Every basketball team wants one, you can even argue that many teams need one to get them to the next level, but when it comes down to it how well respected are shot blockers? Shot blockers are game changers. They can take away an offensive player’s inside game and force them to try more outside shots. They have the ability to completely alter the other team’s game plan. Some great players have lead the league in blocked shots, but how many blocked shot leaders have made it into the Hall of Fame.

Blocked shots have only been an officially kept statistic since the 1971-72 season. Following the 2007-08 season, only two players have ever been the league leader in blocked shots and also made it into the Basketball Hall-of-Fame. Those players are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Hakeem Olajuwon. Though both Abdul-Jabbar and Olajuwon made it into the Hall-of-Fame and lead the league in blocked shots, it was not because of their shot blocking ability that they made it into the hall. Both players were exceptional scorers and rebounders in addition to the shot blocking ability.

Other players that are no longer in the league and have also lead the league in blocked shots include: Artis Gilmore, Caldwell Jones, Elmore Smith, Billy Paultz, George Johnson, Tree Rollins, Mark Eaton, Manute Bol, David Robinson, and Shawn Bradley. Of those, only David Robinson will most likely end up in the Hall-of-Fame. As far as active players who have been blocked shot leaders, they include: Dikembe Mutumbo, Alonzo Mourning, Jermaine O’Neal, Ben Wallace, Theo Ratliff, Marcus Camby, and Andrei Kirilenko. Of those players there are no sure bets on attaining the Hall-of-Fame although there are some possibilities.

Only three players have been the blocked shot leader in four or more seasons. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Mark Eaton have both been the league leader in four seasons and Dikembe Mutumbo was the league leader in blocked shots for five consecutive years (1993/94 – 1997/98). Eaton and Mutumbo were major contributors to their teams while doing this, but they were largely ineffective offensive players and this will keep them from being recognized by the Hall-of-Fame.

While the blocked shot is an important statistic and something that every coach would like to see his team excel in, it is not a statistic that gets the kind of attention from fans and the media. While you can be primarily a scorer, a rebounder, and even an assist guy and make it into the Hall-of-Fame, it is apparent that you cannot be primarily a shot blocker and count on making it into the Hall-of-Fame.