O’Neal (2003), Charles Barkley (1999, 1995), Larry Smith (1987)
Golden State’s Larry Smith was the first to record a 23-rebound postseason game back in 1987. Since then, six other players have recorded that exact number of boards during a postseason game. Most recently, active players like Anthony Davis, Kevon Looney and Giannis Antetokounmpo have reached that milestone. Davis has done so in back-to-back postseasons and still has an active streak going into this year.
